Mobile apps are fun. People love using them. Businesses love extending their products and services through them.

Still, not all mobile apps have thousands of active users and an impressive number of downloads. Here is a stat to show you how grave the scenario is:

  • Users uninstall 50% of mobile apps in the first month of downloading.
  • 90% of loyal customers who use an app regularly stick around at least once a week.
  • “I rarely use this app”- that’s what the majority of smartphone owners say as the reason for deleting an app.

According to Localytics, about 60% of users stop using an app within the first month after trying it for the first time. Only 20% will stick with it up to the fourth month.

So, is there no strategy for increasing app engagement? If you look at the top mobile apps, you will see they have more than three times higher consumer engagement. That means- there are some secret ways to win the customer’s hearts.

Let’s reveal it!

First off, what is app engagement?

App engagement of your app tells you how frequently the customers use the app after downloading it. Localytics says- highly active customers take more than ten sessions with an app in 1 month.

The main object of an app designer is making the users open and use this app regularly. Otherwise, there is no point in existing on the play store. And, increasing app engagement provides you with better user retention. So, you know you can’t have that luxury to neglect your customer engagement toll.

What are the metrics to assess the app engagement?

what are the metrics to assess the app engagement?

Keeping an eye on the number of clicks, app reviews on the play store, and downloads is cool, but they don’t tell you the whole story. In fact, there is no miracle metric to give you a crystal clear idea about app engagement and user retention.

Still, here are a bunch of parameters that help you measure, iterate and optimize your app engagement. Check it out!  

  • Active app users– It is a vital metric to measure user retention. It is the number of people who use your app regularly.
  • The number of downloads– The more downloads you will have, the more your app will grow. You first need the app to be downloaded to get users, right?
  • Session length– It tells you the time your users spend on your app in one sitting. And obviously, a more extended session means better business.
  • Session interval– A sessional gap means two successive sessions of an app. It helps you understand how frequently the users open and use an app. Session interval tells you about the stickiness.
  • Lifetime revenue- It is the entire revenue that an app earns from a user before they stop using it. You can evaluate it by the monthly average of either purchase value per customer or advertising revenue.

What is user retention?

What is user retention
What is user retention?

Increasing app engagement is notably correlated with user retention. It is somehow subjective. It keeps track of how many users get back to the app after the first session within the first three months.

Every business and brand has its benchmark and standard to measure user retention. The growth in user retention says that you are gaining loyal customers.

 User retention and app engagement are the critical factors for your app’s growth. Together they are called stickiness. Stickiness shows how regular and loyal your customers are.

Methods for increasing app engagement and user retention:

best strategies for increasing app engagement & user retention
best strategies for increasing app engagement & user retention

Here we will talk about ten ways to Increase mobile app engagement. Keep reading!

#8. Give your users an easy way to create an account.

Facing issues in creating an account distracts the users. So, give them multiple and easy ways to create an account. Let them sign up with Facebook, Google, Email, etc.

It would be best to provide the fence-sitters with a login-free experience. People don’t like to create an account before knowing what is there in the app. Making it mandatory to sign up before knowing the actual value of an app can distract many potential users.

The users hugely appreciate an app when you let them use it and ask to create an account only when necessary.

It would help if you asked for permission when your app needs access to personal info. And, here comes the issue! Some users feel uncomfortable when your app wants them to fill in several areas with personal data. They can even abandon your app for that.

So, a nifty trick for increasing app engagement is asking permission only when the users access the feature that needs them. And, don’t forget to explain precisely why you need the personal info and how it will benefit the users.

#7. Individualize your push marketing

Let me tell you this not as your writer but as an average app user. We hate those random notifications that pop up now and then. Only a 30% increase in user retention can come through push notifications.

You have only one way to fight this attitude is to individualize your push promotions. The principle is very simple. The users only want personalized and relevant notifications. So, you need to ensure they will only receive the appropriate and exciting push messages. It is a fantastic way to increase app engagement.

The following ways will help you to achieve this:

  • Creating notifications based on user behavior
  • Analyzing their profile info
  • Combining these two approaches

Usually, we analyze the push advertising strategies as per three parameters: click rate, user engagement, and conversion. And, we see a clear trend here. That is: Combined < Behavioristic < Profile-based < Generic.

Adding clickable buttons can enhance notification marketing. “Accept” and “decline” buttons are not enough. Some custom actions along with them can help you in increasing app engagement. You can also add some Local Notifications. You can trigger those messages for specific events on the user’s device. It works better than regular push notifications.

Read Also:- Mobile app marketing strategies

#6. Use in-app messaging for increasing app engagement.

We see notifications to be displayed on the home screen of our smartphone. On the other hand, in-app texts only pop up inside the mobile app. So, we instantly notice the push-up messages. It cannot be enjoyable if the mobile app developers implement these poorly.

Let me elaborate on how we can Increase mobile app engagement by implementing in-app texts.

According to market analysts, in-app texts can grant your app 27% more launches. It can also give you more than 3.5 times better user retention.

You need to make the in-app messages an organic part of the app. You can use the in-app messages as a part of the onboarding process. Make sure the user gets an in-app text explaining how to use the feature when they access that specific feature for the first time.

#5. Make the most out of your onboarding.

make-the-most-out-of-your-onboarding
make the most out of your onboarding

Here is one more fun fact- the users decide which app they will uninstall within the first week of installing it. And, if you can retain the users in your app, surely they will stick around for a more extended period. So, the main goal is getting your users hooked for these first three to seven days.

At first, you can ensure that your app is easy to use. If your app is accessible, increasing app engagement will be an easy job for you. Don’t forget- good onboarding can enhance your app engagement by 50%.

Here are the ways to make the most out of your onboarding:

Value your users’ time:

Don’t let your users swipe through a zillion text-loaded screens when they try to use a feature for the first time. Give your best to make that process easy for them.

Include drawings and screenshots to demonstrate your point. You don’t need to mention the familiar and easy things. But, never miss including the progress indicators.

Teach by doing

Guide the users to use the main actions of your app, and let them see the result. Some apps need to be pretty complex on purpose. The designers should avoid presenting all the features upfront.

Highlight the value of the application

Well, we don’t need to shove all the features down the user’s digestive canal. Right? Better we can focus on their benefits. Let’s start with one or two key elements. Leave the less vital ones for the next launch.

End with a bang!

Trust me- a call to action button works like a magic trick for increasing app engagement when you add it at the end of your onboarding session.

#4. Implement widgets

Widgets give the users a way to stay updated with the events and find out what’s new for them in-store today. You can implement this feature to let your users know about time-sensitive events and offers. A widget works best as a shortcut to action and a simple reminder.

#3. Location-based app suggestions

People love to get suggestions from their mobile apps based on their habits, location, and current time. You will see some mobile apps are displaying notifications while you insert your earphone. A GPS gets activated when your device is linked to a vehicle.

Social media apps and platforms are also famous for suggesting events happening nearby. Many apps run their business based on their location-based suggestion only. It can be a fantastic trick for increasing app engagement when done in the right way.

#2. Integrate Siri

When you talk about chatbots, the first name that comes to our mind is- Siri. Siri is Apple’s robotic assistant. iOS 10 allowed the app designers to integrate their apps with Siri. The personal assistant from Apple lets the users ask for action without opening the app.

The only problem is that Apple supports limited apps and action. Still, don’t feel disappointed if Apple does not support your app at present. They are planning to expand the list soon. Take the help of your iOS app developer on this.

Related:- Best iOS app development tools to build top-notch iPhone apps in 2022

A deep link is a special type of URL. Once you click it, the deep links will lead you to a specific area of an application. Suppose you are using the deep link to Invedus’s Facebook page. If you already have a Facebook app on your smartphone, it will directly take you to the page. Or else, the deep link will open the user’s default browser and load the corresponding URL.

Now, how can this help you in increasing app engagement?

Let’s consider an example of a deep-linked advertisement for a camera in a 3e-commerce application. When the users see your promotion, the link takes them straight to the page of your app in the app store. After the user downloads the app from the play store, the deep link will take them to the digital camera’s screen of the mobile app.

We call it “deferred deep linking“. You can use the trick even when you are sending push notifications. It can also help you in enhancing the onboarding of your app.

Related:- Top 10 mobile app development trends that will be big in future

What does increasing app engagement bring for you?

Developing a cutting-edge app is a fantastic job. But, the job is not done yet until and unless you gain a fair number of active and loyal app users. That’s why you need a bunch of savvy strategies to increase your app engagement. Here are the benefits you gain once you implement the tricks correctly!

  • The exponential growth of the brand
  • Better revenue and monetization
  • Growth in overall use
  • More sessions
  • Lessens the possibility to uninstall the app
  • Converts ordinary customers into loyal users

All you need to do is increase your customers’ hours on your app weekly/monthly. It seems like an easy task. But, as the number of apps is growing every day, it is getting tough for companies to retain their users.

A few words before you leave

So, now you know how to increase mobile app engagement for your app. But before you start implementing those actionable ways, make sure you have created a high-quality app. Having an engaging app is the first requirement. No smart trick in the world can save you if you are fighting with slow bug-ridden garbage.

Therefore, the first criterion is creating an app that deserves love from the users. So, take the feedback from them, make the app social media-friendly. You should update the app every time a new android or iOS version is released.

Don’t forget to run A/B tests when you promote your app. You should test your pictures/gifs/videos/copy in your reach notifications, deep links, emoji, and specific in-app events. And, it is the best bet to test one change at a time.

Hey.. did it seem a bit overwhelming? Don’t worry; we are here to help you. The top-notch developers of Invedus have a knack for developing cutting-edge apps. So, let’s talk!

About Samriddhi

Samriddhi is a storyteller and content marketing professional at Invedus. She writes engaging and data-driven content on outsourcing trends and technology strategies. She has skills in content writing, social media marketing, graphic design, and business analysis. She loves to visit scenic tea shops in the green hill stations.