The world of app development is brimming with latest, cutting-edge apps made by skilled developers. There is still, however, room for innovation and development of apps that may seem new to the eye. In this flourishing app market of more than 1.5 million apps, the cost for every install is on a consistent increase which calls for taking extra efforts for developers as well as for the marketing teams. The cost per install for iOS has been registered to a 40% hike in cost per install from $1.10 to $1.54 in 2015 whereas the cost per install for Android has registered an increase of 101% from $1.13 to $2.27. Therefore once the app is successfully launched, there are several strategies that one should take which are nothing but the growth hacks to increase the downloads.

1. Localizing the App – Although English is the widely spoken language all over the world, it is not the only language. And unless the app is designed for a specific region, one should consider localizing the app. Translating the app description, screenshots, and the app content can have a positive impact on the increase in downloads for that particular language, and consequently for the app.

2. Free the Paid App – Making a paid app free for some days can also have a positive impact on the growth. In addition, one should ensure that this gets marketed well so that the users come to know about it. Giving a big website the scoop for the free campaign is the valuable strategy that can lead to tremendous growth.

3. Bundle the Apps – “Unity is the strength.” How true does it stand out in the case of apps that are tied together? For example, if a user downloads an app, there are five other apps that he gets with it. The question is how useful those other five apps may be for him. Giving a concise answer to this question is not that easy. It, however, is a great way to introduce apps to the users who might never get access to it from other sources.

4. The UI and UX Ultimately – What users feel about your app when they first encounter it is what determines the success or failure of your app. Is it easy to navigate through or is it hard to use or difficult to understand? The answer to this question at the very first step would determine whether your app has won or lost the game at the very beginning.

These were the strategies for acquiring users for the app. Our journey is only half-completed if we have a large number of downloads. If the acquired users who have downloaded our app are not retained, and uninstall the app with a quick whim faster than the time they took to decide to download, our other half of the journey is incomplete, and that too with shallows and sufferings. 48% users who see their app crash after they had downloaded will never use the app again. So now we present the strategies for user retention, i.e. how to devise strategies to retain users to the app that they have already downloaded and used.

User retention is much more difficult than user acquisition. People mostly download an app and use it seldom. Some use it only once and get bored. Overall, we can say that the tendency is to download more than what they are going to use.

1. UX and Re-engagement – Making an app that users will love is the destination. The first stage is improving the user experience. And with improved user experience, there is engagement with the app. For retaining the user this is not enough. Re-engagement is important, and it can be achieved by first forming a customer group based on demographics, usage, etc. and then getting a thorough understanding of their needs—fixing what is not working and then build the features that will appeal them.

2. Tools and Techniques to Improve Performance – A User finds an app appealing to his tastes; he downloads it, and then the app crashes. Will the user come back to it?

Ensuring that the apps do not crash at all is hard to achieve. However, one should ensure that the crashes are monitored well and in a time-efficient manner. Using appropriate tools and technologies to monitor when your app crashes and achieving a significant crash-free performance is vital to the retention of the users.

3. Analytical Methods – Analytical tools help in determining and evaluating user behavior. What is the difference between a happy user and a user who abandoned the app? How can you convert a dissatisfied user into a happy user? How can you Bundle the Apps get a user to be satisfied all the way through? It is important to note that analytical methods are not always about the quantity of downloads, but the quality of the app.

The quest for improving the quality begins with analyzing user tendencies through communication channels and app store reviews and comments; to performing A/B testing and quality analysis. Always remember analytics is vital for user acquisition and indispensable for user retention.

Wrap up

The most important thing, before and while devising the strategies for growth, is knowing your users and their behavior. Without this knowledge, making an excellent app is not possible. And, with this knowledge, you will have to continually add strategies in your arsenal that will acquire and retain users of your app.