Article written by Nirav Shastri
It is not enough to develop a mobile app; you need to check if it really works and measure the success rate.
Most mobile app startups believe that their work ends with getting the mobile app to the app store. They don’t really focus their efforts on re-optimising the app strategies to match the new feedback received on the app.
The increasing uninstall rate does not bother them either or, they don’t know how to overcome this issue.
Mobile app startups should focus their efforts on identifying the key metrics that help understand whether the app is successful or not, along with marketing them via different channels.
- A daily tracking helps understand how customers interact with the app, and what factors interest them
- It also helps understand the loopholes that exist
When you understand what are the issues with the mobile app, you can truly implement a solution that leverages the app from others, and improve user engagement.
The bottom line is a winning ROI that will improve business profits.
When developing an app, it is mandatory to incorporate the mobile app analytics that will help identify how your users are adapting to the new solution. However, if you have never used analytics, it might seem a bit confusing and complicated.
What metrics should you analyse, and what metrics help build the insights? These are the questions that haunt the developers and startups when analysing the mobile app on the app store.
We have curated 10 metrics that you should necessarily track for the mobile app to understand it better, achieve the ultimate goal- conversions.
#1 The App Downloads
The total number of downloads for your mobile app talks about the number of people interested in using it and knowing more about your brand. It also talks about the number of people wanting to interact with you.
The number of downloads talks about the number of people aware and interested, and says nothing about the success of the mobile app.
It assures you though, that your marketing campaign was a real success, and optimised for the app stores.
When you have released an app for two different stores, make sure you check both of them individually to understand which market is truly interested in your product.
#2 The App Acquisition
This is another important metric as it tells you more about where your customers are coming from, and which part of the marketing campaign worked in favour of acquisition.
You will be able to redefine your marketing budget and spend on the channels that proved to be effective for you.
With this metric, you will also know which part of the marketing campaign was ineffective for your customers.
#3 Total Active Users
People download a lot of apps but, it is not necessary that they use the app on a regular basis. The total number of active users are those who actually open and connect with your app regularly.
There are few users who open the app on a daily basis while, there are users who open the particular app once a week or once in two days.
You will need to identify the daily and monthly active users to define the app engagement. However, when tracking active users, you need to take into consideration the new and unique users.
#4 Length of Each Session
If the user visits your application, how long do they stay and what is the time they spend on app activity. This will define the session’s length and also the app engagement. If the session durations are long, it simply means your app is user friendly, engaging, and relevant to the users.
Apart from the session length, you also need to measure the total number of sessions the user has on the app. If the engagement level is low, you can identify ways to increase engagement, and improve the user experience.
#5 The Interval Between Sessions
The time gap between two sessions needs to be measured to understand the effectiveness of your mobile app. You will get an idea into the frequency at which an app is opened, and used by the user. It also gives you an idea into how addictive the app is to the users. It defines the success of your app in many ways.
The app retention value and stickiness value are gained from this metric, which gives you the scope for improvement in your app.
#6 Screen Flow Analysis
It is important to know how the user interacts with each screen of your app, and what navigation path they prefer. Some may exit from home while a few others will exit from the last screen they have been viewing.
The app flow behaviour gives a sign on the engagement they gain from the app, and navigation as well as interface issues they are facing. It also gives insight into the friction that exists in the app.
#7 App Retention Rate
The retention rate suggests the number of users that return to your app after the first time use. These are the users you have retained, and they will keep using your app to solve the purpose.
Your app retention rate can be known by calculating the total number of users still using your app divided by the total number of users you had at the start of the app. This metric helps know if the update or new feature that you have released will retain the users or not.
#8 The App Churn Rate
This metric is as important as knowing the retention rate. You will be able to know how many people have stopped using the app after the first use or with time. It will also tell you why they have stopped using the app, so that you can redefine certain features.
#9 Average Revenue Per User
As an app business, you ought to measure the profitability of the app to know whether it is successful or not.
The average revenue per user will help you know how much each user is bringing to the table, and how effective it is for your business.
You will need to divide total app revenue with the total number of users at the time the revenue is generated to know this metric.
#10 The Cost per Acquisition
When you begin checking on the application, it is enough to know the total number of downloads or impressions the app makes to know if it is successful. However, with time, you need to dive hard into the actual profitability metrics.
The most popular is the cost per acquisition. You need to know what is the cost that you incur for acquiring a single customer, which will in turn help you know whether they bring profitability to the table or not.
You can divide the total cost of the campaign with the total acquisitions you have made to get this value.
Summing up
Apart from these 10 metrics, you should also analyse the return on investment to know the actual profits generated from the app. It is also important to know the lifetime value of the customer, to understand whether the app is a success or not.
These metrics will help you analyse the app better, incorporate the feedback that the customers have provided and improve the app.
It will also help you refine customer experience and make the app more engaging and useful to the target audience.