Category Archives: mobile application development

How to Improve the Stickiness of Your Mobile Application

It is not enough to merely have a mobile app for your business. Just as with your web site and other aspects of your business, you want your mobile applications to get results.

One of the key metrics of success with mobile applications is “stickiness” and according to a recent study by Localytics, stickiness is improving for apps across the board due to improvements in engagement.

App stickiness is the average of the percent of frequent users and the percent of users who return within three months after using the app. According to Raj Aggarwal, CEO of Localytics, “app engagement is at an all-time high and is likely to only continue increasing.”

But how do you increase stickiness for your application?

Place a Premium on User Experience

Place a Premium on User Experience | Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns (Flickr)

Key to mobile application stickiness is its user experience. Since mobile devices are smaller, applications have less screen to work with and space is at a premium. When you combine smaller screens with the fact that app users usually download applications on impulse, user interfaces become even more important.

Make sure you don’t rush the design phase of your project and don’t be afraid to contact a mobile user interface specialist that can help you get the results you want. Minimalistic UI design works well in the mobile environment and is what end users expect in 2015. Resist the urges to add irrelevant 3D images with textures, shadows and beveled edges, rather, follow what works and suggest a minimal UI design to your mobile application developer.

Today’s mobile users want apps that are easy to use and not packed with clutter on the screens. Beyond being easier to use, minimal design makes content easier for users to read and retain.

But simple, intuitive design on its own is not a guarantee for success.

Have a Strategy to Engage Your Users

One of the best ways to do that is to give them a little reminder that your application is there once in a while. Push notifications are a perfect way to do this and if you pay attention you will see that successful apps focus on engagement strategies utilizing tools such as personalized push messaging.

It’s no surprise why so many successful apps use this tool. On mobile applications where users enable push notifications there are an average of 88% more launches than by the users who disable push notifications (Localytics). Additionally, a very solid 62% of users who enable push notifications return to the app the month after installation if messaged (compared with 32% for users who have disabled notifications).

When it comes to push notifications, you want to take the time to craft your messages so your users will find them valuable. How often you send them out will depend on your audience and applications purpose, but be careful not to send them out too often or for no good reason or you will find your users will uninstall your app.

Create Engaging Content

While users are within your application, engaging content is an important aspect of not only developing a following but creating more regular usage of your app. Engaging content can draw your users in.

When developing a content strategy for your application, remember that the goal is to match the right message to your visitor’s intent while simultaneously meeting your business goals. From there it is important to consider the smaller format of mobile devices and usage patterns of your customers.

People like to digest mobile content in nice easy, bite-size pieces. Research has shown that people tend to be task oriented on their mobile phones. Keep this in mind as you format your content. Make it easy on your visitor’s by using big fonts that are easy to read. You will also want to give your audience the most important pieces of information first and use bullet points and sub-headers so they can scan your content.

Finally don’t be afraid to use plain language. Most businesses are shifting to a conversational tone for their mobile communications. A conversational tone is simply writing like you speak. Keep your sentences short and work in those action verbs and you will find audiences more likely to engage.

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It’s Time for a Mobile First Approach

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Every year we see stories about how mobile marketing is the next big thing. It’s time for businesses to realize that mobile is here and that it should be the first part of your advertising program that you look at rather than being an afterthought.

A strategy to leverage the power of mobile applications is critical | Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns (Flickr)

If you need convincing just take a look at the people around you and watch how often they look at their mobile phone – or these days, watch and see if they stop looking at their smart phones. Smart phones and tablets are a way of life now, as users spend much of their time on mobile applications and the mobile web.

According to eMarketer the average American spends more time on digital media than any other format. That same study points out that an astounding 5+ hours per day is spent by Americans on digital devices with the majority of that time spent on mobile devices. Of the time spent on mobile devices, the bulk of that is spent on mobile applications (80% according to Flurry).

Clearly developing a strategy for how to leverage the power of mobile applications is critical to most businesses and there are many fine iPhone application developers and Android application developers that can help you do that.

But how do you take a mobile first approach and succeed?

You must start with a mobile strategy.

Crucial to that strategy is a plan for a great UX (user experience). If you don’t understand why user experience is important to your mobile application strategy then your application will be headed nowhere.

Don’t inflate your application down with unnecessary features. You should understand the goals of your software and eliminate unneeded features that just get in the way of a good UX. Unnecessary features only serve to confuse users and you will end up with an app that is quickly deleted by users.

One thing that is common to all of the highly popular apps is that they all offer great UX. These popular apps do more than just accomplish their goal, they allow users to do it in a way that is intuitive and doesn’t require guessing. UX is about creating a highly functional layout where each item is placed exactly where it should be in a way that allows the user to naturally flow through the app.

Once you have developed a strategy you must be able to translate it into an interface with which users interact with your application.

When it comes to user interface design, make sure you understand the industry trends.

You can’t design a great app if you don’t know what is going on in the industry. Pay attention to the trends you see and what users are looking for in applications. Users get used to doing things in a certain way and you should take advantage their muscle memory in your mobile application rather than trying to fight it.

Design is of paramount importance with mobile user interfaces (UI) and a focus should be on letting a user easily find immediate solutions on a smaller screen.

If you adopt an approach where you create your applications specifically for the mobile environment that utilize the strengths of the environment, rather than trying to shoe horn in your web site or print materials, your mobile applications can help you see the results so many others are enjoying from this medium.

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The Future Of Marketing: Mobile

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If you think about all the devices you own, none of them is more personal than your smart phone. According to the Daily Mail we now pick up our phone more than 1,500 times a week to check emails, play games, post to social media and more.

According to Nielson 90% of our time spent in our phone is spent on iPhone applications or Android applications and not using web browsers. Compared to desktops and other none mobile devices, mobile has pushed its way into the dominant positions with mobile applications making up a majority of total digital media engagement at 52%.

Allow your users to personalize their mobile application experience | Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns (Flickr)

In fact its now not odd for mobile devices to be the first and only computing device people own. If you look at the fact that over 65% of email gets opened on a mobile device [US Consumer Device Preference Report], mobile is looking more and more like the first medium businesses should be considering when evaluating their marketing program.

Building a mobile application is an investment and should be done wisely. There are many iPhone application developers and Android application developers that can help guide you through the process. But before you begin make sure you have a strategy for your program that takes advantage of the strengths of mobile.

First of all, make sure you look at ways to include Geo-Location into your mobile marketing program. All smartphones have GPS functionality and some of the most powerful marketing opportunities with mobile are based on location related possibilities.

Second, since no device is more personal than our smartphone, make sure the experience you offer your users is Personalized as well. Give your users a way to personalized notifications as a first step and keep in mind that this kind of customization is easy to do in mobile applications. Mobile app users are ready and willing to interact if you give them the experience they want. Personalized content and offers speak to your audience and will bring your users back.

Mobile applications that allow for personalization will hook directly into the part of our mind that wants to be unique. Personalized interaction creates a higher level of engagement, drawing us back.

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Mobile to Reach Half of U.S. Digital Revenue by 2017

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In a recent report, Gartner, looking at patterns in mobile commerce, predicts that by 2017, U.S. consumers’ mobile application and mobile web usage will drive U.S. mobile commerce revenue to 50% of U.S. digital commerce revenue. Currently mobile commerce currently generates about 22% of digital commerce revenue, according to Gartner.

In other interesting findings, by year-end 2016, Gartner predicts that more than $2 billion in online shopping will be performed by mobile digital assistants, such as Google Now or Siri.

While some retailers will update to mobile payments quicker than others, this is actually a perfect time for retailers to make the jump due to new credit card standards and discuss mobile implications with their mobile application developer.

“New credit card standards will cause a shift in liability for fraudulent transactions in 2015, requiring retailers to update their point-of-sale systems for safer credit card transactions. This opens the door for point-of-updates to also accept mobile payment,” states Jennifer Polk, research director, Gartner.

Businesses that create a smooth purchasing path on mobile applications and web sites will appeal to consumers who are increasingly more comfortable and dependent on using mobile devices to not only research but purchase products and services.

Mobile Shopping Showing Powerful Growth

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Right now about two-thirds of online retail occurs via smartphones and tablets and the use of mobile devices and mobile apps for shopping is continuing to grow. Clearly, you don’t have to be a marketing genius to understand the importance of mobile to retail. And if you haven’t called an iPhone application developer or Android application developer yet, what are you waiting for?

According to comScore Inc., 66% of time spent with online retail in September 2014 occurred on mobile devices (This number is up from 52% in March 2013). And with 174 million U.S. consumers owning smartphones and 93 million owning tablets (comScore) the market is beyond substantial.

Andrew Lipsman, vice president of marketing and insights at comScore, attributes this growth to three things. First of all, he explains that customs are becoming increasingly more comfortable with the act of shopping via their mobile device. Beyond that, for his second factor, he credits companies with doing a better job with their mobile shopping applications, creating experiences that make it easier to shop on their mobile devices.

His third factor is mobile apps. Fact of the matter is that consumers prefer mobile apps to the mobile web (shown in research by comScore and several others). Consumers are spending more of their Internet time on mobile apps. Mobile applications can make full use of a mobile device’s features and functions, therefore they provide better user experiences than users find on mobile web sites.

According to Kimber Johnson, Marketing Director, Pacific App Design “Savvy companies making sensible use of mobile applications and driving more consumers to mobile shopping. We anticipate seeing even greater emphasis placed on mobile apps in the near future as the success stories continue to be heard.”