App Stickiness- What It Means and How to Get It

Before starting an app development process, the developers should understand the end-user’s demands properly, because the end-users can make or break any app’s reputation. Happiness of end users is a key of app’s success. However, a mobile app’s success can be measured through many factors like app stickiness, app launches, etc.

App stickiness encourages users to remain engaged and stay longer with the app. While app launches show the average number when an app is being opened in a month. The report from Localytics said that the App Stickiness for the previous year came to 25%, more than the year 2014 average of 21%. It is the highest since the year 2012.

In 2015, the average app engagement was increased up to 31%, that means 31% of users came back to their apps more than 10 times a month. As compared to 2014, the app engagement was 5% higher in 2015.

Similarly, App launches were recorded at 11.4 percent over the year and the highest rate was 12.8 percent in October and November.

User loyalty is so crucial

As we know, people install an app, use it, ignored and then forgot about it for months at a time, but the app retention holds a key to success. Loyal users are the ones who return to an app within three months of opening it for the first time. In 2015, the average retention rate was 18%.

In the previous year, a holiday season offered a big boost to both eCommerce & retail apps because these apps have started providing a personalized shopping experience and they are becoming more convenient to use. Additionally, an introduction of the new smartphones around the holiday season also brought a bevy of new users who are trying out shopping apps for the first time. As a result, eCommerce & Retail apps have seen 24% more new users in their apps between Q3 and Q4.

Plus, Media & Entertainment apps have seen an increase in both engagement and retention, and have gained the title “most sticky”. Their average Stickiness was 29 percent for the entire year, outperforming the previous three years.

Here are the important features that can make an app sticky

User interface matters a lot: As we know, first impression is the last impression, so when users open the app for the first time, it should be a delight to the eyes. Textures which mimic real-world materials like leather, cork board, or aluminum look familiar and give the user visual pleasure.

Must be useful: Users can get the information quickly and conveniently from the app with a minimal number of tap. When more people use the app, it should become increasingly valuable to all users of the app.

Delivers push notifications: An app should provide an option to receive bite-sized text updates from the app via push Notifications. That helps to fortify the app’s value even when it’s not running.

Augments Daily Routine Frictionlessly: Build an app that can fit with the user’s daily routine without altering their current behavior. Moreover, allow app to continue working for the user even when users are not focusing on it.

Encourages Sharing: An app should give the easiest way to their users for sharing the information to both the app users as well as non-users of the app. Users can easily share the information from the app with other social networks.

A shortcut way to complete the necessary tasks: App should be a shortcut way for the users to accomplish their necessary tasks, so users can attract towards an app constantly.

Makes an emotional relation with users: When users open the app for the first time it must make some positive impact in users’ mind, users should remain happy with the app. So users will come back again and again.