Why mobile app engagement matters for Shopify brands

A mobile app is one of the most efficient channels to boost customer engagement as more than 80% of customers love to shop via their mobile devices. 

There are a few scenarios related to your mobile app that can be alarming when not addressed, like:

• High install, low retention: When there’s a high installation rate but a significant part of users uninstall shortly after downloading.
• Spike in uninstalls after updates: A sudden spike in uninstalls following an app update suggests that the update may have introduced bugs or undesirable changes. 
• Consistent decline in installs: A steady decline in new installs over time indicates that the app may be losing its appeal or facing stiff competition. 
• High uninstall rate post purchase: If a significant number of users uninstall the app shortly after making a purchase, it could show dissatisfaction with the buying experience.
• Surge in negative reviews: A sudden increase in negative reviews accompanied by a rise in uninstalls signals serious issues with your app's performance, usability, or customer service. 

That’s why it’s important to track these metrics to identify areas for improvement and take proactive steps to engage your app users, retain them, and drive long-term growth.

Are you uncertain how to boost mobile app engagement for your Shopify store or why this process matters? Read on…

What does mobile app engagement entail?

Before exploring why mobile app engagement matters for Shopify brands, it’s important to understand what it entails. Mobile app engagement is a comprehensive, multi-step strategy that serves many purposes in improving your brand, including:

• Push notifications, to remind customers about abandoned carts, special offers, membership events, and more to keep them engaged and informed about your brand.
• Loyalty programs, to encourage customers to keep engaging with your brand and explore exclusive offers that they wouldn’t access without a membership.
• Live selling, to offer customers an exclusive experience to see your products and services in action and take advantage of limited-time offers.

• Advanced analytics, to understand your customer base on a deeper level and cater to customer expectations based on their behavior and actions.
• Brand personalization, to tailor your messaging and promotions to select customer segments and foster a long-term relationship with your loyal customers.

Why does mobile app engagement matter?

An app engagement strategy can make or break your business depending on how much time you put into your engagement efforts. There are a few reasons why customer app engagement is crucial for your business.

1. Mobile app engagement increases your retention rate

For most industries, customer retention rate is below 20%. When you increase app engagement, you increase your chances of having a higher retention rate – and a higher retention rate means more future sales and a more sustainable business. 

FreshKatch, an app-based seafood delivery service, increased their customer retention by 33% using a mobile app. The app is their primary sales and marketing channel to engage with their customers.

Read the full case study here.

2. Mobile app engagement fosters brand loyalty

If customers don’t feel a sense of loyalty to your brand, they’re less likely to stick with your business in the future – and more likely to switch to a competitor. Investing in customer engagement means you’re making strides toward cultivating brand loyalty and building a reliable customer base that gives you continuous revenue.

Consider the following facts about brand loyalty:

• 88% of consumers state it takes at least three purchases to build brand loyalty.
• 75% of consumers state that they’re more likely to be loyal to brands that understand them on a deeper, personal level, and mobile app engagement is one of the best outlets for personalizing the shopping experience.

Vintage Boho Bags, a luxury fashion boutique, has highlighted 6,000+ glowing five-star reviews on their app homepage. These reviews boast about how Vintage Boho understands their customers on a personal level and builds unique shopping experiences.

Keeping consumers engaged with an app is one of the best ways to encourage repeat business and keep customers interested in what your brand offers.‍

3. Mobile app engagement provides monetization opportunities

A mobile app helps you connect with your most important customers and presents untapped monetization opportunities that other outlets might not provide. 

Increasing app engagement means you have a better chance of convincing users to buy premium products and subscribe to premium services, which can be an excellent opportunity to enhance your revenue.

Engaged users are more likely to make in-app purchases – so having an accessible mobile app is important in more ways than one.

Check out how Vilvah, a leading skincare brand, promotes exclusive products and recommendations on their app to increase customer engagement and average order value (AOV).

‍4. Mobile app engagement promotes continuous improvement

Fostering a culture of continuous improvement is critical for the success of any Shopify store, and engaging your customers with your mobile app is a surefire way of improving your brand. You can increase app success by encouraging users to provide feedback on their shopping experience and use this feedback to make necessary adjustments to your business model.

Engaged users are much more likely to provide feedback on their experiences with your brand – feedback that helps you improve. This means that by investing in mobile app engagement, you build an environment where continuous improvement is within reach.

For example, with Vajro, you can integrate with Shopify customer segments and send push messages to specific customers seeking feedback on the products they bought. 

5. Mobile app engagement provides advanced analytics

Data is everything these days, and collecting first-party behavioral data that you own can help you identify areas for improvement and make your app appeal to your target audience. Mobile app engagement is critical because engaged users generate greater data volumes, giving you essential insights into user behaviors, preferences, and usage patterns.

You can use these insights to inform your future decision-making processes and optimize your app’s current features, making it possible to find new ways to improve your brand’s offerings and the user experience.

Vajro integrates with analytics tools like Firebase, AppsFlyer, Google Analytics, and Meta to track customer behavior within your app and analyze which channel brings the most valuable customers.

6. Mobile app engagement gives you a competitive advantage

Outperforming the competition at every touchpoint is vital for your brand’s ongoing success and sustainability. Investing in a mobile app engagement strategy will help you keep customers more interested in your brand – and less interested in your competitors.

Mobile app engagement also leads to positive reviews, high customer ratings, and increased user satisfaction, giving you a competitive advantage in your industry and on the App Store.

7. Mobile app engagement provides cross-promotion opportunities

One advantage of mobile app engagement you might not consider is the many opportunities engagement provides for cross-promotion and selling. The more engaged your users are with your brand, the more receptive they are to your cross-promotions, allowing you to promote other products and services within your app ecosystem.

Check out this example from Dot & Key, a beauty and wellness brand. They promote combo discounts and other attractive discounts when customers shop from a specific category.

Cross-promotion can boost your revenue and help you increase your average sales volume, making it crucial in your mobile app engagement strategy. Cross-promotion strategies can encourage engaged users to buy more products from your brand and return to your store in the future, unlocking sales opportunities in the long term.

Another example is Carol’s Boutique recommending Related Products and Recently Viewed products on their product display pages to attract more sales. 

Vajro’s powerful features that increase mobile app engagement

Boosting mobile app engagement requires an app builder like Vajro that prioritizes building up mobile loyalty. If you’re looking to keep users engaged with an app, Vajro is difficult to beat. Brands like The Pretty Hot Mess, LLC, have seen their revenue double by implementing Vajro.

Vajro’s features for mobile app engagement include:

• Push notifications that intrigue targeted segments of customers to engage with your brand, including interactive elements like images, GIFs, videos, and emojis to entice users.
• Live video that enables you to go live on your app and Facebook at the same time, allowing you to access a broader audience. You can also use the replay feature for customers who miss a live sale.
• Advanced design and user-friendly interface to encourage user engagement and prevent instances like app crashes and dead-ends.
• Integrations with key Shopify apps for reviews, payment gateways, recommendations, search, loyalty programs, marketing automation, etc. to help increase mobile app engagement.
• And a lot more.

Explore Vajro to increase your mobile app engagement

Encouraging engagement with native apps on mobile devices is possible using Vajro, the most trusted app builder on Shopify designed to foster customer engagement and create a seamless user experience. From push notifications to live selling and more, Vajro has what you need to succeed.

Explore Vajro today with a demo or start a free trial to see Vajro in action.

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