Why and how you should make mobile your number 1 focus

As we always point out; mobile has surpassed desktop in traffic, with the average currently being a 60/40 split in favor of mobile. So it should come as no surprise that more and more businesses are getting apps, but we still notice that there is a lot of potential being left on the table.

First, let’s start with why we want to incentivize even more focus on mobile:

The basic premise here is that an app (on average) has a higher conversion rate than a mobile website. Mainly due to the UX, but also because it offers easier check-out, it ramps up repeat business and it locks-in customers (no more visiting your competitors by accident when Googling your products).

The most recent (2022) study done by eCommerce Europe shows that conversions triple in comparison to mobile sites!! To give you an example of what type of impact this can have, let’s do a quick calculation:

In this example we look at a store that has 50.000 visits per month, generating an Average Order Value of € 65,-.

To give you an idea and a benchmark, this is how that would play out with a company that doesn’t have an app:

Now let’s look at how the same situation would be for a company that has an app, assuming that they can convert 20% of their mobile site users to the app:

Now, you don’t have to be a mathematical genius to notice that having an app in this example, has increased the total monthly revenue by € 26.000,-, which is a whopping 28,57% increase in revenue!

 Knowing this, you can probably guess why we go whole-hog on promoting the adaptation of the app within your business. Not only does it generate more revenue and better performance in important KPIs (lower cart abandonment and higher customer retention to name just a few), it offers additional benefits such as an improved shopping experience, customer lock-in, the ability to communicate with your customers directly via Push Messaging and much, much more.

So now that we have shown you the potential benefits of your app, let’s look at how you can put more focus on it, so you can get the maximum benefits out of your mobile channel.

You might have heard us talk about App Visibility; i.e. displaying your app (/play store icons) on all communications to let your customers know that you have an app. This is the jump-off point for getting your customers to your app. If they don’t know you have one, they will never find it, so make sure you promote the app in all the available channels at your disposal. As a reminder, please check out the App Visibility Checklist:

The first boxes for App Store Optimization and App promotion via own channels have already been checked, as we deliver the app store artwork and design for you and you probably have the Smart App Banner activated (If not, PLEASE CONTACT US, because you are missing out on valuable app downloads!).

Making sure you have your app visible in all these places, is a solid one-to-many way of getting the word out. We consider this a passive strategy since you only have to implement it once and let the visibility work its magic on its own.

Now that you have your visibility sorted, the next step is to work on actively promoting the app. Promote it on your social media channels every once in a while, give a shoutout in your newsletter and most importantly;

Offer incentive for downloading and continued use of the app.

How might you do that, you wonder?

Well, your most important tool in this is the In-App Coupon, which allows you to create special offers that are only available in the app. Got a big sale coming up? Offer early access to that sale exclusively via the app. You can run promotions on high-ticket items in the app, or create special categories of products (‘Exclusive’, ‘Trending’, ‘Early-Access’, etc.) that are only available in the app.

And don’t just refer to your customers as customers across the board; refer to the app users as ‘Friends of Company X’, ‘Insiders’, ‘VIP Members’, or whatever fits your brand. Make them feel special for using the app, make the app feel like a private club where only the most awesome people can enter and where a membership offers benefits beyond regular patronage.

Get creative with it, you don’t need to give discount after discount to keep your customers engaged with the app; there are many ways that you can make your mobile experience the high-end exclusive shopping channel it deserves to be.

Should you feel that there are a lot of ideas here, but you’re not quite sure on how to implement them, or package them together in a strategy that best suits your brand? Then please contact our customer success team. We would love nothing more than to help you formulate a winning strategy to boost mobile adaptation and take your business to the next level!