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7 Steps to Product Roadmap Success
Learn how to fight feature creep, deliver the right value, and translate vision into action. Let us help you revitalize your product roadmap today, and help make 2021 your year.
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We tailor each demo to your specific business needs. See it for yourself and contact us today!
Thanks for reaching out! While you wait for confirmation from an Apptentive team member, you may find these free resources to be of interest:
Guide
View resourceGuide
7 Steps to Product Roadmap Success
Learn how to fight feature creep, deliver the right value, and translate vision into action. Let us help you revitalize your product roadmap today, and help make 2021 your year.
2021 Mobile Customer Engagement Benchmark Report
Everyone needs to rethink their mobile feedback and engagement strategies to meet rapidly-shifting marketplace changes.
Funding for digital transformation efforts boomed
Regarding the impact of the crisis on a range of measures, executives say that funding for digital initiatives has increased more than anything else—more than increases in costs, the number of people in technology roles, and the number of customers.
Source: McKinsey October 2020 report
In 2020 there was a record 218 billion app downloads and 143 billion in mobile App Store spend
Source: App Annie “State of Mobile 2021” report
2020 was a breakout year for mobile apps
At the height of the pandemic, our mobile usage skyrocketed—accelerating mobile adoption by 2-3 years in just a few months.
Source: App Annie “State of Mobile 2021” report
Consumer app usage has never been higher
For many industries, the opportunity to win market share has never been greater. A new report from Apptentive examines engagement data from 1,000 iOS and Android apps to help publishers across categories understand both their app’s strengths and areas for improvement.
Almost all apps experienced significant change in their DAU due to COVID-19
Three main trends took place:
Massive drops
For example, an app that regularly had five million Daily Active Users dropped to one million.
Huge spikes
Some apps had their DAU go up by over 500%, and often, it happened in only a matter of days.
Higher frequency of app usage
For example, apps that historically seen predictable weekly trends in usage are now seeing entirely new patterns.
Source: Apptentive customer data, 2021
For some industries like Healthcare, a full recovery is a long way off
The app stores are still a main way app publishers listen to consumer feedback—and that’s a problem.
Consumers use the app stores to give feedback on content or company rather than the app itself, which doesn’t help app publishers improve their experiences or truly understand how to better serve their communities. Star ratings and reviews still matter to app health, but when it comes to understanding customer sentiment, they are one small piece of a very large puzzle—and dangerous to prioritize in making product and business decisions.
Retaining customers is the new expectation
Retention over acquisition
Investing in retention over acquisition has become a primary focus. Companies who proactively engage with consumers at the right mobile moments are seeing their 90-day retention results double the industry average, which is between 20-30%.
90-day retention rates have doubled for proactive apps
63% of consumers who were proactively interacted with in Q1 were still seen in Q4
Long-term retention gains matter
Measuring short-term retention has become old hat, and a focus on annual retention is driving product roadmaps across all industries. Our research shows that 63% of consumers who were proactively interacted with in Q1 were still seen in Q4.
An end to impersonal customer engagement
Consumers expect choice
App marketers and product managers typically segment customer groups to gather feedback, but rarely go much further. This past year, consumer expectations dramatically shifted to focus on personalized preferences, with individual choice being paramount. Simply giving customers the option to opt into or out of surveys resulted in survey response rates of 60%.
Giving customers the option to opt into or out of surveys resulted in survey response rates of 60%
Power is found in measuring customer emotion
Most people don’t shift their emotions—but when they do, brands can help proactively influence the outcome. In 2020, 13% of consumers shifted their emotions to move between Fan and Risk audience segments. Brands only lost an average of 4% of consumers in this group thanks to precise segmenting and proactive, personalized outreach.
How should app publishers respond?
Focus on retention, not acquisition
Lower marketing costs, improve loyalty, and save resources by prioritizing customer retention.
Turn apps into listening channels
Mobile has become a primary—if not the only available—listening channel. Understand customer emotion by gathering, measuring, and acting on feedback to make product decisions.
Go all in on personalization
Allow consumers to direct their own journey within your mobile experience based on individual preferences.
Dive deeper
2020 reset the mobile app playing field. Competitive brands have already adapted to the changes. Winners in 2021 need to focus on retention, turn their apps into listening tools, and go all in on personalization.
About the authors
Chief Customer Officer, Apptentive
VP of Engineering, Apptentive
Data Analyst,
Apptentive
Head of Content,
Apptentive
Senior Content Marketing Manager, Apptentive
The authors would like to thank Ren Fischer, Stephanie Blichfeld, Veronica Rosenberg, Robi Ganguly, Vinny McKee, and the design team The Medium for their contributions to this report.
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