Commentary

Snapping Up The Apps: What People Want, And How They're Using Them

Email marketers trying to build their subscribers lists have a tool right sitting in front of them: apps.

Consumers are using 30% more applications than they did  two years ago, and 85% say apps have become a critical part of their lives over the last 18 months, according to The App Attention Index 2021: Who takes the rap for the app, a study by AppDynamics, a part of Cisco.  

Does your firm have an app (or two)? You can use your email newsletter to get people to sign up for your app — and vice versa.  

People increased use of their apps for these purposes:  

  • Tools for connecting with friends and family — 44% 
  • Entertainment — 46%
  • News and information — 42%
  • Food delivery services — 41% 
  • Collaboration/productivity tools for work or education — 46%
  • Retail — 37%
  • Healthcare — 35% 
  • Banking and insurance — 34%
  • Lifestyle — 30% 
  • Government services — 29%
  • Hospitality, leisure and travel — 20% 

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Access to digital services has helped people in these ways since the start of 2020:

  • Stay connected to friends and family — 90% 
  • Access to entertainment — 86% 
  • Access to public services and support services — 77% 
  • Access to health care services — 77% 
  • Look after mental health and/or physical fitness — 73% 
  • Connect and collaborate with others for work — 73%
  • Enable learning/access to education — 70%

As with emails, there are things that turn people off to apps. Here are the top five problems seen over the last 12 months:

  • Slow page/screen load
  • Poor connectivity 
  • Crashing/stopped working 
  • Slow streaming of content
  • Slows down device/drains battery

Do your apps have such difficulties? Well, 68% of people believe it is disrespectful to offer a poor digital experience in this day and age. And 57% say such issues are completely avoidable. 

And if you charge for an app, please know that 71% of consumers expect an enhanced service if they’re paying for it. 

What do people want of apps in general? Here’s what they demand of the experience:

  • Security (my personal data is secure — 62%
  • Simple (easy to use and navigate/intuitive) — 59%
  • Convenient (available whenever and wherever I need it — 54% 
  • Helpful (serves a specific need) — 49% 
  • Fast loading and processing (saves me time) — 49%
  • Engaging and fun to use — 34% 
  • Personalized (treats me as an individual, considers my preferences) — 33% 

Of course, the digital experience should be consistent across all channels, from app to email to web, and social too. Your brand should deliver an integrated experience, filled with videos and other forms of content.  

If you’re wondering why consumer expectations have increased, here’s why:

  • There is much more choice, and I know I can switch to another brand — 41% 
  • They’ve had to shift to digital, so I expect brands to be investing in making the customer experience incredible — 34% 
  • I have seen brands innovating and constantly improving and now expect this as the norm — 33% 
  • I rely so much on them that I can’t afford for them to fail — 30%

It just shows that there is little margin for error for some consumers. 

 

 

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