10 Proven Tips to Reduce App Uninstall Rate

App Uninstall Stats: A Quick Overview

With the oversaturated app supply comes difficulty attracting new users, not to mention the challenge of retaining existing ones. More users choose to uninstall mobile applications for multiple reasons, which contributes to a growing app uninstall rate. As a result, marketers and developers come to grips with each other to fight for customer retention and better user experience. 

Why Customers Abandon Your Mobile App

Poor User Experience

A poor user experience can occur for many reasons. When people install apps or pay for app-specific pro features, they expect to get value for their money. However, many end up disappointed right after downloading the product because the app didn’t live up to their expectations at all. The more dissatisfied users become, the lower they will rate your app, which affects your overall revenue. This phenomenon is called ‘buyer's regret,’ and when it occurs, you lose users without much opportunity to reconcile.

Ad Clutter

Relevant ads that occasionally pop up in your application won’t do your business any bad as long as they do not contain offensive, low-quality, or out-of-place content. People are sometimes interested in targeted advertisements, but if it causes them too much disturbance, they are more likely to pull away. Who wouldn’t be irritated when the same inappropriate ad repeatedly strikes the eye? 

It doesn’t mean, though, that you should eliminate all the ads from your application. You can avoid this problem by launching targeted ads that do not interfere with the app layout. You also should monitor user reactions to the ads and see which ones are the most clickable. It is always better to put user engagement first, because that’s what matters at the end of the day.

Confidentiality Concerns

Another thing that often leads to a higher app abandonment rate is privacy concerns. Users regard excessively overwhelming permissions as a privacy intrusion and tend to quit the app if they encounter one. Some personal information many apps request is optional and doesn’t influence customer experience much. It might seem some data is harmless to share with your app, but users find complex and persistent questions rather off-putting. Before incorporating any in-app permissions, think of those which are indispensable for your app's effective functioning and those you can do without. 

Poor UX/UI Design

Fast screen and content loading aren’t enough to ensure your consumers stay with your app. If people are still leaving even if the app runs flawlessly and your app's performance is up to par might indicate problems with your UX/UI design. For most people, getting used to new things is a time-consuming process. With a simple and user-friendly interface, chances are that your app will be highly admired by users. Unless your app has a quality design, customers might have difficulties navigating it and may consequently delete the application.

Technical Issues

There will always be technical issues and you cannot predict when one will occur. Blaming your staff for minor flaws is pointless, but still, you shouldn’t disregard major technical mistakes and their negative consequences for your business. The most common technical problem that rapidly incites fury among consumers is when a mobile app crashes or freezes. When such errors pop up repeatedly, it makes people dissatisfied with your app and, therefore, remove it. Accurately analyzing your app's crashes as soon as they happen can help you pinpoint their causes and reduce the likelihood that your audience will permanently stop using your app.

10 Actionable Tips to Reduce App Uninstalls

Tip #1 Know your TA

The first and the foremost step in your uninstall rate shrinking strategy is user assessment. Most businesses mistakenly regard their consumer demographics with little attention. However, to get a better understanding of your target audience, marketers should dive deeper into details. Collected data has much to tell about your consumers, starting with what they particularly like and finishing with major triggers that drive their actions. Understanding how to analyze behavior in an app can help you develop a coherent strategy for each segmented group and make your in-app messaging more personalized. Knowing your TA gives you more clarity into what drives user behavior and opens up new opportunities for your app development.

Tip #2 Make a user-friendly layout

People download apps to simplify their lives, so do not complicate their minds with a peculiar app design. It may sound a bit boring, but the key is not to make your app look aesthetic, but rather simple and concise. If your app is overloaded with superfluous features and extensions, a user might quickly get lost and switch to another application. The layout of your app interface should be pleasing yet easy to navigate. App shops have established standards for the UI and UX designs for mobile apps, where you can get access to the most functional designs to customize.

Tip #3 Simplify the onboarding process

Your app can also turn users away even before they have properly tried it by having a complicated onboarding process. In other words, an ill-considered onboarding process can ruin all your efforts aimed at user acquisition. It is important to ensure that the app's design, layout, contents, and every other aspect contribute to an appealing, easy-to-use experience. A great example of successful applications which utilize this strategy to increase their app engagement is LinkedIn and Facebook. Their registration takes a few minutes and quickly integrates a user into the app community with no extra hustle. 

Tip #4 Reduce distractions

Some businesses think intensive messaging helps them raise user interest, while in reality, it causes them to withdraw from your app. Do not make this common mistake, and stop snowing your consumers with a bunch of redundant notifications. Such harsh marketing might only turn your users away from your app forever. Trying to interfere with people’s actions is a losing strategy because they don’t like being pushed or cajoled. Messaging and push notifications can boost app engagement and increase user commitment, only when you put the quality of these messages over their quantity.

Tip #5 Make use of triggers

This tip is particularly useful for newly-established apps willing to attract more users. When most people are yet unaware of your product, the best way to get them hooked is to focus on their feelings, problems, and desires. That’s when marketing triggers come in handy: finding the right pain points of your customers is half of your campaign’s success. Firstly, highlight their problem and tell them your app can solve it. Then, introduce users to your solution and show them the result of its daily usage. There are different types of triggers, such as paid, earned, and owned triggers, which you can adopt according to your app's purposes. 

Tip #6 Use personalization

Personalization can also be referred to as a type of trigger, since it works subconsciously. If you address people by their names and provide personalized offers and promotions, your user retention rate will skyrocket to unprecedented levels. When people feel their value, they usually demonstrate more willingness to commit. You should monitor your users' behavior to ensure the app remains useful and valuable for them. By curating offers, discounts, promotions, and unique, personalized information, you can keep your users engaged and nurture their loyalty.

Tip #7 Ensure privacy and security

Because of the misuse of personal data, numerous apps are already widely distrusted. When it comes to requesting personal information from their users, many applications might come out as being unnecessarily invasive, even when the information they're gathering is meant to improve user experience. People, therefore, regard personal questions with more suspicion than they used to and will likely remove the app if its requirements go too far. Make sure your users feel secure about their app usage and direct your effort to increase this rate. Maintain your privacy policy transparent and in case you require some additional info about your users, let them know the cause.

Tip #8 Improve your KPIs

Keep track of and evaluate your app's Key Performance Indicators and performance measurements. This information helps you understand how well the app works and how fast it loads. The analysis also reveals your app's strengths and weaknesses, as well as helps you re-engage lapsed users and prevent new ones from deleting your app. 

Tip #9 Gamify your app

Gamification will enthrall your app's users with a rewarding experience. In addition to making your app more entertaining, you also stimulate users to use your app more frequently. This ingeniously smart approach adds more fun to your application and some incentive for your users to win small yet pleasant rewards. One advantage of gamification is that it can be adaptable to practically any app, be it banking, shopping, gaming, or traveling. Check our article on the best app gamification ideas to improve user engagement.

Tip #10 Encourage feedback

The actual app success indicator is the user's feedback. Happy users provide favorable ratings and will eagerly leave positive comments in the app review section. You are free to use various available platforms like social media communities, app stores, and review websites to figure out what customers think of your app. It is always a good idea to ask your users directly for their honest opinion and suggestions on what improvements can be made to enhance their experience. What is even more important than asking, though, is listening and implementing. Many businesses just give the impression of being interested in customer feedback, but make no effort to address their flaws.

Implementing these tips in your app marketing strategy will surefire reduce churn rate and increase the level of users' satisfaction with your app. But you can learn even more about how to stand out from your competitors with our article on app marketing strategies to boost mobile engagement. 

Final Thoughts

It is not developing the app that is difficult, but getting customers to use it consistently. Hopefully, these tips will help you retain users and make their experience with your app enjoyable for many years ahead. Remember, if you want to win your customer's trust, firstly, you need to meet their needs. Stay thoughtful about users and always ask for constructive feedback. Then listen, analyze and implement.

FAQ block

Why do users decide to uninstall the app?

The most common reasons are poor experience, excessive ads, privacy concerns, and poor UX/UI design.

What should I do to reduce the app uninstall rate?

One solution is to get a better understanding of your TA. You should know your users and maintain interaction with them via feedback sections. Also, make sure your app has a user-friendly design and doesn’t crash while being used. Check for more criteria in the article above.

How can Reteno help? 

Reteno is a real find for marketers! We help you boost RIO and save your time performing customer analytics and optimizing messaging for your target audience. More than 300 worldwide-famous brands have benefited from the Reteno partnership, and you can be one of them!

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