The Unforgiving Mobile Customer

November 4, 2014 , , , , ,

Mobile commerce is expected to make up nearly half of all ecommerce by 2018.

Let that sink in for a minute. And then consider the number of stores that do not have any sort of mobile-optimized presence, let alone a high-quality mobile app and website. Perhaps you are one of these individuals? If so, you’re not alone. Unfortunately, your customers may not forgive you for it.

Recent trends indicate that customers are becoming way more discerning about their mobile experiences. For instance, a recent Kissmetrics survey showed that even a one second delay in mobile page load times can result in a 7% decrease in conversions. That same report goes on to indicate that 40% of customers will leave a mobile site if the page doesn’t load in three seconds flat.

If you are an ecommerce merchant, take a moment and load up your site. How long does it take to load? Remember, if it takes over three seconds you are losing nearly half of your potential customers right then and there.

Here’s the good news…there’s no reason to be freaked out! Well, if you don’t take any action I guess there is, but I digress. Just to get your started, realize that most modern ecommerce platforms enable you to check one box on your dashboard to get your mobile site. that is about as simple as it gets, folks, but it is a big step towards making sure your mobile audience continues to love you.

The next step? Get your mobile app. That’s because there are so many native features that allow you to engage with mobile customers that are outright unavailable without an app. There’s also the fact that even low-ball estimates indicate that one-third of customers prefer to engage with businesses through an app. This use to be pretty difficult, and frankly not worth the effort or money. The Apptive platform has changed that and now it is simple to get an app for a low monthly cost.

Your mobile audience will become increasingly important, so it is necessary to create strong relationships with them that will meet their needs. They may be more and more discerning in their mobile tastes, but the ability to engage with them is more accessible than ever before!

Five Tips To Maximize Mcommerce App Installs

February 11, 2014 , , , , , ,

Mcommerce App Growth

One of the greatest concerns of online store owners who want an mcommerce app revolves around how to quickly grow their install base. It is a valid concern, for as we’ve mentioned previously mobile apps serve best as a customer engagement channel rather than an awareness-generation tool. Therefore, you’ll need to make sure that you take the necessary steps to position your app for day one success!

1. App Store Optimization for Mcommerce Apps

App store optimization is a crucial step in assuring you get customer downloads, but it has its limitations as well. Mcommerce apps are almost always promoted by the online store owner, and so it is important that the store information aligns appropriately. Most importantly, this means choosing a name that matches with what your customers would expect to search for. If your store name is “Auto Parts Plus” it would be a good idea to name your app the same, vs. “Awesome Auto App” or something of the kind. App descriptions and keywords are also factored in to some degree, but if you build your app with Apptive we’ll optimize that for you!

2. Button, Button, Who’s Got the Button?

One of the best ways to promote your mcommerce app is through direct download badges from the App Store and Google Play. Apptive provides you with these badges to make it easy to use them as soon as your app is live. They are most effective when placed on the home page of your website, but you should also include them wherever you have the ability to add HTML elements. Our customers have had great success including the badges as clickable elements within emails, for instance.

3. Awareness Channel Saturation

The most consistently effective means of driving regular app downloads are your awareness channels. Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, etc. Often customers engage in heavy initial promotion of their app through these channels, then taper off. However, consistent (though not spammy) promotion will offer the greatest long-term results. Remember, an app is best used as a customer engagement tool. It only continues to grow in value over time as downloads increase.

4. Consistent Deals and/or Messages

Customers who create mcommerce apps with Apptive have the ability to include a “Deals” or “Messages” module within their app. In addition to serving as a repository for relevant messages and a collection of current deals, these modules allow you to send these messages and deals as push notifications. This means that they will appear directly on your customer’s phones as long as they have push notifications enabled. Obviously, they are a great way to increase sales, but they also keep the app fresh in the mind of your customers whenever they get a push notification. Just don’t abuse the tool, as it is very difficult to convince customers to turn on push notifications once they’ve turned them off!

5. Encourage Positive Reviews

Once you’ve directed people to your app download page, the final hurdle is validation. People are used to seeing reviews for apps to gauge their usefulness. You should encourage anyone who downloads your app to leave a review so that future customers can get proof that your app is truly a high-quality means of connecting with your store!

If you follow these steps then you can quickly create a large install-base of loyal customers that will continue to buy from and support your online store.

Let us know if you have any other tips for getting customer installs, we’re always interested to see how creative our customers are!

Three Ways to Increase Customer Use of Your Mobile App

May 14, 2013 , , , , ,

Subway Station in Munich

Mobile apps are one of the most effective drivers for success in the modern business climate. Some have gone so far as to say that many companies would do better to have an app than a website. We are inclined to agree. Still, simply having a mobile app is not enough. The companies who experience the most success with their mobile app usage rates have implemented creative strategies that both hook users and keep them coming back for more.

Make Your App Immediately Useful

Business owners can include an incredible variety of functionality into their apps. For many businesses, this includes passive content such as a product showcase or menu. This type of content is engaging and informative, but it does not necessarily provide an immediate benefit for the app user. Coupling passive content with value-laden interactive elements will encourage people to download and use your app regularly. For instance, a pizza delivery place that lets users view a menu through their app can capitalize on the interest that generates by also giving them the ability to order directly from the app. In this scenario, your app has proven mutually and immediately beneficial to both the customer and your business: you have made it easier to quickly order your product, meaning the customer is more likely to do so.

Keep Them Coming Back

The ease with which people can download mobile apps to their device is a bit of a double edged sword. If an app does not regularly prove its worth, your customer can just as easily delete it. Therefore, you should provide tangible benefits to your app users on a regular basis. There are a number of ways to do this, but the most effective do not put the impetus on your customer to uncover the value of your app. One of the best ways to effect a continuous relationship with a customer is through the use of a smartphone’s push notification system. Whether you are sending daily deals to customers or simply reminding them of exciting new releases, fans of your business will appreciate the heads up. If your product and messaging are suitably engaging then you can increase sales through front-of-mind awareness fairly frequently. Similarly, rewarding customers with a loyalty program integrated into your app will encourage users to both keep the app on their phone and keep shopping at your business to rack up free goodies or discounts.

Design, Design, Design

It seems obvious, but app users love their sleek smartphones. If your app doesn’t look and “feel” awesome then customers won’t keep it on their phone for long. We make it incredibly easy to design a beautiful app in minutes, but that doesn’t mean you should rush through the creation process without thinking about quality design. Creating a great app icon, splash screen and color scheme will help a lot, but you also need to do a good job of showcasing your products or services. We have found that the creative use of attractive images in apps is one of the best ways to achieve this end. Descriptions are great, but if your catalog features a big block of text rather than showing off pictures of your awesome products then customers will frankly not be that interested.

And Beyond…

These are just a few ways to get customers interested in your app. Because businesses in all industries can derive value from apps, there are truly unlimited opportunities to maximize engagement. Still, these tips provide a solid foundation that you can build on to make a great app experience. Focus on design, functionality and value and you will excite your customers while generating an impressive ROI from your app investment.

Role of Apps in Customer Acquisition and Retention

April 6, 2012 , , ,

Print

Consumers will download more than 66 billion mobile applications per year by 2016, more than double the 31 billion apps installed in 2011, according to a new forecast issued by Juniper Research.

The Juniper report contends mobile apps will play an increasingly crucial role in brands’ customer acquisition and retention strategies. “Consumers are now demanding 24/7 access to services–retail, financial, information, entertainment–wherever they are,” said report author Windsor Holden. “As a result, brands that wish to remain competitive have turned to apps as part of a integrated multichannel distribution system: they have become a critical mechanism to increase engagement and reduce churn.”

This notion expressed by the Juniper analyst is as relevant for local and small to medium size businesses as it is for large national and global brands. This thesis is at the heart of the Apptive EasyApp platform and is why we developed it for digital service providers. Enabling clients with mobile apps is strategically important to them remaining competitive, but currently it’s expensive and complex to get them there. We’ve developed an easy, fun way to achieve this goal while still providing the flexibility to create a totally custom app.

For clients, getting an app these days is equal parts a defensive and offensive consideration. It’s defensive in so much as, if a potential customer is doing a search on mobile and a competitor has an optimized mobile presence that is easy to interact with and you don’t – who do you think the customer is going to choose to do business with? They will choose the path of least resistance. An app can be an offensive play because smartphones offer such unique and powerful functionality that apps can take advantage of to create real time business opportunities, increase customer loyalty and so much more.

Ok, that’s all I’ve got for now – check back soon!