Author: Younes

How to Write a Great App Store Description

Younes

Whether it is within app stores or in mobile SERPs, the competition is literally just a click away. Some may argue that the app store description is not as important as app reviews and ratings. But a great app store description is part of a holistic ASO approach. A bad app description can drag down even excellent app icons and high ratings.

 

An app store description serves more than one purpose. It captures the users’ attention and also educates them about your app. But how easy or how difficult is it to really make an app description great?

 

7 Tips for an Effective App Store Description

  1. Adjust your style of writing. Technical details are important but rattling off features can be off-putting for users. Just because it is called a “description” doesn’t limit it to a single pre-defined format and style. The first step is to change the point of view from developer to user. How would you describe an app that you really like using?

 

A second person narrative helps users easily picture using the app’s features. You are basically selling a story without making it sound so “salesy” and over-dramatic.

  1. Optimize the “above the fold” text. The intro or the first 255 characters matter the most. If you users tap on the “more” link, it either means that your intro was convincing, interesting or confusing (that they want clarification). Whatever the case may be, the users paid attention. The common formula is for the first sentence to have an emotional pull, the second sentence contains the value proposition and then the next sentences would be a teaser for the description’s main body.

 

Even if you are using narration, avoid starting the description with backstories. This would appear as a signal for a long-winded story or a filler that won’t really be informational.

  1. Present social proof. After presenting the app’s USP, you can add social proof before or as the teaser itself. Common social proofs are:
  • Number of downloads/active users
  • Previous successes (‘from the makers of…’)
  • Third-party endorsements (‘as seen on…’
  • Qualified reviews/testimonials snippet
  • Awards, citations
  1. Don’t forget the keywords. Keywords are the core of the app store optimization (ASO) strategy. Make sure that you rank for the most relevant keywords and avoid common optimization mistakes when it comes to keywords.
  2. Highlight key features in the long description. The long description or the main body of the description is where you can talk in detail what the app is really about. Keep the style as consistent as possible and use concise statements. To emphasize the app’s core features, use bullet points and bold verbs. Also, state the problem the app is solving for the users and how the app is tackling the solution.
  3. Don’t forget to localize. Localized content, especially descriptions are actually very important. Just a simple translation of the app’s description helps a lot in convincing non-English speakers of the app’s worth and reliability. This will also assure them that they can use and navigate the app with ease.
  4. You don’t need to fill the entire word count. Apple sets the limit to 4000 characters. But you can write the description within the limit or as short as you are comfortable with. You don’t need to place fillers just to make it longer. As long as everything that needs to be said is there, and the presentation is succinct but not curt, it is the perfect length.

Mobile App Usage Trends

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App Usage: A Closer Look

App usage trends show persistent behaviors that can directly affect app performance. But are the users influencing app design or is it the other way around?

 

What do the figures have to say?

 

Is mobile app usage higher than other digital media platform?

Mobile apps take 52% of all time spent on digital media. Also, 85% of users prefer native mobile apps over mobile websites. This preference is very evident with how the users spent 89% of their mobile media time on apps. Mobile app usage averages to 30 hours a month while mobile web usage is only a measly 3 hours and 45 minutes. 56% of smartphone owners and 26% of tablet owners utilize apps every day. And 79% of smartphone owners and 52% of tablet owners use apps at least 26 days a month, making apps a major part of a mobile device owner’s daily routine.

 

What is the demographics of frequent app users?

Female and male smartphone users use almost the same average amount of time on mobile apps. Even in different age brackets, there is no significant divergence in the amount of time spent on apps per month. The 18-24 age bracket spends an average of 37:06 hours on mobile apps every month. The 25-34 bracket, on the other hand, spends an average of 35:40 hours of app usage time. The 35-44 bracket is not far behind with 33:57 hours. Finally, figures start to diverge from 45-54 bracket with only an average of 25:26 hours on apps and in the 55+ bracket with 21:21 hours.

 

What type of apps are most utilized by users?

With the average time on app as the basis, game apps are the most utilized apps (43%) followed by social networking apps (26%), entertainment apps (10%), utility apps (10%), news (2%) and productivity apps (2%). According to Nielsen, the increase in app usage and popularity is due to the emergence of entertainment-based app categories. There are about 115 million entertainment app users with 76% of these users playing at least one game app. Time on entertainment apps is about 13:20 hours.  The most time spent are on gaming apps (10:02hrs); music apps place a far second (2:37hrs), and then sports apps (2:05hrs).

 

But according to research, most device owners mainly use five non-native apps installed from the App Store and on average use 26-27 apps each month. This seems to reflect App Store rankings where only a handful of apps continue to dominate.

 

What are the most promising app categories?

The music category is in the lead with an average of 79% time on music apps; followed by health and fitness with 51%, social networking with 49%, travel 28%, entertainment 22%, sports 16%, games 15% and news at 14%.

 

There’s more to consider on app categories than time spent, though. But over a span of two years (2014-2015), the lifestyle and shopping category grew exponentially (81%) in terms of app sessions. This is followed by utility and productivity apps (125%) and messaging/social apps (103%). Most entertainment categories like news & magazines (49%), music (33%) and games (30%) lagged behind. This indicates that lifestyle and shopping apps have frequent launches but the entertainment apps encourage more engagement. This could because users access shopping apps, do a specific transaction (like a purchase) and then end the session. Entertainment apps encourage a different form of user engagement compared to other app categories.

 

Are app retention rates improving?

There’s a 5% increase in apps used only once (abandoned apps) from 20% in 2014. In 2014, the percentage of apps used more than eleven times (retained apps) increased to 39% but decreased to 34% in 2015.

 

What app usage trends affect app design?

Research shows that 49% of users holds their smartphones using one hand, 36% cradle their phones; only 15% hold their phones with both hands and when they do, only 10% of these people use the device in landscape mode. The way users hold their devices may be also the reason why they are more comfortable interacting at the center of their device’s screen than at the corner or extreme edges of the display.

 

 

Main source: Go-Globe Infographic

Mobile App Performance: Increase Retention in 5 Easy Ways

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User retention is one of the most important app performance indicators. Retention can basically make a mobile app active for months – even years. This is important especially if the app is using the freemium model of monetization. Whales won’t normally spend money on an app as soon as they download it. It would take an average of 10 days before the conversion happens. But how do you increase retention? There’s certainly a formula to keep the whales in the app, right?

 

There’s actually no need for complicated implementation. It’s even possible that you know some (if all) of these strategies to increase retention. So without further ado, here are 5 easy ways to increase retention:

 

1.     Design an Easy User Onboarding

Easy, intuitive, and seamless – that’s what the onboarding experience should be. Difficult onboarding increases abandonment rates. A sign-up process with many steps and information fields is an example of a difficult onboarding. An effective onboarding, on the other hand, is achieved either through the following strategies:

 

  • Easy account creation and log in with multiple options for registration (through email, Facebook, etc.)
  • Offer a guest user option.
  • Offer an offline option.
  • Only offer tips/tutorials as applicable, not just in one go.
  • Easily adaptable gestures/actions.

 

Effective onboarding has a great impact on user retention and app revenue. This is through decreasing app churn and increasing LTV.

 

2.     Give Incentives

Incentives like exclusive content access, in-app item sale, and coupons drive engagement and conversion. This is especially true if you increase the anticipation for said incentives. A lot of game apps refill lives within a certain amount of time or give free coins for just logging in daily. The type of incentives you can use depend on the nature of your app. It can either be time-sensitive or usage/progress-based rewards.

 

3.     Gamify

Gamification encourages usage, especially if there is a social aspect to it. With games, competitive and co-op play are encouraged to increase retention. But with utility and business apps, gamification strategies increase retention by changing the way users respond to the app. About 89% of users said that incentives like points and rewards increase their engagement to an app. An increase in engagement reduces churn rate, therefore increases retention.

 

It is also important that the gamification elements you implement can add value to your app and appear natural.

 

4.     Push Notifications

Push notifications are often used to increase app engagement and re-engagement. But push notifications can also increase retention. On a study conducted over a 90-day period, apps without push notification capabilities only have 10% retention rate; apps with active push notifications, on the other hand, have 27% retention rate. About 78% of Android users opt-in for push messages while in iOS only 46% of users opt-in.

 

Push messaging is an important tool in the implementation of time-sensitive incentives, offers, and in-app events. Each notification should trigger users to return to the app over and over again.

 

5.     App Updates

Fresh and timely content can keep users interested. That’s why it’s important to regularly update apps to fit the needs and demands of your users. You can use mobile app analytics to track user behavior. This can give you an insight on what works for your users and what causes them to abandon your app. In order to get a closer insight, you can also comb user feedback from reviews in the app store, in-app feedback channels, and in social media. You can use any aggregated data to make informed choices on what to improve in the app.

Benefits of Mobile Apps for Business

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Web presence is no longer enough, even for small businesses. The mobile shift is just too prevalent to ignore – doing so can cause businesses to lose their competitive advantage. Digital media consumption is now higher on mobile (51%) compared to the desktop (42%). In the US alone, B2C m-commerce sales are estimated to reach $83.93 billion with 4 out of 5 consumers using a smartphone to shop online. Businesses that aren’t able to reach their audience via mobile search, advertising, and apps are missing out on a huge chunk of business potential. The development of mobile apps for business isn’t just a trend (and it isn’t going away anytime soon), it is now an important part of business marketing strategies.

 

Aside from the obvious competitive advantage, what are the other benefits of having mobile apps for business?

 

Benefits of Apps for Business

Here are five of the benefits that we know so far:

 

Increase visibility and reach

App developers and marketers alike aim for app visibility. In order for customers to gain awareness, a product or service should be visible in the right places. Apps help in this regard through strong brand recall. The brand presentation isn’t in the context of the products but the other way around. As customers browse the app stores for similar apps they see first and foremost your brand’s name and app icon.

 

Another benefit is the increase in customer reach.  With the right targeting, an app can reach an audience that would most probably be your customers. Apps for business are more advantageous than ads since it can reach an audience that has an interest not on a single product, but on the brand itself.

 

Improve interactions with customers

It’s always nice to think that your product or service is a part of your customer’s daily life. Apps can make this possible by creating a direct link to your customers. Whether it’s them wanting to contact you, or you wanting to reach out to them, apps can create custom solutions for you. These apps can also encourage your customers to interact more with your brand in ways that can augment the brand’s image.

 

People expect quick actions, especially when they are the recipient of said actions. Apps can provide a channel for quick responses for queries, orders, purchases, and other transactions, cutting the time it would need for them to access any of your services. This can enhance your relationship with customers and avoid any misunderstandings that can take place.

 

Create a versatile marketing channel

Apps have a lot of potentials, especially B2C apps. You can implement and experiment with multiple marketing tactics on apps to help it augment your other marketing channels. Apps for business can have different functions. Apps can serve as the first step in the conversion funnel or the last – it all depends on what you want to achieve with the use of the app.

 

Provide value-added service

Aside from showcasing the products and services available, apps for business can be something more. As earlier mentioned, custom apps for business can have different functions. The app can serve as a tool for customers to check on reward points, updates on new releases, and sales. These features may appear as extras but they also add value to the app – value that not only drives conversion but also engagement.

 

Even for free apps, users demand a lot of value. But luckily, B2C apps can channel real-life value into the app. You can add and remove features as the need arises. For example, you can have discounts or giveaways at random intervals but the key features should remain. The thought of missing out new offers can encourage customers to check on the app often; so does the assurance that they can always depend on the app to deliver its main function.

 

Revenue boost

This may seem obvious but some still business owners still ask, “How?” The best way to earn with a B2C app is to implement purchasing capabilities for the said app. This isn’t to mean that apps for business that are mostly promotional in nature can’t drive revenue. There are several ways to monetize an app. Most of them work for B2C apps well enough to drive revenue independent from the app’s main function.

 

There are more benefits that aren’t mentioned here but the main point is that apps for business are now a powerful tool even for small businesses. Over the years, app development had become faster and cheaper, opening a lot of possibilities in the business front. Whether you are an app developer, an online marketer, or a brick and mortar business owner, take the time to consider if the development of custom business apps is the right thing for you.

Mobile App Monetization: A/B Test for In-App Purchases

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As we previously discussed, In-App Purchase is becoming the primary source of app income. Aside from following implementation best practices, it is important to assess the performance of different in-app items. Assessment can come in the form of monetization KPI tracking or better yet,  an A/B test.

 

The tracking of user behavior isn’t of much use unless you know how to act on each behavior. A/B testing allows us, marketers, to explore and experiment different monetization strategies with minimal risk to revenue loss.

 

IAP A/B Testing Best Practices

 

When is the right time to start an IAP A/B test?

It is advisable to start monetizing with the use of in-app purchases after the app has significant traffic and loyal user base. You can start an A/B test anytime you feel the need especially when you are still tweaking with the IAP monetization strategies. There are times where an A/B test is vital, though. This includes times when you conversion rates seem to be slow or skewed, if revenue is low, and if you add or change any in-app item.

 

Which IAP elements should you test?

It is important to consider first and foremost which stage of the monetization funnel directly affects the result you want to test for. Is the low revenue because of the IAP’s placement, price, or its very nature? Test or add IAPs at each level or part of the app where you feel the users are inclined to spend money on. The test would show if user preference over one item before or after an action.

 

You don’t need to specifically test every in-app item. There are in-app elements/aspects that you can tweak and A/B test for performance:

  • Price
  • Placement (or frequency of appearance)
  • Design (color, layout, etc.)
  • Headlines Wording
  • Nature of the offer (bundles, boosters, extensions, etc.)

 

What types of test should you try?

You can try price point tests, placement tests, conversion funnel performance, and market segment test.

 

There are times when tests generate negative or no conclusive reports. This just means that you need to create and try new hypothesis or combinations.

 

How can you track the results?

App analytics tools are the first option. Google Analytics has a built-in A/B testing tool called Google Analytics Experiments. There are also other A/B testing tools that help in simplifying the testing process and offer special features that can help given an insight into what users want and need.

 

How long should the test last?

It is advisable to continue running the test until a statistically significant result is reached. That is if the aggregated data can be used for objective comparison. The longer the test runs, the more accurate the results will be.

 

But how would you know if an in-app purchase really won over the other? You can use A/B test duration calculators to calculate the amount of time necessary for the test. You can also try the traditional way wherein you just estimate the sample size you would need and then divide it by the daily traffic. The result would determine what sample size you should stop the test.