When marketer exclaims “Let’s make a mobile app!”, it’s as if he called out “Let’s find philosopher’s stone!”: good direction, but not enough precision and realism.
Mobile app is a buzzword which marketers use as a spell, without knowing what to expect from it. They are satisfied with repeating optimistic statistics: today half of world’s population owns a smartphone, and that number will raise to 80% in 2020. All of them prefer to use applications [86%] rather than mobile browser [14%]. But there are also different data that indicates troubles with app development.
Your competition: over 1,500,000 apps
Statista counts the amount of apps available in May 2015:
- 1,500,000: Google Play
- 1,400,000: Apple App Store
- 360,000: Amazon Appstore
- 340,000: Windows Phone Store
- 130,000: Blueberry World.
It means that you compete with at least 1,500,000 other apps user can choose from. But that’s not the only obstacle.
Retention problem
If you are excited about big amount of downloads, we have to disappoint you a little. Average app loses 90% of users in 6 months People often forget about apps they once downloaded and don’t use them.
So little apps – so much time
According to Nielsen, average user has 26 apps on her smartphone – and even if amount of time spent on the mobile devices increased (by 65% in only 2 years), the amount of apps used per person grew incommensurately (only by 3). Interestingly, older users (25 – 44 years old) have more apps, but younger (13 – 24 years old) spend more time in apps.
It doesn’t mean of course that we use constantly the same 26 apps: we download new ones, remove old, but keep their number stable.
Newest data show even more captivating discrepancy: average user has 42 apps installed, by uses only 10 of them. Again, a good news only for big players.
Fierce market
Let’s summarize. Mobile users:
- Use a few apps on regular basis,
- Download apps and abandon them,
- Aren’t loyal.
We compete with millions of apps available in the stores and with small amount of apps users are loyal to.
It’s tough. What can become your advantage in such competitive circumstances?
1 Originality
Originality and creativity are two most overused words, and if you needed a proof of rareness of true originality, head to the appstore.
Good, unique apps allow you to answer the question: “What will change for better in users’ life thanks to that app?” and pass the originality test (am I the first person who came up with this idea? Is it something similar out there?).
We can’t give you a recipe for brilliance (Peter Thiel can), but we recommend two solutions:
- Start with customers’ everyday experience, not with abstract concepts. Put yourself in their shoes,
- Be critical. Don’t force app creation. If you don’t have a good idea, focus on improving mobile performance of your website.
2 Engagement
The fundamental problem of many app developers is stopping at creating a great app without considering engaging users after dowload. As mentioned above, 90% of people who downloaded your app will forget about it in six months. To counter that, you must implement a communication system to increase engagement and unlock app’s marketing potential.
Emails and notifications are necessary, but must be utilized with care: personalized and tailored to given user’s needs.
3 Personalization
Smartphones make it possible for marketers to accompany customers everywhere: in the mall where they shop, in bed in the morning, during planning their daily schedule, or in the kitchen when they count nutritional value of their meal.
However, at the same time apps clearly don’t utilize the data user store there, and fail when it comes to personalization. Notifications and offers are often static and bulk, according to “one size fits all” approach.
Knowing what other apps customers have installed and having monitored their in-app behavior, you can precisely determine their interests and shape communication.
Users are fed up with batch communication and that’s why personalization is the hottest marketing trend. But why does it bypass mobile? Tools for mobile personalization, as APPmanago, are still pioneering solutions. Early adaptation of these gives you tremendous strategic advantage.
Originality, personalization and customer engagement are 3 keys to creating a successful app that sells.
Interested in mobile marketing?
You will find more in our new ebook – to be released next week (it will be available for free download from our Marketers Library) and in the following posts on the topic. We will cover mobile marketing more often, while presenting proudly our new product – APPmanago.
What aspects of mobile marketing automation you find interesting? If you would like to learn more about some specific problem or feature, let us know in comments.
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