Top 12 methods to increase User Engagement and Retention for your App

Engaging a Tech company’s mobile app development services or hire a mobile app developer, to design and develop an App for your business is not sufficient anymore.

Studies suggest that users abandon 20% of Apps after using them just once, and have an average of 30 apps on their device at any point. Hence, it is important to develop your App in an engaging way that also makes it align with your overall mobile app marketing and branding strategy.

Boost User Engagement for your App

The following methods will help to improve app engagement and retention.

The first impression is the best impression

App store is your first contact point with the user. Design your App in such a way that it highlights the benefits and makes the user download and use.

Easy Onboarding

Make the onboarding easy for the user, by keeping the sign-in and account creation process as simple as possible. Briefly explain, how to use the app and its benefits without making it sound too technical.

Offer free trials

Allow users to try your App for free and get a feel of it first, before needing to sign-in or making a purchase. Let them understand the features and benefits, as this becomes a motivating factor in downloading/buying it. Ensure that First Time User experience is a favourable one.

App permission requests

Do not scare away users by making too many permission requests, as they might get uncomfortable and delete the app immediately.

Speed and Performance

Ensure that your App performs in a fast, reliable manner and is bug-free. Once users face issue with any of these factors, they will not return.

Push Notifications and Controls

Push notifications, when used in a customised, planned and timed manner, help in engaging customers interest. However, allow the users to control when and how they want their notifications and the option to sign-out if needed. Notifications for new products, events or special offers make it more meaningful.

Discover the power of Deep Linking

Deep Linking helps in directing users to specific locations in your app or even other apps. They are very useful in tracking referrals and determining the efficiency of promotional campaigns as well as the ease of usage of your App.

2-way communication

Your App should facilitate feedback and communication from the users, as it helps in increasing user engagement. Make it easier for them to give feedbacks, access your knowledge base or FAQs.

Regular Updates

Ensure that your customer enjoys the best experience by constantly updating the features of your app. Else, they might go searching for better alternatives.

Customer Segmentation

Segmenting your users per their demographics and delivering content that is relevant to them, helps in greatly improving engagement. This is very critical in getting a high ROI when you monetise the app.

Foster community sharing

Encourage users to share, by incentivising and making it more social, as it makes them more interesting and engaging. Allow cross-platform sharing as it helps in creating user communities in different social media.

Retain with rewards

More than half the users seem to download apps when there is an associated reward. Rewards not only help the first time around, but it also promotes loyalty by making them visit again or by referring to other users.

A Sticky App is a Successful App

The success of an App is a measured by how ‘Sticky’ it is and is a combo of 2 metrics – Engagement and Retention. An app must be high on user engagement and should retain users to avoid the churn.

Engaging and retaining users is both an art and science, and the above methods should help you in engaging customers, earning their loyalty and in creating a powerful brand impression.