5 Mobile App Retention Strategies for 2023 to Keep Your Customers Glued!‍

Mobile app retention can be a challenging feat to accomplish. It's no secret that most downloaded apps eventually become inactive icons on our mobile devices and sit there until users decide to hit “uninstall” to free up memory. For app developers who pour their heart and soul (and resources) into crafting a top-notch mobile app, this can be a disheartening reality. But, even the most well-liked apps in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store have had to swallow the bitter pill of uninstalls. 

According to a recent report by AppsFlyer, approximately 50% of Android apps were uninstalled within 30 days of their download in 2022. Shockingly, half of those apps were removed within just 24 hours.

But not everything is lost. You can design a successful mobile app that users adore and keep using if you apply the correct methods and tactics to engage, maintain, and grow your user base. Here are a few strategies for mobile app retention to keep your customers glued in 2023!

1. Make customer interactions unique 

How will customers feel connected to you? Don’t you agree that they’re more likely to continue interactions if they feel a bond with your app and the services you offer? Personalized communication tactics for app retention are key to boosting customer engagement and are one of the best retention strategies for mobile app. Customers are more likely to respond to information that is specifically geared toward their requirements and preferences.  By using customer segmentation for app retention and personalized communication tactics for mobile apps, you can send clients more relevant updates at the ideal moment, increasing the likelihood that they will engage.

How to use personalized communication for mobile app engagement?

• One of the customer engagement tactics for mobile apps involves making customers feel important by well-focused messaging, which can also improve return on investment. 
• Personalized interactions are more likely to succeed whether you're trying to raise brand awareness, persuade users to sign up for add-ons, or just keep them engaged with your app.
• You can enhance this tactic by giving the most devoted consumers an even more specialized experience.
• You can provide repeat visitors access to special features and VIP privileges by recognizing and rewarding them.

Besides segmenting and personalizing mobile app messaging for better engagement, there are other ways!

2. Make the onboarding flow easier 

First impressions are important, especially for your mobile app. Your mobile app onboarding process must be simple and easy because of this. 

It takes 50 milliseconds (or 0.05 seconds) to leave a lasting impression on users when they first visit your website. 

That's right! Within that incredibly brief span of time, users will form an opinion about your website, whether they stay and continue exploring or leave and never come back. So, it's crucial to concentrate on developing a visually beautiful and captivating website that grabs their attention right away!

The importance of a simple onboarding process for mobile app retention should never be taken for granted. Creating an easy-to-use onboarding process can motivate users to discover all of your app's hidden capabilities. 

How does good onboarding increase app retention rates?

Wondering how onboarding helps increase app retention rates?

If you can convey the value of your app to users more promptly, you inevitably increase your chances of winning them over. Remember: 

“A powerful app onboarding experience = enthusiastic new users = improved retention rates = more organic app downloads from recommendations = higher app store rankings and general visibility”

Follow these recommendations so users can have a smooth onboarding process:

• Set consumers' expectations by highlighting the key functions of your app.
• Don't bother users with unnecessary questions. Just ask for what you actually need.
• The signup process should be quick and easy. Consider allowing users to sign up using their Facebook or Google accounts.
• Make tutorials interactive and captivating. 
• Avoid making clear statements. Clearly defining navigational structures and iconography can be superfluous and hinder onboarding.

You want your users to think, "This is exactly what I was searching for," after their first experience with your software. Your retention rate will surely increase if you do this.

3. Focus on making app usage simple

Users don't think twice about abandoning platforms that are overly complicated and tedious to use.  So keep it simple!  Practical interface design for mobile apps which are user-friendly can draw in and sustain customers.

See that mobile apps get the smoothest and fastest access throughout the user's journey. Add well-thought-out features like user-friendly navigation for mobile apps and quick access to product information.

Just like push notifications, there are elements that enhance user experience and mobile app retention rates. They also help enhance a user’s online experience.

These elements include:

• Image search 
• Augmented reality 
• Voice search 
• Variety of product filters 
• Virtual reality 
• Specific sorting options 

4. Create push notifications that are interesting, and not irritating

Businesses now often use best practices for mobile app push notifications to boost user engagement with their mobile apps. Users who received Daily+ push notifications saw a staggering 820% increase in retention rates compared to those who received zero push notifications, so it's no surprise that businesses are hopping on the push notification bandwagon. But, walk the tightrope cautiously to avoid annoying and overburdening your consumers with notifications.

How can a push notification be helpful rather than distracting? 

Some parameters to create effective push notifications could be: 

User experience:

• The notifications need to be relevant. 
• It shouldn't just be another promotional piece of information thrown in their face.
• It should offer genuine value to users at crucial moments in their journey. 

Sending a cart abandonment notification, for instance, when a user adds products to their basket but does not finish the transaction.

Personalization:

Users are more likely to find the notification relevant and interesting if the push notification is tailored to their unique needs and interests.

Feedback:

Finally, it's crucial to give users the option to give feedback and modify the types and frequency of notifications they get. In this way,  users are not barraged with notifications and get the useful insights they need on what works best for their audience.

These are just a few strategies for creating relevant and valuable push notifications.

5. Make automation and AI your best friend! 

Any app's long-term growth depends on user retention, and effective apps create fundamental habit loops that convert new users into devoted users. These habit loops, however, can be broken if users encounter issues using the app, and bad customer service can make the loop even weaker.

A frictionless and rewarding app experience is required -  This can be achieved by automating the most frequent customer concerns through self-service and guided support, which reduces disturbances to the in-app experience vastly.

Through the power of automation and AI, you can:

• Locate problem areas: Significantly enhance the customer experience and raise retention rates. Find areas for improvement and streamline operations to save time and provide better service by collecting data.
• Track Metrics: Collecting data on user behavior is important, but tracking engagement in mobile apps via the right metrics is necessary. Metrics like churn rate, bounce rate, and customer lifetime value can help you determine which parts of your app your customers love and what they could live without.
• Optimize workflows and enhance the in-app experience: AI can help clients and improve their experience within the app via self-service choices, training, and FAQs. You may optimize workflows and give your users a better experience by investigating the limitless potential of automation.

So, it makes sense to invest in native app development experts who can help you with automation and AI-powered solutions to streamline, support, and improve the entire user experience. These factors work wonders to help increase your app's retention rates and keep users engaged.