For A New Brand Of Mobile App, Is Acquisition More Important Than Retention?

MUMBAI, India - Jan. 2, 2017 - PRLog -- Every marketer in the mobile app business probably faces this dilemma when it comes to a new brand launch. But given the complexity of this market and the proliferation of apps for every convenience, there is no cut and dry answer to the all important question.

For starters, acquisition would be the only focus when a mobile app is just launched. The specific app features and benefits would dictate user behaviour and over time, the propensity to disengage or uninstall the app on the one hand, or be content and retain it on the other. In either case, through constant tracking, monitoring and research, one would choose a course of action, best suited to the situation.

The challenge is to identify the trend and adjust the sails based on the direction of the wind. The question is at what stage does one begin retention? Acquisition could be an expensive exercise, so having acquired a sizable user base, does one go all out to nurture and retain it? And then capitalize on the retained base to actually get you more users, either through word of mouth or through a Referral scheme. Then again there is the question of viability or threshold, at which the business aspects kick in for effective monetization of the user base.

There is no 'one shoe - fits all' answer. And that's what makes building the brand all the more challenging, with many an app falling by the wayside or giving up for one reason or another.

Let's examine a live example of a mobile app that was launched just 4 months ago - Lucky Stars Contest-based app, for both Android and iOS. This is a free to download app through which one can Win Gifts For Free, by participating in lucky draws, held practically everyday. This is absolutely free in all respects, with no purchase required of any kind.

Reports indicate that in the first 2 months, the app crossed 50K download, with a daily active users base of 10K. It might be noteworthy to mention here, that the promotion of the app was done with minimum spends, only in the digital and social media.

This success is attributed to the simplicity of the app and the big, high value gifts offered to winners. The gifts given away included a Vespa scooter, I-Pad, I-Phone 6S Plus & 7 Plus, Smart watches, Sony Digital camera, Samsung & Panasonic LED TVs, Flipkart & Amazon Gift cards, among others.

While the acquisition strategy continued, the brand was quick to introduce variations in its lucky draws through the JALDI Lucky Draw series. These have a cap on the number of participants who can enter the draws, resulting in quick closure, simply because of users rushing to participate. More importantly, each of these draws offered numerous winners, thus increasing the chances of winning for participants.

By month 3, Lucky Stars touched over 70K downloads and at the time of writing this piece (month 4), it crossed 100K, while the daily active users doubled to 20K.

It is believed that Lucky Stars has an arsenal of new modules being planned for launch in January/February 2017, which will give a huge boost to the overall user base, as well as the daily active users. Further, as part of its Retention strategy, a Loyalty Program is being put together, to reward users for every little action they take on the app.

So, to answer the question of Acquisition versus Retention, for most part of the new brand's formative journey, it will be a combination of both, with boosts introduced as and when required. Innovative features along the way are extremely crucial to build and enhance brand engagement, which ultimately reflects in new acquisitions, as well as gives users a good reason to stay on.

To get in touch with us, visit http://www.luckystarsapp.com