How UX mistakes get in the way when promoting your app in app stores
Developers often rely only on ASO (App Store Optimization) and paid promotion, but they underestimate the importance of usability and version stability. Without them, it’s almost impossible to get top positions. In this post, the Heads and Hands digital ecosystem development studio has collected common UX mistakes in apps, and Cheсkaso told how these mistakes interfere with the promotion of apps on the App Store and Google Play.
UX mistakes that definitely will kill your conversion rate
The App Store has a quite simple algorithm: the app visibility depends mainly on the quality of your listing optimization, the amount of traffic and its conversion rate. Optimization consists of well-collected metadata, reviews you worked on, relevant keywords, and catchy graphics.
In the case of Google Play, everything is more complicated: algorithms evaluate the KPI (Conversion Rate, Retention Rate, Churn Rate, and other metrics) of the app as a whole. With only ASO and a large amount of ad traffic you will not reach the top of the search results.
Neither by keywords nor in collections, Google will promote an app with poor metrics. Instability, low ratings and negative reviews, bad KPIs — all this makes the ranking of the app lower in Google Play. Now let’s take a look at the most common and crucial obstacles in the user way that negatively impact the metrics mentioned above.
Access to the app is limited
The first thing that can scare off a user is the mandatory registration in the app. It looks especially strange in ecommerce apps that are supposed to shorten the path between the user and the product.
Such decisions negatively affect the install-to-purchase conversion rates, so it’s better not to expect high efficiency from ad campaigns.
Don’t miss onboarding
Onboarding is essential to help the user understand how the product works and it leads to desired action. Usually, the user can skip onboarding in case everything is clear and he wants to quickly get down to business. Plus, some users uninstall apps and then install them again — they definitely don’t need onboarding.
In this case, it is better to rework the mechanics of the app to reduce its chances of being uninstalled from the smartphone and reduce the Churn rate, which often prevents the app from ranking higher.
Full screen navigation does not work if the app has many sections and product pages. The user goes to the product page after product page, but he can return only by repeatedly pressing the Back button.
The H&M app has a tab bar with a home page, profile, favorites and cart, but it disappears when the user goes to the product page. So, it is impossible to quickly return to the main catalog located on the home page.
Google Play is not interested in promoting an app with a low Retention Rate, which is provided by users who left the app with nothing.
Think over the product catalog so that the user can navigate and recoup your investment in advertising. Then, with the help of ASO and paid traffic, it will be possible to achieve benchmark conversion to purchase rate.
Access to the cart only after registration blocks further user interaction with the app. There is an exception: when the user is interested in your product because your offer is exclusive or the price is attractive.
Norman Nielsen Group did research across 49 ecommerce sites and found out that shoppers use the cart not only for ordering goods, but as a holding area too. If the user holds items in the cart, he will either remember and get back for them, or get a reminder about them.
Checkout after registration
24% of users will not make a purchase if they’re asked to create a profile in the app at the checkout. It makes conversion rate lower in the app and can affect its popularity. Store algorithms will also notice this and pessimize the search results.
Disappearing items from the cart
Perhaps the most annoying thing for the user is when you select items, put them in the cart, go to checkout, but the cart is empty. You have to collect items once again, or remove the app.
For example, app allows you to add products to the cart without registration, but you need to log in to place an order. After registering using your phone number and OTP all items disappear from the cart, and the app asks for your address, although you have already entered it when adding the first item to the cart.
A complicated password reset
We faced such a case: your items are scanned at the checkout, you want to scan your loyalty card, but either the app suddenly logged you out, or you have not used it for a long time and deleted it. If there is no signing in by the phone number, you have to painfully remember the password or reset it.
We’ve faced a problem with prolonged process of password reset in the VK app. To reset the old password and set a new one you need to provide your phone number, enter requested captcha and type your last name. Then you will have to confirm password reset from your another device after receiving message in your private chat in the social network. It takes about ~2 minutes. It’s too complicated.
Cart and password reset issues are most often reflected in app reviews and ratings. For both the App Store and Google Play these metrics are crucial, that’s why you need to handle negative reviews. Whenever possible, respond to users personally and inform them when problems are fixed, or explain the logic behind your solutions. After fixing the bugs, ask users to change their app rating.
Summary
UX mistakes in apps, first of all, have a negative impact on conversion rate: when it is difficult for users to find information or buy a product, app stores notice such things and shift their attention to other apps.
Secondly, UX problems often collapse the app’s rating and cause a lot of negative reviews, which also need to be worked out for high-quality ASO and good ranking.
There are two options for you.
Paying attention only to ASO and not to UX mistakes is a wrong decision — no optimization will help, if your app still has problems. It will be as bad a tactic as ignoring ASO, and just focusing on usability will keep you from competing for the top positions. The app will be unprofitable in both cases. Your task is to find a comprehensive solution.
