Running a business that has a mobile app? Great!
Having trouble getting the app discovered in your target market and then retaining the users? Well, you’re not alone.
With mobile becoming the go-to platform for businesses to reach out to their target market, there are practically thousands of apps being added to the app stores every day – both iOS and Android. And no matter what category your app falls under, it will always have more than a handful of competition to deal with.
The biggest mobile marketing challenge: App Discovery
According to Statista, the number of apps in the Apple App Store have risen to 2.2 million as of January 2017. And from as far as we can see, we don’t think the number is going to decrease any time soon.
Is the scenario any different for the Google Play store? Another report by Statista suggests it isn’t!
Now imagine how just how many apps will you have to battle on both the two platforms to grab your audience’s attention, then acquire them as users, keep them from deleting your app by engaging them and then hopefully turning them into paying customers (in-app monetization).
Yes, all of that effort just to get your business value proposition across to a prospect customer who might or might not convert.
As most businesses state, app discovery is actually one of their biggest challenges. No matter how great an app they make, how awesome an experience they have to offer to their users, there are always apps that will come in and push them further down in the search results of app stores.
The solution to app discovery?
Thinking if you actually do need an app.
Face the truth: Do you really need an app?
Yes, in times when technology can help you address both your mobile and desktop target audience, do you really need an app to acquire the market?
For instance, if you have a small online store. You surely have a desktop website and probably a mobile friendly site as well. When the mobile site serves the purpose of your customers shopping online, why would you invest in an app and go through the various challenges of discovery?
Here’s another example. I have a blog that gets readers from both desktop and mobile devices. Instead of creating an app to let my readers consume the fresh content I post every week, what if I just had a mobile friendly site? I wouldn’t have to update my content on two platforms and I certainly would get as many readers!
Makes sense right?
But that doesn’t mean that having a mobile site is more than enough and you can then surpass businesses who do have the resources to invest in dedicated applications for themselves.
If you want to sustain in a competitive market, you need to compete with all your competition across all channels – mobile included.
So are we now taking back our words to say all businesses need a mobile app? No.
All we’re saying is, make use of the smart technology available to you and turn your mobile site into a progressive web app.
The answer to app discovery challenge – Progressive Web Apps
Progressive web apps are basically mobile sites that are able to offer the functionalities of a native app. These functionalities include getting easy access the content offered by the business and getting notifications as per interest.
The site basically turns into a data storehouse where all the important information of a visitor (interaction data) gets saved like it does in apps. This enables the business using the PWA to create custom and highly personalized campaigns for the visitor on his next visit, thereby converting him easily.
Simply put, your mobile site works as an application for your target audience.
Businesses like Flipkart, Airberlin, Inc42 and others are already making use of the technology to offer a seamless experience to their mobile users. None of them lost out on any of their conversions; instead boosted their engagement rates without going through the app market challenges and got more sales from their PWAs.
So if a PWA is another kind of app, just how difficult is to get them discovered?
How difficult is it for a PWA to be discovered?
If you ask us or go by industry studies, progressive web apps are easily discoverable.
Since a PWA is essentially a website, your business doesn’t need to compete directly with mobile applications. All you need to take into account is ranking for the right keywords to show up on the search engine results.
Getting a PWA discovered only needs you to follow the same rules of search engine optimization that you have been following so far. Focus on the keywords that your target audience is using to look for products and services offered by your business, optimize your content and other digital assets to suit the same in a consistent manner and you’ll be ranking higher than all those businesses with mobile apps!
So basically you have to work on your SEO like you already are for your website and not on ASO, where you need to look into way too many aspects of ranking almost on a monthly basis.
Do PWAs even get used?
Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why people download apps in the first place:
And if studies are to be believed, an app loses 20% of its users for every step that a user needs to take from discovery to download and his first session. So all the efforts you put in for app discovery go in vain and you end up losing half your market!
If you take a look at all the reasons that people download apps for and how they end up interacting with them (including abandoning them), doesn’t a PWA make more sense?
It offers a quick way for your target audience to stay in touch with you, get updated content from you, get notified of offers and discounts that you may be running, and not compromise on the space available on their phone.
And here’s what you’re saving on at the same time:
- App discovery challenges and costs
- User acquisition costs
- User engagement and retention costs
- And of course, most importantly, the cost of creating and maintaining an app!
Also read: Web Push Notifications: The Progressive Web App Your Business Needs For Growth In 2017
Wigzo empowers multiple businesses from different industries to turn their mobile sites into progressive web apps. We don’t just help them get established in the mobile market better, but also keep their customers engaged and drive them towards conversions with personalized campaigns.
But let’s get one thing straight here, we don’t say a PWA is the answer to app discovery challenges for all businesses. Based on the industry that you’re in and the type of customers you get, you need to understand their needs better and gauge if a PWA can cut it for you.
