The mobile app landscape might as well be an all-out war. On the Google Play Store alone, over 6,000 mobile apps are released each day. We don’t know what trends in the app world will last, but we do know your performance matters now more than ever.
How successful an app is depends on a number of things. While developers used to use reviews and ratings as a great source of feedback, we’re entering an era of even more complex information. Now, there are more accurate ways to stay informed about the success of your app in real time without needing to wait for a customer review to check the number of downloads. Here are the more important metrics that matter for your app.
1. User Retention
Having a high number of downloads is great, but it’s largely a vanity statistic. You could have millions of downloads, but that will mean nothing if you can’t keep them engaged with your app. User retention is the percentage of users that continue to return to the app after the first visit.
Why does this matter? According to TechCrunch, one in four people abandon apps after only one use. Loyal users who return again and again are more likely to make a purchase. You need to focus on this user retention rate to find your own success.
2. Crash Report
If your app isn’t performing well, it might as well not be performing at all. Think of the last time you personally encountered a glitch or error on a mobile app. You probably quickly closed the program, and I bet you thought twice before returning. Crashes and other errors ruin your reputation and destroy users’ trust.
It’s important to do proper load testing regularly to make sure your app can handle an influx of traffic. Load testing is a type of real-world simulation that will help you ensure your app is scalable. You simply can’t risk your app crashing again and again. (source: https://stackify.com/what-is-load-testing/)
3. Conversion Rates
Once again, how many users you have is nothing but a vanity metric. It might help if you plan to monetize through advertisers, but it won’t come in handy with building long-term profit. Your conversion rate is the percentage of users who actually make a purchase.
You might have a few different conversion rates depending on your goals. For instance, one conversion rate might even be outside of the app, such as encouraging people to join your mailing list or simply having them download the app in the first place. Of course, the most important indicator of success is your sales conversion rate.
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4. Active Users
Another important metric is to measure active users. These are users who don’t just visit your app once or twice but interact with it regularly. These are the long-term users you can trust to eventually make a purchase.
Your active user’s statistic will show you how you’re currently engaging with your frequent users, if at all. Are you giving them a reason to keep coming back?
5. User Feedback
Finally, it all comes back to feedback from current users. Those ratings and reviews we mentioned earlier still have a large role in the app development process. Sometimes it pays to listen to users themselves, and that’s what you should be doing.
From in-app feedback to marketplace reviews, take this part of your analysis seriously. You can encourage feedback by providing rewards or incentives to those who take a few seconds to get their opinion heard.
Final Thoughts
The performance of your app is dependent on many factors, as you can see above. Are you currently on top of your key metrics? If not, the time is now to start your own ongoing analysis.
It’s not enough to get a certain number of downloads. You need to actively be searching for ways to engage with your recurring users and encouraging them to make a purchase if that’s your end goal. Finally, don’t forget to take user feedback seriously as a long-term investment into your scalability and growth.