Techblog
Six ways to improve mobile app customer engagement
As more and more businesses go mobile to meet the needs of consumers on the go, SMEs must constantly improve engagement on their mobile apps in order to stand out and increase conversions.
As search engines like Google now prioritise mobile-friendly websites and apps, businesses not only need to make sure theirs are responsive and mobile-ready, but create an engaging mobile experience to attract and retain their customers. In the age of instant gratification, where consumers want to obtain information within seconds, it’s difficult to stand out. Here are six mobile strategies small businesses can consider to keep customers coming back.
1. Remove barriers and improve accessibility
First and foremost, SMEs can increase app downloads by improving their customers’ mobile experience and make things as easy as possible for them by streamlining user experience and finding and removing pain points in customer interactions across all platforms. For example, if an app requires registration, social media sites like Facebook and Twitter provide one-click registration solutions so users can immediately gain access. The more accessible a mobile app is, the more likely it is to draw in new users and promote downloads.
2. Provide giveaways and incentives
Getting an app off the ground can be difficult, especially if a business lacks a significant mobile presence. One way to promote an app and its experience is through giveaways or other incentives. Whether it’s a loyalty card for earning free coffee, a special discount or coupon code, or even free merchandise, a giveaway can quickly draw in users that will stick around afterwards if they have a positive experience. Regularly offering free services or discounts for app users that refer new customers is also a great way to grow an app’s visibility.
3. Customise the experience with push notifications
Most mobile apps support push notifications, which is when a smartphone user receives important messages from an app, along with text messages and social media updates.
This is a vital space businesses can seize to interact with their customers and grab their attention, even when they are not using the app. To make it seem less intrusive, push notifications should be personalised to each user – perhaps include their name or push a product that was last viewed by the customer.
4. Provide regular app updates
Regular app updates with new content or features gives users the impression that you are constantly improving their user experience. It also sends a subtle reminder that the app is there and it can prompts more regular usage. If an app hasn’t been updated in the past year, not only does this create potential compatibility issues when mobile operating systems are revised, but users often don’t want to risk downloading something that appears abandoned. Most popular apps will run updates around once a month. Push notifications can also showcase new features to encourage users to update.
5. Get more app reviews
For businesses using mobile apps to build engagement, it’s important to have an attractive, useful app that reflects its utility through positive reviews and high ratings. Both Google and Apple now consider app reviews to be more than just information for users to consider before downloading. A positive or negative app review can significantly impact ratings and how its popularity is calculated. Apple and Google also expect website and app owners to make improvements based on the reviews they receive. It’s important to not just get lots of reviews, but plenty of genuine, positive comments, too.
6. Barcode scanning
Retail businesses can enhance their customers’ in-store experiences by enabling barcode scanning via a mobile app to bring up more useful information. An example would be allowing customers to scan the barcode of an in-store product to check availability, sizes, colours or product reviews. The product could then be purchased either in person or online. Offering this service is a great way for customers to leverage the full omnichannel experience and actively engage with brands both physically and digitally.
The growing significance of mobile
These six improvements all revolve around making mobile apps visibly active, engaging and useful. An SME providing an active atmosphere in the mobile world shows potential customers it will offer a similarly attentive and engaging atmosphere when doing business. Mobile apps help build a business’s brand and as more users depend on smartphones than any other platform, these will continue to grow in importance for driving customer experiences.