What’s the secret to growth and success for any app developer?
Getting new users? No.
It’s getting the old ones to keep coming back.
Customer retention has been proven to boost ROI by 3x to 5x, and this isn’t something app developers should ignore. If you look at the statistics, 80% of your revenue gains will come from just 20% of your existing clients. But if you’re new to customer retention or just launched your app, what can you do to retain more users? Here are seven things that you can doÂ
1. Create An App Onboarding Program
When new users first sign up on your app, they don’t know how to use it. Some of them don’t even have the time in their schedules to sit down and learn. An app onboarding program walks them through the steps and saves them time.Â
Creating an effective app onboarding program will boost your engagement factor and user experience tenfold! Okay, we’re kidding about the tenfold part, but seriously – it will make a difference.
2. Use Retargeting To Bring Them Back
If you’ve got a bunch of new users who signed up, used your app for a while, and forgot about it, you can remind them to check it out again using retargeting. New users don’t sign up for newsletters or enable notifications, which means they may miss out on new product launches.Â
If you’re an online store app, a good example of retargeting would be displaying existing ads or new launches via the Google Display Network (GDN). When users make search queries or look for terms related to your niche, your ads will pop up on their search engine results pages, and they’ll remember to visit soon.Â
3. Offer Incentives, Rewards, And Loyalty-Based ProgramsÂ
If your app offers incentives or rewards that a user could make use of later on, they’re more likely to be engaged and continue using it. This could be something as simple as giving them rewards for referring the app to their friends. Rewards could be as store points, usage-specific rewards, or exclusive discounts on products they purchase.
You can take this a step further and gamify your app for rewards. An example could be something similar to what Google Pay does where it rewards users with redeemable credits or surprise offers whenever they make transactions using the app.Â
4. Use Push-Notifications Correctly
When a customer enters your store, they want attention. If they don’t get it, they’re likely to leave. The same goes for your app. However, you don’t want to be too pushy either.
Push-notifications should pop up at different stages of the users’ journey. For example, if they sign up and open the app, a welcome message should be shown. As they progress through the app or try out the features, different notifications should guide them and be helpful. Aim to provide relevant information based on the customer’s usage and location data when enabling these for your app. You can even reduce cart abandonments this way.
5. Reach Out To Your Users
If your users haven’t visited or used your app in a while, be sure to reach out to them. You can use a communication calendar service for this that shows which users have visited when the last time.Â
This is a thoughtful move not only as a developer but as a business owner who is trying to establish meaningful and long-lasting relationships with clients.
6. Get Feedback
Another solid customer retention strategy is to get feedback. Yes, we encourage using forms and surveys. Again, you can encourage feedback by offering customers discounts, app points, or coupons for completing your surveys.Â
There are many brands and app developers who are already doing this and getting great results.Â
7. Send Newsletters And Ask For Testimonials
This strategy is for users who have already signed up using an email address. You can send automated newsletters and a welcome greeting the first time. If they choose to stay subscribed, you can send them offers, latest updates about the app, and reminders to visit or check it out whenever something new is happening.Â
Also, if you have customers who have used or visited your app a few times, you can reach out to them personally and ask for a review or testimonial. This will establish a rapport with them and show that you genuinely care. You can also use an app review service to help you out with this when you’re just getting started.
Conclusion
And that’s how you retain your customers. Don’t ignore the numbers, keep up the good work, and stay focused on your customers’ experiences. That’s the secret.
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