Partnerize CMO Jim Nichols, has written a byline about various tactics that marketers can use to drive app installs, as well as growth and retention via their apps.
Here is an excerpt from Jim’s article that appeared in Forbes:
Retail apps continue to gain traction with consumers, thanks to the convenience, speed and value they bring to digital and in-store shopping experiences. In fact, last year the average number of retailer mobile apps used by consumers doubled compared to the prior year.
Apps can be an important gateway to deeper consumer loyalty for retailers, as well as useful vehicles for gaining consumer insights and increasing lifetime value. Let’s take a look at some tactics retailers can use to grow not only app installs but also conversions and retention.
Acquire Customers Through Cost-Per-Install Campaigns
Many brands today are using apps to engage consumers and create an enclosed shopping environment. Whether someone is shopping for apparel, sneakers or tickets, the in-app experience can be quite convenient. And it all starts with app installation.
Although shopping app downloads grew to 5.7 billion globally in 2018, up 9.3% over 2017, getting someone to give up valuable real estate on their phone is not an easy ask. In this regard, mobile partnerships in the form of cost-per-install campaigns represent a great way to entice customers to install your app. With today’s sophisticated tracking capabilities, it’s easy to attribute the download to the publisher or platform that drove the download and optimize campaigns toward the most successful partners.
Provide In-Store Assistance
For retailers with brick-and-mortar locations, apps can serve as a vital way of bridging the online-offline gap. According to Yes Marketing, 57% of consumers have used a retailer’s mobile app while in-store, often to redeem or find coupons or to discover on-sale items. These interactions are invaluable in deepening relationships with consumers and gaining valuable insights into their habits. Retailers should look to enhance their in-store experiences as much as possible with app features such as:
• Reminders to use the app placed throughout the store.
• Barcode scanners that allow customers to view product information and build lists.
• In-store product locators.
• The ability to check product availability in other stores and online in the event that an item is unavailable in a given location.
• Researching and testing buy-in-app tech like that in use by Amazon Go stores.
Offer Exclusive Deals In Retail Apps
Did you know that 65% of shoppers use mobile e-commerce apps to find deals and offers that are exclusive to the app? These promotions are key to giving users a reason to come back to the app again and again. Therefore, retailers should prioritize and heavily tout such promotions. Establishing a known frequency, day or time at which new deals become available can help a retailer’s app become a regular and highly anticipated part of a customer’s day-to-day mobile interactions.
Read the rest of the article in Forbes.