13 proven strategies to increase User Engagement in eCommerce Apps

Getting installed is easy — keeping users engaged is the real challenge. Given that more than 80% of users drop off within a month, enhancing user engagement in eCommerce apps is no longer optional, it is mandatory. In today’s clogged mobile market, growth is not about downloads, it’s about loyalty. This blog breaks down tested user engagement techniques for mobile apps, with critical metrics and emerging trends that fuel retention. 

Whether you are just starting to grow or scaling, we’ll also demonstrate how Twinr helps you to increase engagement effortlessly without any coding. Since real growth is from connection, not just visibility.

Why Engagement Matters More Than Downloads?

App users lose interest quicker than a goldfish by the letter. You have fewer than 9 seconds to grab their attention, 3 seconds before they give up on a slow loading app, and 50 milliseconds to make a first impression. In such a high stakes environment, increasing user engagement in eCommerce apps isn’t just smart, it’s survival.

A paltry 5% increase in customer retention can increase profits by 25% to 95%. That’s because active users stay longer and spend more, which increases their LTV. At the same time, your customer acquisition cost (CAC) decreases as retaining users is much cheaper than gaining new ones. Even so, numerous marketers commit the error of paying too much attention to attracting new users, forgetting about those who are loyal. But user retention can be as much as 25 times cheaper than acquisition and produces a better return on investment.

By implementing user engagement strategies such as giving exclusive perks, free upgrades, or custom experiences of mobile apps, users feel valued and keep returning. Your loyal users become your best advocates and drive organic growth through word of mouth.

Remember, downloads are only the start. Real success is in long term involvement. Because installs may win the sprint but engagement wins the marathon.

Top Challenges to App User Engagement

Creating an app is easy, the difficult part is ensuring that users remain committed and positive about using it. The problem of user engagement is a common issue for eCommerce apps, which is usually due to avoidable mistakes. Addressing these issues, your efforts will be more focused on enhancing user engagement in eCommerce apps and showcasing your app’s uniqueness.

• Sending too many push notifications: It is one of the biggest mistakes of increasing app retention rates. An attempt to make the users constantly aware may sound like a good idea, but often, piling on unhelpful alerts will only cause them to turn off notifications or delete the app. A user engagement strategy revolves around the delivery of personalized alerts such as notifications regarding product price drops for wishlisted products or delivery updates.
• Poor Onboarding: If your app is not immediately clear what it does and how to use it, users will probably abandon it. The time it takes for new users to develop an opinion about your app is usually a few seconds. Make your onboarding process easy, smooth, and it should convey the benefits of the app to new users.
• Personalization is essential and its absence is a major barrier to users: Today’s users expect customized experiences. The act of making narrow and impersonal recommendations means that the individual needs of users are ignored. Use the information from previous purchases, where the users are, and what they have viewed to come up with personalized offers that demonstrate your awareness of them as customers.
• Don’t forget loyalty: Even regular users will abandon the platform if the rewards aren’t attractive enough. Rewards such as points, special deals, and an advantage in new product releases increase the emotional connection users have with your app.
• Friction in Browsing or Checkout: Besides, pay attention to the optimization of shopping experiences and the simplification of the checkout process as much as possible. It is likely that overwhelming users with a poorly organized, slow, or unfriendly design will lead to app abandonment. Focus on user-friendly navigation, fast page loading, and integrations like one-click checkout and autofill to make the shopping process easier.

In order to increase app retention rates, it is important to pay attention to intentional design, personalized experiences, and that consistent value is delivered to the users. Such efforts if well executed help retain app users and foster long term customer relationships.

How Do You Measure App Engagement?

To succeed in a crowded market, more than just creating an app with many features is needed—user engagement strategies for mobile apps need to go beyond superficial metrics. This can only be achieved effectively with careful data tracking.

1. DAU / MAU Ratio (Daily Active Users / Monthly Active Users): Use the DAU/MAU Ratio as your first data point because it shows the sticking power of your app among users. This metric shows if your app is able to keep users interested or not. A ratio above 20% means that your app is providing ongoing value to users, whereas a ratio below this number means that users are not as engaged and may be losing interest.

2. Retention Rates: These are very important to increase app retention rates. Count the number of users who return on days 1, 7, and 30. If your retention is high, it means your onboarding and the app experience as a whole is well received. Low retention means that users aren’t finding immediate value in your app.

3. Session Duration: The length of the session is also an important piece of data to consider. The more time that is spent in your app, the better this indicates user engagement and satisfaction with the app’s usability. If the engagement times are short, it means that users may be facing difficulties or unhappiness with your app.

4. Push Notification Open Rates: A high push notification open rate means that users find your messages interesting and relevant. If you have a high response to push notifications, this means that your content is valuable and up to date. Low rates? You might have to take into consideration the need to change your approach.

5. Purchase Frequency: The number of purchases can be used to measure your users’ loyalty to your app. Recurring transactions show that your customers are happy with your offerings and invested in your brand emotionally.
6. Churn Rate: It is the percentage of users who no longer use your app. A high churn rate means that your app requires drastic improvements.

7. Cohort Analysis: The ability to perform cohort analysis provides insights into what user patterns or periods contribute the most to retaining users. The use of these metrics-based actions is an important step to enhancing user engagement in eCommerce apps.

10 Mobile App Engagement Strategies to Drive Growth

As the competition grows, it is no longer an option of enhancing user engagement in eCommerce apps if you want to succeed. Today’s shoppers are looking for personalized, frictionless, and rewarding user journeys. Below are ten proven tactics to increase your app’s engagement and increase app retention rates.

1- Personalized Push Notifications

Push notifications deliver, if they’re customized to particular user behaviors. With behavioral targeting, you can personalize messages based on what users have interacted with on your app, whether it’s products they have viewed or searched for locations. This reduces the likelihood of users exiting and increases trust. Use push alerts to:

• Highlight new features or content
• Promote product discounts for previously viewed items.
• Encourage loyalty program sign-ups
• Warn users of products that they have not yet checked out.

2- Contextual In-App Messages

In-app messages are different from push notifications in that they target users while they are using the app. These can encourage users to purchase, attract attention to time-limited offers, or pleasantly welcome back visitors. Timing may be everything – a 10% discount popup while a user is browsing products has the potential to make a sale.

3- Simplified, Rewarding Onboarding

New users need to have clear and quick onboarding steps. A frictionless onboarding experience using features like social login, saved payment information, and short tutorials can drive a user’s first purchase in one or two screens. This boosts early engagement significantly.

4- Loyalty Programs with Mobile-First Perks

Promote repeat visits by offering other incentives apart from buying. Give points for every purchase, for sharing, for referrals, or even just signing in daily. Rewarding users with additional rewards on app purchases like “double points” motivates them to come back to the app regularly.

5- Gamification Elements

By incorporating game-like features you keep the users interested in succeeding or achieving milestones. Reward with badges when milestones are achieved, introduce reward trackers, or launch spin-to-win surprise after customers complete their order. Through offering such motivational activities, you encourage a deeper emotional connection between your app users and your app.

6- Abandoned Cart Recovery Campaigns

Over 70% of shoppers leave their carts, but that doesn’t mean these orders are off limits. Set up reminder campaigns: After 30 minutes and 24 hours, send a notification to users with free shipping or a small discount to encourage them to return to their cart.

7- Deep Personalization with AI

Personalization is now expected. Using AI, you can provide product recommendations based on previous customer behavior, create “Inspired By You” collections, and modify your communication according to user interests. Analysis has discovered that personalization to this extent can increase app retention rates by as much as 13% and increase reactions to push notifications by four times.

8- Seamless, Mobile-Optimized UX

App performance failures are the main reason why customers might leave your app. Fast loading of pages, autofill, easy navigation, and easy checkouts play a major role in the user experience. The statistics from Forbes indicate that 86% of users are willing to pay more for a smooth and fast user experience.

9- Social Proof Triggers

Trust influences buying decisions. Emphasize the current activity, for example, “5 users viewing now,” provide authentic customer feedback, or display photos uploaded by users. When social proof elements are prominently featured and updated in real-time, visitors are more likely to believe in your app and have confidence in their decisions.

10- Exclusive App-Only Sales or Early Access

Add special promo codes, early access, or time-limited drops directly to your app. The feeling that others are already involved, FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), makes users want to return. Your app providing something the internet does not is more likely to make customers repeat users.

Using these user engagement strategies for mobile apps enhances a more engaging experience and builds lasting loyalty among users. The successful implementation of these strategies will help in enhancing user engagement in eCommerce apps and create a successful and profitable mobile environment.

How Twinr Helps eCommerce Apps Boost Engagement

Creating a seamless and engaging app experience may seem overwhelming, but with Twinr, it’s incredibly simple. Twinr empowers businesses to implement effective user engagement strategies for mobile apps without writing a single line of code — making it ideal for fast-growing eCommerce brands.

• Push Notification Builder: With Twinr’s simple builder, you are able to create both automated and manual campaigns based on the behavior of the user. From the reminder of abandoned carts to personalized product recommendations, Twinr’s notifications provide potent tools of enhancing user engagement in eCommerce apps.

• In-App Messaging Module: Capture your audience at the most appropriate moments. With Twinr, you can send in-app messaging for onboarding tips, instant promotions, or extra offerings – making the user experience better and increasing conversions.

• Loyalty Program Integration: If you are already running a loyalty program in platforms such as Shopify or WooCommerce, With effortless point earning and redemption with Twinr, your app has more valuable user engagement due to this proven retention strategy.

• Real-Time App Updates: Want to advertise a special offer or change your marketing message? Twinr allows you to change your app right away, so you can change your messaging or features right away and you don’t have to submit them to the app stores.

• Analytics Dashboard: Get valuable metrics on user retention, efficiency of push notifications, and overall app usage duration with Twinr’s integrated analytics dashboard. These insights give you the power to improve your strategies and add great value to your users.

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Conclusion: Build Relationships, Not Just Apps

Downloads are just the start. Real success is in keeping and involving your audience. With Twinr, you can create an app that will make your users return, not just download it. 

Start Your Free Trial on Twinr and build an eCommerce app users come back to again and again.