People usually fall into three groups when it comes to mobile business apps. There are those who use them, those who develop them, and those who make money from them. If you’re in the latter group or want to be, this article is for you.
Building a business that aligns with the values of a leader requires analysis, a deep understanding of the tasks, and strategic thinking. However, the most important thing for any business is customers, not just their number but also their satisfaction. User engagement is one of the true metrics that reflects how useful an application is to the world.
You should work in this direction to create regular customers and retain a large audience that comes to you from Google Play. We would like to share with you the results of our research on how to increase user engagement.
How to Increase User Engagement Business Apps?
For most companies, boosting app engagement brings clear benefits. Engaged users see more ads, buy more products, and subscribe more often. But here’s the kicker—2023 saw a 12% drop in mobile app retention across iOS and Android. It’s a tough landscape out there, but with the right strategies, you can keep your users coming back for more.
1. Push Notifications – A Powerful Tool
Everyone heard push notifications. They’re a staple in many apps, and for good reason—they’re crucial for user engagement. Push notifications can significantly boost user retention, but they can also lead to user churn. If users receive notifications regularly, their engagement with the app stays much higher. Too many notifications are a sure way to reduce the number of users.
Why are push notifications important for your business apps:
- First off, they remind users about important events and updates in your app. This keeps your app top of mind and shows that it’s active.
- Personalizing push notifications can make them even more effective. You can tailor messages to each user’s preferences and interests. Whether it’s a new discount or a major update, customized notifications can help bring users back to your app.
Not everyone reacts to push notifications, but they generally catch the user’s attention. A well-crafted notification might just make someone tap to see what’s new in your app.
2. Improve Onboarding of Your Business App
Users try out a lot of apps but decide which ones they want to stop using within the first three to seven days. For decent apps, the majority of users retained their seven-day stick around much longer. The key to success is to get users hooked during that critical first three-to-seven day period.
Efficient onboarding can boost app engagement by 50%. But how can you make the most out of your onboarding?
- Highlight the Value of Your App: Don’t overwhelm users with all your features right away. Focus on the benefits instead. Start with your key features and introduce less important ones later on.
- Value Users’ Time: Avoid making users swipe through endless text-heavy screens before they can try the app. Keep it simple.
- Visuals are Key: Use screenshots or drawings to illustrate your points. Progress indicators can also help users understand where they are in the onboarding process.
- Teach by Doing: Walk users through the main actions they can take in your app. This hands-on approach helps them see the results for themselves. Only present some features upfront if your app is especially complex.
- End with a Bang: Finish your onboarding session with a strong call to action. This can significantly improve user engagement.
- Give Contextual Hints: Provide helpful hints whenever a user encounters an unfamiliar interaction. This makes the learning curve less steep.
3. Stay Competitive
With the advent of generative AI, the world has split into two spheres. Some are using it and thriving, while others are ignoring it and falling behind in many areas. If generative AI can drive growth for your business, use it. You must do everything to stay competitive.
What is behind this:
- Prices. Brands with higher prices must either justify them or lower them.
- Understand the market. There are at least 100 more apps in your niche on the Google Play Store. You can use VPN for Google Play Store to expand your overview. You don’t have to draw inspiration and analyze trends from your closest competitors, as you can change countries in Google Play and install apps from foreign companies.
- Range of products and services. It is important to expand your services and product range so that there is no reason to go to a competitor, even for a small accessory to your product.
4. Focus on Personalization
Personalization is a great way to enhance user experience. With personalized content, your app can provide users with news and updates that match their interests. This means each user gets a unique experience tailored to their preferences.
When users see that your app caters to their interests, they are more likely to keep using it and recommend it to others. To achieve this, you’ll need key information such as location and user preferences. Metrics will be your best friend here.
But be careful not to overwhelm users with too many messages. Keep an eye on what you send to avoid failures and increased abandonment rates.
5. Support Communication
Building relationships with users means keeping the conversation going. Understand their needs, meet their expectations, and always aim to help. One way to achieve this is by supporting various communication options within your app.
For instance, in-app messages are great for asking users for feedback, informing them about updates, or surprising them with special offers. You can also use AI in the form of a chatbot. It will help reduce the load on the support team and close many user questions automatically.
6. Consider Using Gamification
People naturally want to win, achieve, and outperform others. It’s human nature! There are plenty of ways to tap into this desire to boost engagement—like scoring systems, challenges, achievements, leaderboards, badges, and stickers.
Take Duolingo, for example. It’s been the poster child for gamification for a while now. With 74.1 million active monthly users, its engagement and retention rates are consistently higher than its competitors. They use a four-part gamification strategy:
- Bite-sized goals: Users can set specific daily achievements.
- Visualize the end goal: Show users how close they are to their dream each day.
- External triggers: Use emails and notifications to bring users back before they form a habit.
- Reward habitual use: Encourage users with streaks, virtual currency, and other game-like elements.
Some business apps are more suitable for gamification than others. But it is worth considering even unexpected forms of gamification. For example, a dental clinic app can encourage oral hygiene through daily tasks. When problems arise, the user is more likely to turn to a familiar service.
7. Implement Social Features
An in-app community can boost user retention by 2.7x. No wonder social+ is on the rise in gaming, finance, payments, and more. Create a space in your app where users can chat with friends or interact with the wider community. Make it easy for them to connect through chat, voice, and video features.
And don’t forget content moderation. It’s essential to keep the space safe and aligned with your brand. This way, you can ensure a positive experience for everyone.
What’s Next For Your Business App?
There are over 2.4 million Android apps in the Google Play Store. Crazy, right? But here’s the kicker. The average 30-day retention rate for these apps is just 5.7%. Yep, that means a whopping 94.3% churn rate. The reason is that business apps don’t know how to properly interact with the user.
The retention rate is just a reflection of the trend towards accelerating life. For a business to survive in such a fast pace of life, it needs to be able to interact with users, and the strategies described above will help with this.
Kathy Spencer is a content creator known for her engaging and insightful digital content across various social media platforms. With a background in digital marketing and storytelling, Kathy excels at crafting compelling narratives that resonate with diverse audiences. Her expertise spans lifestyle, travel, and technology, where she often shares practical tips.
