We had our share of learning analyzing apps that saw a rise and then ultimate fall after a brief duration. One such mobile app has been Everest, which once upon a time impressed a lot of users. However, it gradually went down, leading to an ultimate shutdown eventually within two years.
Everest was a goal setting app, widely acclaimed for the design capabilities. This really paid off in Everest’s favor, as the design was highly appreciated, and users really got inclined towards the app. However, the company kept adding features, making the app complex to use, leading to a buggy app.
No matter how good your mobile app is, if it has even minor bugs, users are going to move from satisfaction to dissatisfaction level, without you even realizing the situation. This is exactly what happened with Everest. They kept on adding things instead of subtracting things.
There are many such examples to learn from with the likes of Everpix, Hailo, Google Wave, and more. They failed due to one or the other reasons such as too much expense in making a perfect app, cutthroat competition from peers, a business model that’s totally flawed, etc.
Believe it or not, but today things are not as difficult as it seemed few years back. In fact, today it is quite easier to get users to install your app. You just need to engage them using right app metrics. More importantly, you need to have constant track of metrics working in your favor, and the ones not working for you.
So, what have we learnt?
#1. Convey purpose and intent with regular interactions
Of the total number of apps downloaded, most of them are used once and not used again. Hence, it is critically important to convey the purpose and benefits to the first time users. As soon as users register for your app, send them an awesome boarding email, telling them how you feel in welcoming them into the family. Try to send an email instantly, so that users know their registration is successful and quick.
While doing this keep track of the Click through Rate (CTR), so that you can have apt changes in the welcoming email. Other than that, you need to keep sending emails twice a week, to keep them informed about the new offers, updates, upgrades, or in turn promoting other apps from your stable. You can even send notifications emails if they have not logged in for some time, or have forgotten about your app.
#2. Push right messages at the right time
Imagine a hair salon app, wherein you are telling users to book their second appointment, wherein they haven’t booked even the first. Such a small blunder can make things real worse, and pass on a wrong message to users that the app is buggy in nature. An average time men or women take to visit salons is 23 days. For every user who has booked at least one appointment should be informed to book their next appointment after every 15-20 days.
Additionally, users should be told to rate an app, at the right time. Users should not be poked every now and then to forcibly rate an app. Tell users to rate once they have used the service. If in case they do not respond, tell them to rate your app, once a week. Do not raise this frequency, as users might find your app good enough, yet irritating. Another nice way to deal with is providing a ratings and reviews option within the app, so that users can rate through text or image, whenever they feel like.
#3. Bringing back the users who have gone
Do not be contented with the initial success of bringing users within your app. This is just a beginning. Building a user base is easier; however maintaining them is the real deal. Uninstall rates are staggering, and a big reason to worry for all businesses. You need to keep them inside the app, even if they have lost the contact.
Keep sending those interactive emails once in a while telling them how you feel when you left. The feedback received from customer’s end should be forwarded to sales and support team. They will be able to handle gone customers with utmost care and bring them back for you.
#4. Focus on selected features rather than going for many
You are making your app too complex by installing a hell lot of features. This has been a major reason of failure for a lot of apps. It is wise to keep your app as simple as possible and focus on capitalizing on solutions expected from your app the most. People are used to seeing simple things with a great user-friendly appeal. Moreover, your app should be easy in handling, even for the most novice users around.
Set priorities for the most useful features, and then implement them first. Do not blindly copy your competitors, and try to integrate all they have to offer. Once you have the most important ones in place, reiterate again and again to get them perfectly right, so that users find your app useful enough to download and use.
Let your app shine without getting lost
With so many apps coming out every day, it is getting difficult for apps to outperform other apps. You will have tons of articles with too many strategies revolving around how to make your app shine among thousand others. We have just discussed a few of them. However, in our opinion, they are the most crucial ones, if you want your app, not just to create a lasting first impression, but also maintain it, even after users have gone away.
Your app is bound to come across both sets of users. First section would be a section of loyal users, who have an instant connect with your app. Second section of users need to be poked repeatedly so that they remain in the groove of the app. Whether entertaining former section of audience or latter section, do follow the practices for both, as you never know what one thing within your app might irritate even the most loyal user, giving them a strong reason to leave the app.
Image: APPS concept with young man holding his smartphone outside in the park toward sunset
