3 Tips to Maintain a Higher Mobile App Retention Rate

     On average, there are more than 600 million apps downloaded everyday, but research shows only 25% of users come back to an app the day after install. How many times an app is downloaded is no longer the only indication of its success. Acquisition is also considered the most important metric for mobile performance, but as maintaining active users becomes more and more of a challenge, brands might have to shift their focus away from acquisition to retention. Here are three tips to achieve better app retention rate:

     1. Embrace customization

     We live in the age of content explosion - there’s more than enough content to consume but there isn’t enough time in a day to do so. Brands have been trimming down the amount of content by showing users what they need, but it’s time to take a step further to allow users to decide on what they want to see. Providing a space where users don’t have to skip around to see what they want gives them a sense of control. More importantly, personalized campaigns could be created more efficiently based on user preferences. With the amount of data from customization, these campaigns could be more than just a “hi, first name” greeting.

     2. Create a fear of missing out

     One lesson to take away from the most successful apps, such as Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat, is that these apps create a fear of missing out. Besides the social element on these apps, all contents are time sensitive. Users have to go back to the app constantly to make sure they don’t miss out on the latest news, topics and trends. For consumer apps, delivering time sensitive deals creates a sense of urgency and it encourages users to respond. For other apps, incorporating a social element can remind users of the fear of missing out and encourage users to share and engage with the time sensitive content.

     3. Use data to guide you 

     There’s no better way to learn about retention than user data generated from the app. Integrating a data analytic program into your existing app could provide the insights needed to understand how well you are retaining users. By closely monitoring the bounce rate and click through rate, developers can run tests and figure out what users are looking for in an app.

     While many brands are struggling to monetize their consumer apps, there might be a bigger problem to consider than acquisition. Retaining users to achieve greater customer lifetime value should be prioritized now.