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Shopify Store Mobile App: How to Get Your First 500 Users in 10 Days

Shopify store mobile app getting app users

You have a fantastic product range in place. So you decided to set up your Shopify store and take them to a global market by leveraging various sales channels – marketplaces, Amazon, Facebook, Instagram, and others. However, there is one channel that most Shopify store entrepreneurs miss out on, but it is of the utmost importance considering the consumer trends – mobile. Here’s your guide on getting the first 500 users for your Shopify store mobile app in 10 days.

According to a report from Criteo, mobile apps saw the most significant share of eCommerce transactions in Q4 2017 in North America. They accounted for 44% of all the transactions made for the quarter, while mobile websites accounted for only 23%, and the desktop drew in 33% of sales.

If you’re wondering which channels are the best to draw in more sales for your Shopify stores, these numbers will surely tip you towards mobile apps instantly. But just having a mobile app doesn’t lead you to your first sale from it!

Getting the first 500 users for your Shopify Store Mobile App

The first and foremost goal for your Shopify store is to reach its most active users and nudge them to download your app. Imagine an app that offers excellent discounts but has no users to see them. No point in having one, then, right?

In the first ten days, focus all your time, energy, and resources on driving app installs only. Since it will not be a one-time activity, try to create and execute a scalable, repeatable strategy to acquire more users. Simply put, you need to set up an engine to drive app installs automatically daily.

Where do you start? By focusing on getting 200-500 app installs in 10 days after it goes live.

1. Convert your web users into app users

Always start from a platform that has worked for your business before. In this case, it is your Shopify store. So go after your most important and relevant audience – your existing store visitors and customers.

The average click to app install rate from website traffic is 35-47%.
(varies based on your industry)

Most eCommerce businesses use organic and paid marketing strategies to drive website traffic. Now that you’ve invested so much, it’s time to leverage this traffic to get your installs. And all for FREE.

The tool you need – Installing

It helps you set up a top banner or widget on your store site to showcase app links for both app stores. Since the tool does not show a full-screen ad or a popup to promote your app, it doesn’t hamper your customers’ browsing experience. Here’s how it looks:

Shopify store mobile app

Also read BAILEY’S BLOSSOMS – A Kids Clothing Store uses this method to increase their daily downloads by 3X

How does it work?

The tool smartly detects the device a user is visiting your site from and directs them to the right app store. For example, if they use an iOS device, it only displays the iOS app link.

What’s the impact?

Assuming your traffic is 1000 visitors a day and we get a 3-5% conversion for website visits to app installs, the potential app installs you can get in one day is about 30-50 users.

No ads! No paid marketing spends! Just a simple banner, you’re 50% through your goal of getting 100 app installs.

Note: The number of installs you get is proportional to your web traffic. A 3-5% conversion rate is reasonable!

Pro tip: Set up Installify from day 1 of your apps going live. Never remove this from your website, as it will continue being the ultimate source of getting installs.

2. Leverage email marketing to reach your customers

Emails are the one channel where you can reach out to your potential and existing clients on a 1:1 level. They are also the most effective way to nudge your customers to download your app.

creating a compelling newsletter highlighting deals of the week and promoting your app so they can grab them on the go will motivate them to head to the app store immediately. The idea is to show them the benefit of getting your app before expecting them to download it.

Here’s an example from Dresses d’Amour. They promote their app alongside the benefit of having it – smartly done. Right?

email marketing shopify store mobile app

What’s the impact like?

Assuming you have a list of 2000+ customers and get approximately 2-3% conversions, you’re driving 100 app installs immediately! After 30 minutes of creating a fabulous newsletter, you’re already growth-hacking your installs.

Pro tip: Segment your list based on user actions – those who subscribed to your newsletter, made a purchase, registered on your site, followed you on social media, etc. Creating personalized newsletters is a great way to nurture them along the conversion cycle.

If you struggle with making creatives for your newsletter, use Canva. It’s easy to use and enables you to create a beautiful newsletter in just minutes!

3. Make use of online groups, forums, and social media

One of the most innovative strategies to get more installs is to put your app in places where your customers are most active. For example, using social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and online store forums.

We’re sure you’re already pushing out a lot of content across these channels. Now the trick is to create some posts around your app, highlighting the launch of your apps and how it will make it easier for your customers to shop!

A few things you should creatively answer include:

  • Why should a user download your app?
  • What benefits does downloading an app have?
  • Is there a special offer for app users?

Apart from your social media profiles, don’t forget to tap into the power of social media groups and other online communities. Sharing a link to your app or simply announcing its launch with a special discount can drive a lot of installs in no time than just targeting your followers.

What’s the impact?

Let’s assume you have a total community size of 10,000+ users across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other online communities. If you get even a 1-2% conversion rate, you’re driving in at least 100-200 new app installs – without spending on acquiring new users via paid tactics.

Pro tip: Create a series of social media posts highlighting the benefits your customers get from downloading your app. Discount codes work like magic!

4. Leverage content marketing

Did you know that the best way to reach out to your customers is by offering them a good read?

Think about the number of times you have purchased a product because you saw a use case of it or saw it featured in an online magazine, page, or on an influencer. The same logic applies when you want more app downloads.

Leverage different content formats to grab the attention of your target customers. This includes creating blog posts on trends, lookbooks that promote your products, does, nd even a bit of PR.

While this tactic will mostly get you free app installs and traffic on your online store, it can take some time to start showing results. So if your app is still in process, you should begin now so that you’re all set by the time you launch!

5. Focus on App Store Optimization

This is one of the most critical tactics for getting more users for your app. If you don’t show up when they’re searching for something specific, how do you imagine them even knowing who you are?

The tactic includes looking for keywords people use while searching for your store, the app description, screenshots, and more. To get started, here are a few resources you can refer to:

Pro tip: Don’t forget to ask your initial app users for a review. The more positive reviews you get, the higher you will be in search results.

6. Turn your power users into advocates

Your initial users are the first set of people who will experience what your app offers. While some might churn during the process, others will fall in love with the interface and even increase the number of orders they are placing.

These are the customers you need to pay attention to. You need to encourage these users further and go beyond just purchasing from your Shopify store mobile app. Asking them for referrals instead of a discount code is a great way to nudge them to invite more people to your app and, at the same time, make more purchases.

It’s called using the power of word of mouth, and 92% of consumers recommendations from their friends or family. So you can be assured that a little discount to your power users on their next order will lead you to get more app installs!

While the above strategies won’t cost you a bomb, and some might even be free, it’s essential that you continually focus on growing your app.

Shopify experts suggest you don’t just implement and execute the above strategies once. Optimizing them further and repetitively using them in your growth framework can lead you to more app installs and identify your viral channel of user acquisition.

At the same time, don’t be skeptical about using other paid tactics like social media and search advertising. It will only further boost the visibility of your Shopify store mobile app. It would be best if you also started looking for more Shopify apps to add to your store to experiment further with your growth strategies.

We also listed down nine must-have Shopify store apps that you need. Check them out here.

All these need some time and effort, of course, before they produce high results and ROI for your eCommerce business.

Need help reaching out to your first 500 Shopify store mobile app users?
Please email us at sales@plobalapps.com; our experts would be happy to help!

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