Breakthrough Mobile App User Retention Strategies and Tactics

Today, businesses cannot walk an inch without mobile apps as their customers or clients are on smartphones all the time. Hence, to reach them, enterprises all across the world spend a lot of money on their digital or Internet marketing. But then, downloaded apps are often uninstalled within a short period of time, leaving your all efforts in vain. So, a billion-dollar question is how to retain mobile app users. What are the strategies and tactics for mobile app user retention?

The Power of Mobile Apps Marketing

According to the research giant Statista, during Q3 2022, over 3.55 million mobile apps were available on the Google Play Store (up by 1.3% compared to Q2); on the other hand, in the same period (Q3 2022), nearly 1.64 million mobile apps were available in the Apple App Store. In the most recently researched year, consumers downloaded 255 billion mobile apps on their devices with the Internet (up by more than 80% of app downloads in 2016).

Why Mobile App User Retention is Important in Business?

Mobile app market research statistics have allured businesses of all sizes to spare an ample amount of the budget spent on mobile app marketing. While with top mobile app marketing strategies, they surely get their apps downloaded on users’ mobile devices, but the bigger concern is to retain the app on their phones.

To do so business owners consult with mobile app developers to discuss mobile app user retention strategies and tactics to apply right from the start when the product is being developed and continued, especially after its deployment.

Strategies and Tactics for Mobile App User Retention

As stated, one of the most common challenges for business owners is to retain mobile app users after they download and install the application. User retention is the measure of how many users return to the app after their first session, and it is influenced by various factors such as user satisfaction, app engagement, user experience, and user loyalty.

In this guide on how to retain mobile app users, we will discuss some of the best strategies and tactics that can help you increase your mobile app user retention rate and grow your app business.

Define Clear User Goals and Value Propositions

You need to understand what problem your mobile app solves, what benefits it offers, and what makes it unique and different from other apps in the same category. It is advisable to communicate this value proposition effectively to your target audience through app store optimization and listing, website, social media, and other marketing channels. By doing this, you can attract users who are interested in your app and have a clear expectation of what it can do for them.

Optimize User Onboarding and App Performance

Onboarding is the process of guiding new users through the essential features and functions of your mobile app, and it is crucial for creating a positive first impression and reducing user frustration. Various techniques can help you to do so:

• Tutorials
• Walkthroughs
• Tooltips
• Videos
• Gamification

This all can make your mobile app user onboarding simple, engaging, and informative. You also need to ensure that your app performs well in terms of design, usability, speed, and stability. Experts recommend using analytics tools to monitor your app performance and identify any issues or bugs that might affect user experience.

Implement Push Notifications and In-App Messages

This is one of the top mobile app features and strategies that keep your users informed and engaged. To define simply, push notifications are messages that appear on the user’s device screen even when the mobile app is not open, while in-app messages are messages that appear within the app interface.

These types of messages can be used to deliver relevant and timely information to your mobile app users, such as news, updates, offers, reminders, tips, or feedback requests. However, you need to be careful not to overuse or misuse these messages, as they can also annoy or distract your application users if they are too frequent, irrelevant, or intrusive. You should always give them the option to opt-in or opt-out of receiving these messages. You should also segment your app users based on their preferences, behavior, or demographics to send them personalized and contextual messages.

To explain this step in more detail, let us look at some examples of how you can use push notifications and in-app messages effectively for your app:

• Announce mobile app updates
• Announce new feature addition
• Send reminders or alerts.
• Offer discounts or deals.
• Provide tips or suggestions.
• Request feedback or ratings.
• Reward loyal users or referrals.

Encourage User Feedback and Ratings for Your App

User feedback is valuable for understanding the needs, preferences, pain points, and satisfaction levels of your mobile app users. You can collect user feedback through various methods such as surveys, polls, reviews, ratings, comments, or emails. You should always respond to user feedback promptly and politely, and use it to improve your mobile app features, functionality, or design.

User reviews and ratings are important for increasing your app’s visibility and credibility on the app store platforms. You can ask your users to rate your app after they have used it for a certain period of time or completed a certain action within the app. You should also understand the importance of users’ ratings and reviews that increase or decrease your business. Provide appropriate replies to the app users’ reviews and ratings as positive reviews can increase your mobile app downloads and negative ones decrease. Also, try to immediately address any negative feedback or complaints professionally.

Reward Loyal Users and Referrals of Your App

User loyalty is the measure of how often and how long users use your mobile app over time. You can increase user loyalty by offering incentives or rewards to your users for using your mobile app regularly or completing certain actions within the app. For example, you can use loyalty programs, points systems, badges, leaderboards, coupons, discounts, freebies, or premium features to motivate users to return to your mobile app more frequently and spend more time on it. You can also leverage word-of-mouth marketing by rewarding your users for referring their friends or family members to download and use your app. This way, you can acquire new users organically and increase your mobile app user base.

Stay Relevant with On-Time App Updates

Mobile app updates are essential for maintaining your app quality, security, and compatibility with the latest devices, operating systems, and trends. You should update your app regularly with new features, improvements, or bug fixes that enhance user experience and satisfaction. You should also inform app users about the changes and benefits of each update through your app store listing, push notifications, or in-app messages. By doing this, you can show your users that you care about their feedback and needs and that you are constantly working to improve your app.

Personalize User Experience for Making More Appeal

Personalization is the process of tailoring your app content, features, or design to suit the individual preferences, interests, or behavior of each user. You can use data analysis and machine learning to segment your users and create personalized experiences for them. For example, you can use personalization to show your mobile app users relevant content, recommendations, or offers based on their location, search history, or purchase history. You can also use personalization to customize your app interface, language, or theme according to the user’s device, time zone, or mood. With this approach, you can increase your mobile app user engagement, loyalty, and retention.

Plan and Execute Reengaging Activities to Get Further Clicks

Reengagement is the process of bringing back users who have stopped using your app or have become inactive for a certain period of time. You can use various techniques such as remarketing, retargeting, or reactivation campaigns to reengage your users and remind them of the value and benefits of your app. For example, you can use remarketing to show your users ads or messages on other platforms or channels that direct them back to your app. You can use retargeting to show your users personalized ads or messages based on their previous actions or behavior within your mobile app.

You can use reactivation campaigns to offer your app users incentives or rewards for returning to a mobile app or completing a certain action within the app. By doing this, you can reduce your app user churn rate and increase your user lifetime value.

Offer Timely Support to Hold Users on the Mobile App

Your mobile app user’s needs and pain points are to be addressed as quickly as possible and that is crucial for your mobile app’s success, according to mobile app marketing experts. Any business or company that fails to answer users’ queries just in time would lose their customers’ faith and it results in losing business. There are various ways you can provide instant support to your esteemed mobile app users.

Chat support: Provide instant answers to your app users’ queries and concerns through a live chat feature in your mobile app. This will help you build trust and loyalty among your app users and increase their satisfaction which leads to an increased app retention rate. The recent technology of AI-enabled chatbots can help you answer users 24/7 without any manpower.

Search auto-completion: Help your mobile app users find what they are looking for faster and easier by suggesting relevant keywords and phrases as they type in the search box. This will improve their user experience and encourage them to explore more products. This app feature is liked by most mobile app users and hence leads to user retention on mobile apps for a long time.

Related searches: Show your mobile app users other products that are similar or related to their search query or browsing history. This will expose them to more options and increase the chances of them to stay on your mobile application.

Recommended products: Personalize your app user experience by recommending products that match their preferences, needs, and interests. This will make them feel valued and increase their engagement and retention.

User Retention is Business Retention

These are some of the best strategies and tactics that can help you retain your mobile app users and grow your app business. By applying these techniques, you can create a loyal and engaged user base that will support your mobile app’s success and sustainability.