The app world has become highly saturated...

1.5 B i l l i o n

(# of apps currently in the App Store)

Source: MacWorld

…Not to mention, pretty fickle.

75% of app users churn within 90 days

Source: Localytics

So how do you get users to love you…

And keep them coming back?

Offer a highly personalized app experience to keep

users active and engaged.

PERSONALIZATION.

HERE ARE A FEW WAYS TO ACCOMPLISH PERSONALIZATION

(That don’t take a lot of time)

1. SEND A PUSH MESSAGE TO USERS BASED ON THEIR LOCATION

Geotargeted push messages are a nice way to tell users, “Hey, I know

you. Here’s something really relevant for you based on your location.”

REAL-LIFE APP DOING IT RIGHT: ProximiT, a Boston MBTA tracking app, sends me push messages whenever I’m near my favorite T stops so I never have to worry about missing my train.

2. TRACK USERS’ RECENT ACTIONS INSIDE YOUR APP

REAL-LIFE APP DOING IT RIGHT: Spotify always remembers the last action taken within the app, right down to the playlist or song selected so I can just pick right back up where I left off.

If your app remembers the last action someone took while using it, it creates a better user experience. Why? People get distracted and it’s nice to seamlessly pick back up where you left off, especially if you were interacting with something

within the app.

3. USE A PERSON’S NAME WHEN YOU COMMUNICATE WITH THEM

REAL-LIFE APP DOING IT RIGHT: Bank of America does a great job of personalizing my app experience, populating my name every time I interact with them.

Everyone likes to feel special, especially if they engage with a brand on a regular basis. Addressing a user

by name in your app is a quick win in personalization.

4. POPULATE PREVIOUSLY PURCHASED ITEMS

REAL-LIFE APP DOING IT RIGHT: Amazon always has my previous order history, recently viewed items, and recommendations handy upon opening their app. They make it easy to repurchase, which is why they have all my money.

eCommerce apps take note: Saving relevant user history, including preferences and past purchases, will make users more inclined to

continually convert. Apps are meant to be task-oriented, and the simpler and more intuitive you can make the task, the more likely users

will complete it again.

5. SEND EMAILS WITH RECENTLY VIEWED ITEMS

Create a cross-channel experience by tapping into email. This will allow you to reengage with users beyond your

app, and boost retention through personalization.

REAL-LIFE APP DOING IT RIGHT: Glassdoor populates highly relevant emails for job seekers based on previously searched for jobs; keeping them up-to-date with new career opportunities in their area.

6. POPULATE CONTENT AND SEND MESSAGES RELATIVE TO TIME OF DAY

Keep app users up to speed on relevant happenings based on their time zone. It’s great way to build trust and encourage reengagement.

REAL-LIFE APP DOING IT RIGHT: The New York Times does a great job at sending push messages right before significant events, from presidential debates to the Grammys. This timely notification not only gives me a reminder of the event, but of The New York Times, too.

7. SUGGEST RECOMMENDED CONTENT BASED OFF OF PAST USER DATA

What is a main goal of every app marketer? Boosting engagement. And the more tailored your app can be to serve needs of the user, the more engaged they’ll ultimately become. Use previous behavior to generate highly relevant content that will boost engagement and session time.

REAL-LIFE APP DOING IT RIGHT: Flipboard does a fantastic job of populating content based on my named preferences or past ‘liked’ articles. After reading an entrepreneurial story, I was immediately brought to this screen, with more highly relevant content based on my interests.

8. ADD THE FACEBOOK SDK TO ALLOW USER LOGIN VIA THE SOCIAL CHANNEL

A barrier every app faces to accomplish personalization is getting users to sign-up. Why not make it easy for them by allowing them to sign-up through Facebook by downloading their SDK and adding it to your mobile app?

REAL-LIFE APP DOING IT RIGHT: Drync let’s you sign-up via your Facebook account so that you’re up and running in seconds, ready to buy all the wine.

There you have it.

8 easy ways to improve personalization.

But wait. How do we know

these tips work?

BECAUSE WE’VE DONE OUR RESEARCH:

AND FOUND THAT PERSONALIZTION IS THE FUTURE.

What are some other tactics you’re using to connect with

your app users?

THE APP WORLD MOVES FAST.

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