How To Enhance App Engagement With Notifications

Mobile phone usage has been on a fast track and there’s no sign of it slowing down. In October  2016, Statcounter (a company that tracks internet use),  51.3% of pages were loaded on mobile devices. AppAnnie, the world’s top mobile app analytics firm says people use 10 apps a day on average and 30 apps monthly. If you’ve launched a mobile app, you need to get your app into one of these usage brackets.

Type of Product

User engagement looks different across products. For example, an email app like Gmail will most likely be used more often than a flight-booking app. There is no standard way to measure engagement metrics across applications because these metrics will depend on the nature of the product. However, the attention span of humans has reduced over time and the need for proper engagement cannot be overemphasized. Sometimes, people need to be reminded about products they use and if they get notifications, they will most likely engage with the product. Regular notifications are essential especially for everyday-use apps because they require constant interaction from the user.

Right Type of Notifications

Choosing the right type of notifications enhances app engagement by directing the right kind of traffic to the right kind of people. A good example is push notifications on mobile devices. Marketers or publishers can push them at any time. Tailored or personalized notifications serve very specific and important functions thereby increasing user retention. According to Localytics, users who have opted into receiving push notifications show 88% higher app engagement than those who haven’t.

While push notifications are very effective, it is easy to get carried away and take advantage of the direct access to users. Be careful not to spam your app’s users because it’s counter-interactive. Gradually, they become disinterested and there’s less engagement. Studies show that only 1 in 25,000 spam recipients need to purchase a product for it to be profitable. Eventually, your window will close and your users will block your notifications.

Direct Access Channel

Push notifications, for example, could include unique content, which could help drive specific user actions. You can insert a link in the notification which gives a more detailed info about products and services you offer. The notification could also be a reminder on an upgrade, a referral reward, an alert of a promo or discount etc. People respond better to one-on-one interactions because they feel much more personal.

Creating A Stimulant

To further direct engagement and also ensure retention, you need to give users a good reason to use your product, creating a stimulant as a way of incentivizing them. The way you stimulate users varies, depending on your product. “For example, apps that use in-app purchasing as a monetization model will benefit from time-sensitive discounts, whereas freemium apps can incentivize users by providing usage-based rewards”, says Dan Kosir; Director of Marketing at Clearbridge Mobile. Giving users side attractions encourages them to use your product and tell a friend. If it gradually becomes a habit, they remain eager and expectant of the changes that are to come.

Integration

Take a look at the evolution of iPhones over a period of 10 years. The original iPhone according to Steve Jobs was “an iPod, a phone, and an internet communicator” like no device before it. Over time, there were more upgrades and changes to the iOS operating system and to the phone itself.

You should read up on platform updates for whatever platform you’ve developed your apps for and learn how you can integrate notifications to fit into the design and system of the devices.
User retention via notifications is as important as user acquisition. You should aim to retain existing users of your apps while you try to gain more. Product Engagement evolves over the course of a user journey and by striving to boost this, you increase recurrent product usage, which positively impacts your revenue and growth.

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