Keeping users on mobile apps is an issue many teams are working towards solving. Billions of apps are downloaded every year, but many apps are abandoned about a month after they are downloaded.

There are a lot of benefits to keeping users on the app. You can gather valuable data from users both by tracking their usage and by directly asking them. You can also learn about their preferences and likes based on the way they customize their app. More importantly, your app can serve as another avenue for users to make purchases! It makes sense since lots of users are turning to their phones for more everyday tasks like shopping. With all of this in mind, it’s important now more than ever to think about how we can keep our customers happy and engaged in our apps.

Take a look at this guide CleverTap made to help you navigate through the app retention life cycle. They break down a handful of app retention data points to show you ways you can use this info to your advantage. When it comes down to it, retaining users on your app is actually similar to dating! You have to put in the effort to give users a good impression of your app to get them to stay a little and explore your different features. Then, you have to keep in touch and let them know you’re thinking of them with thoughtful and personalized push notifications and tailored app experiences. Finally, when the time is right, you can get your app users to say “yes!” to an in-app purchase and to your brand. Peruse through their guide to see how this process works and how you can ramp up your app retention strategy.

App Retention Stats

• In 2017 there were nearly 4 billion connected mobile devices and 178 billion annual app downloads. (AppAnnie, 2017^*)
• The average US app user spends 90% of their mobile usage in their top five apps. (Business Insider, 2017^*)
• 23% of apps are used just once. (Applause, 2017^*)
• Retargeted users show more retention and bring in 37% more revenue than new users. (Adjust, 2018^*)
• 30 days after an app is downloaded it has lost nearly 90% of daily active users. (CleverTap, 2017)
• 66% of users feel they can accomplish the same goal on the mobile website as the app. (Think With Google, 2018^*)
• A 5% increase in retention can result in a 25% to 95% increase in profits. (Harvard, 2000^*)
• Personalized push notifications have been found to boost engagement by almost 10%. (CleverTap, 2018)
• In-app messaging, such as a live assistant, can increase user retention by 3x. (Dazeinfo, 2016^*)
• The average smartphone user engages only 9 apps per day. (TechCrunch, 2017^*)

iOS App Retention Stats

• 11.82% of iOS users purchase apps compared to 5.76% of Android users. (Statista, 2018^*)
• iOS app retention rates are 1% to 3% higher than those of Android apps. (MediaPost, 2018^*)
• 60% of iPhone users opt-out of push notifications. (Andrew Chen, 2015^*)

Android App Retention Stats

• The top 10 Android apps have a 12.8x greater retention rate than the average Android app. (App Cues, 2015^*)
• Android accounts for a 38.9% majority of the mobile market share. (CitrusBits, 2018^*)
• It costs 24% less to convert in-app purchases on Android than iOS. (Liftoff, 2016^*)