Focus on app retention, not just app downloads

Nielsen research shows that in the United States alone, smartphone users tinker with their mobile apps at an average of 30 hours and 15 minutes every month—a substantial amount of time, especially when you consider that the average user only uses one to four apps daily out of the average 41 apps that he keeps in his smartphone. If your app is not being used, then its chances of getting kicked off a smartphone is also higher.

Hence, the goal for businesses is to get into those top four apps that users cannot live without. Many mobile experts agree that retention is the most important measurement to gauge just how valuable your app is in the eyes of your users. According to Apptamin, “This metric will empower you to see what is working and what isn’t in your bid to engage your users, and to refine your app as needed to retain as many users as possible. This refinement of your app is paramount in maximizing your retention, and in so doing increasing conversions.”

But that can be easier said than done, as there are varying reasons why people delete an app. According to an Entrepreneur infographic, 48 percent of surveyed users remove an app because of poor speed while 32 percent are looking for alternative apps that deliver the same service, but with better performance. Unfortunately, developers find it hard to deliver a consistently fast mobile experience due to variability of network performance, poor carrier reliability, and customer device issues like weak battery and low memory level—all of which are outside a developer’s control.

But one thing remains to be the sole reason why loyal users download and retain an app, despite external factors: the app is valuable to them.

Providing value

Having a value proposition gives your users a reason why they want to do business with you in the first place, as well as sets you apart from the competition. That is why apps that provide products and services are usually the ones that stay on smartphones.

Ben Leventhal, CEO of restaurant reservation app Resy, gives an insight on what makes him retain an app in his smartphone. He says, “The only apps I use are the ones that feel like magic, whether that means getting me a car or an impossible restaurant reservation in 30 seconds or allowing me to watch a news event halfway around the world in real time. The apps that stay on my home screen are either profoundly useful or help me connect with the world.”

Furthermore, promises are not made to be broken in the app world. It may get you downloads, but it won’t guarantee retention “Every app promises to do something amazing and show us the future, which sounds great,” says Leventhal. “But most are overpromising by a mile, so they disappoint us, and we forget about them.”

An example of an app that takes the value proposition seriously is Born2Invest, an app that delivers aggregated business and finance news in summaries containing 80 words or less. Dom Einhorn, founder and CEO of Born2Invest, knows that existing business and finance news readers in emerging markets are his target audience, and has tailored the app specifically to their needs.

“Every one of our competitors has one thing in common: they appear to be chasing the same ‘general English news market,'” he said in an interview. “We, on the other hand, build niche content with a clearly addressable and identifiable audience, starting with a business and finance app in English, but via 50 plus foreign language iterations as well.”

Einhorn also understands the role of user experience in increasing app retention rates. “We have yet to find a single competitor capable of delivering their core value proposition on one screen, no scroll required. In fact, most aggregators seem to be adding noise to noise. They all look the same and they all feel the same as well.”

Programming an app that can be used habitually also vouches for higher retention rates. Born2Invest does this by keeping its content fresh, providing an “always current” reading experience that never gets old. But that one is easy enough, considering that the app delivers news that are updated on a daily basis.

For apps like Life360, a family communication and location tool, it has programmed habitual usage by not only providing the current location of a family member but also sending crime updates on each user’s location. Adding this personalized service has increased app re-engagement by 300 percent, according to Itamar Novick, product VP at Life360.