6 Tips to Increase Sales and Improve Customer Experience with Mobile Apps
COVID -19 has undoubtedly changed the global landscape in myriad ways. In addition to our behavior in general, it has reshaped the way we shop. Driven by lockdowns, the pandemic ushered in a new era of e-commerce.
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In the United States, in 2020, consumers have turned to e-commerce at an unprecedented rate – online sales have exploded by 44%. And this year 2021, in the world’s most advanced e-commerce market, China, online retail is expected to account for over 50% of all retail sales. Global e-commerce sales have grown exponentially and are expected to increase by nearly $2 trillion between 2021 and 2023.
This is exciting news for e-commerce businesses, but it comes with a caveat. Although many new businesses have secured seed funding, consumer behavior can still negatively impact businesses. Rising consumer spending goes hand-in-hand with rising cart abandonment and customer dissatisfaction with online shopping experiences.
One reason for this is that consumers are increasingly shopping on their mobile devices, yet many retailers have failed to develop mobile apps to deliver a seamless customer experience (CX). Instead, they rely on websites to sell their products, which are clunky and unfriendly when accessed on smartphones.
Here are six tips to improve CX using mobile apps and ultimately increase your sales and profit margin.
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1. Create a user-friendly app
There are two types of apps: those we need and those we love. WhatsApp and Facebook are an example of the former – essential tools that help their customers engage and do something valuable.
E-commerce companies, however, are rapidly creating free mobile apps to attract new customers, but they won’t be able to offer customers the same experiences as these social media behemoths. Our phones can store hundreds of apps, but we only have time to use a few in a day. That doesn’t mean your business can’t offer your customer something valuable.
If you have a sportswear brand, for example, customers are unlikely to just sell clothes through your app for them to use their phones on a daily basis. However, if you create a mobile app that includes weather alerts, customers are more likely to use your app as a tool and check out your products at the same time. By giving them something useful, you drive traffic to your app.
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When you drive traffic to your app, customers buy your products. Your app can also record their details and preferences using smart systems like Interactive Voice Response (IVR) so your business doesn’t have to keep making requests every time the customer logs in. While creating your app, it is also highly recommended to ensure that it is functional at all levels using mobile app localization testing.
2. Create an app that’s easy to share
You’ve developed a great mobile app and done some crowd testing to make sure your customers love it. So what’s the next step? Increased sales will only come with a strengthened customer base – people need to share your app.
Giving your app away for free is the first and easiest way to increase downloads. Your business can attract customers by giving them something for nothing. Then you have the chance to showcase your great products and encourage them to purchase.
Existing customers could also be encouraged to promote the app through redeemable points for each friend they refer.
You can drive more downloads by advertising your app on your website or SaaS landing page, asking customers to download it for a better and more seamless experience. You can also maximize reach through SEO and social media. Make it even easier by providing a QR code so they don’t even have to go to Google Play/App Store.
The faster the experience, the more likely your app will end up on their phone. Many companies have doubled, tripled and even quadrupled their daily download rate by implementing this strategy.
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3. Enable multiple payment methods
Cart abandonment is most likely to happen at checkout, when customers are frustrated they can’t checkout the way they want. So give them options! Some may want to use their credit card, debit card, or pay cash on delivery, but others may want to use other payment methods like Apple Pay or PayPal.
The key is to make the process as quick as possible with as few steps as possible. Meeting each customer’s needs by providing them with options will make the checkout process easier and lead to increased and more frequent purchases.
Your business should spend time and effort researching customer preferences, trends, and new habits. You need to keep up to date with new payment methods. For example, cryptocurrency payment is becoming increasingly popular, and not offering it as a payment method is a surefire way to lose potential customers.
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4. Use app analytics to continually improve your app
Constant improvement is at the heart of all successful businesses. Today’s formula will not necessarily work tomorrow. To ensure that your application is working properly, be sure to use outsourced software testing regularly.
Similar to the business search engine optimization you use for your website, for your application to deliver useful information, your business needs to harness the power of an application performance management tool, which will allow you to check app usage and track important app metrics.
5. Use newsletters to keep your customers informed
Stay in touch with your customers. Ignore them, and they will forget you. Using your mobile app to send updates and newsletters to customers shows that your business is thinking of them.
Open communication channels and encourage customers to interact with you through social media, email, phone, or an in-app chat system. The more you communicate with customers, the better.
However, you don’t want to be seen as aggressively bombarding customers. The key is sharing content regularly, but not too often. The deadlines depend on your activity. Mobile phone provider newsletters should be sent more sparingly than Uber Eats customer onboarding, for example.
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Also consider the busy lives of customers. You should not use your newsletter to let them know about everything you do. Presenting the customer with key takeaways is the best strategy.
Take the opportunity to be consistent with your brand image; make sure your newsletters are visually similar and reinforce your brand identity. Don’t confuse customers by sending them a visually different newsletter every month, because your message will be wrong. Customers want to recognize you instantly and see your best offers, best sellers and discounts.
6. Use the (good) push notifications
Push notifications are a proven way to increase customer spend on your mobile app, but use them incorrectly at your own risk. You will lose customers! Be sure to learn about tips, such as automation testing, to ensure your notifications are working properly and having the desired result.
How often your business sends push notifications and the type of notifications depends on your industry. They could be used to offer customers information about a flash sale or discount day to funnel customers to a particular time.
They could also be used to ensure long-term brand recognition. JetBlue, for example, sends customers push notifications to remind customers to check in, as well as flight schedule updates.
Although customers are unlikely to immediately book another flight with JetBlue, they were offered helpful and helpful service which enhanced the flight experience. In turn, passengers are more likely to have a positive opinion of the brand and think about it the next time they need to book a flight.
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But remember that you can only send push notifications to customers if they have downloaded your mobile app.
Conclusion
A successful business means that customers buy more of what your business offers. The huge shift to e-commerce has presented challenges as well as opportunities. Make sure you make it easy for customers to stay informed, shop, and pay for your business through a mobile app that gives them a seamless experience and gives you the opportunity to increase sales.
