using back-end sdks to drive app sessions, revenue and retention
TRANSCRIPT
Using Back-End SDKs to Drive Sessions, Revenue and Retention
Jay Hinman - Neumob VP of Marketing
What We Talk About When We Talk Retention
● App owners and developers rightly place retention focus on the app’s visible front-end, which can be endlessly tweaked and optimized
● Product managers, designers, marketers: How do I make my app more exciting, sticky, personal and relevant enough to earn a place on millions of smartphones?
● Push notifications, A/B testing, UI personalization, in-app communication - all essential retention tools
Yet What About Your App’s “Plumbing”?
● That traditional focus on an app’s front end (look and feel) has been rightly placed - but at a performance cost
● Results of all this “fashion”? Slow speeds, plus app errors and timeouts
● Retention also calls for a deeper look at function - i.e. your app’s back end
● 3rd-party calls from ad networks, content feeds & SDKs cause retention-killing performance problems
Errors, Timeouts & Crashes = #1 App Store Complaint
Mobile App Errors and TimeoutsErrors● Images ● Ads● Content feeds● Purchases
Timeouts● An app that just
freezes or “hangs”, and won’t proceed to the next interaction
Typical Mobile Network Error Rates
● Anywhere between 3-12% - highly variable and dependent on network conditions
● United States: average of 3% network errors
● India, China, and slower networks in Europe & Latin America: up to 12% in-app errors
Source: Dimension Research
Not Just Errors: The Perils of Slow App Performance
Apteligent and Neumob 2016 studies also found strong correlations between app performance and app retention.
Faster, Error-Free App = Increased Sessions● Localytics research: 22% of users only use apps once,
but 39% of users return to an app for 11 or more sessions○ Direct connection to retention:○ User who uses an app just 5 times during their
first month is 50% more likely to stick around than someone who uses the app only twice
● Neumob: Worked with leading, household-name real time news app
● Error rate dropped from 5% to 1%● App load time boosted by 80% - even faster in some
markets ● Led to instant 9% increase in app sessions
Faster, Error-Free App = Reduced App Churn
Data for Tier 1 travel app, with and without Neumob SDK, January 2017
Faster, Error-Free App = Reduced App Churn
● Faster time to checkout means less time to be distracted and abandon the shopping cart
● Faster app speeds mean stronger app brand loyalty, and an increased desire to use the app to book travel next time
● Easier and faster path to checkout means more windows for increased page views, and potentially added transactions
● Better app store reviews, which leads to more app downloads and higher revenues
Checklist: Using Your App’s Back End to Boost Retention
1. Integrate a first-rate analytics SDK to measure app performance
2. If you’re not measuring app speed + load times, it’s time to start
3. Don’t just focus on Crashes; also look at Network Errors and Timeouts
4. Look at multiple countries (wherever your users happen to be)
5. Look closely at the speeds of third-party URLs, Ads, SDKs
6. Measure & Fix!