Does Your App Need An Upgrade?

After rolling out an enterprise app for your business, you may wonder, what’s next? While quite a few software development agencies help you get through the mobile app development part, they seldom talk about the upgrades.

Mobile apps have become a frenzy for businesses. There were about 197 billion mobile app downloads worldwide in 2017, a figure expected to increase to 352 billion by 2021. Mobilization of enterprises is a trend that’s not going to die any time soon. Businesses build mobile apps for their customer-facing applications.

But, we only hope they don’t leave it at that. App upgrades are just as crucial as the initial app development. In this fast-changing business landscape, you need to remain ahead of the curve. That’s possible with an app upgrade strategy.

Most businesses feel app upgrades are needed when something goes amiss. Such as a bug or a performance issue. But, look closer at the businesses that kill it at their mobile app strategy, and you’ll know the difference.

Mobile app upgrades immensely contribute to the customers’ experiences. Not sure when to strategize an app upgrade? Here’s a comprehensive list:

Performance Issues – Not getting what you want?

Mobile App metrics play a vital role in defining a mobile app’s success. When an app is launched and propelled out into the market, the next thing that matters most is its overall performance. You need to look at the engagement levels, the bounce rates, and the average usage of the app. These metrics are enough to give you an idea of your app’s performance.

So, when one of these things fall short of your expectations, know that there is a problem. When this happens, upgrade! When your customers don’t stay on your app, they won’t stay with your business any longer. That’s a sign. Take it. Mobile app upgrades that target performance issues are received well by their users. Plan it at the earliest and roll out an update targeting the specific areas your app needs to improve.

Customers are hard to earn but harder to retain. All major businesses struggle to keep their customers onboard. This is where the wheat is separated from the chaff. Let them know you care about their experience and upgrade your app for good.

New App Design – Experience Transformation

If your app has long been upgraded, it is time to revamp the experience. Most businesses focus on refreshing the UI/UX and leave out the customer experience. For a really effective and vital upgrade, you can consider both. App experience transformation leads to excitement and thrill in your customers. When new app designs are rolled out, app engagement levels boost.

Not just that. A fresh app design and an improved UI also yield a high ROI. As a rule of thumb, organizations that routinely roll out App UI upgrades, every dollar of investment returns $10-$100. Not bad, we’d say.

This is possible because in-app experiences, when built with the customers in mind, tend to attain a high perceived value. Your customers perceive a higher value to your brand. They keep coming back for more. With captivating in-app experiences, you can drastically improve app engagements and lower bounce rates. This results in improved profitability and growth in revenues.

Have a close hard look at the user flows and see where you can revamp. Offer a better experience to your customers.

New App Features – Level it Up

Crucial app features are another significant reason why companies roll out app upgrades. When a trend has just shown up out of nowhere, you don’t want to miss out. Capitalize on newer and exciting features. Offer better and improved features to your customers before they know they need it.

With this predictive nature of app upgrades, you will be in a better position to retain your customers. App features may also include vital functionalities that you wish to add to your app to improve your user’s experience. When these upgrades are concerned, the process needs to be hassle-free and quick.

In the global business landscape, things change pretty fast. Make sure you don’t lag behind. Recognize the need for a certain app feature before your customers do. Roll out the upgrades and earn the trust of your users. This is the thin line that separates companies from brands. Proactively research what your customers need or what your competitors are betting on. These are the areas where you can think of a new feature and beat others in your industry.

Expanding to other Platforms and Devices – Broaden the Reach

According to a study from Flurry, you need to offer mobile app support for 331 device models to reach 90% active users. This study only included smartphones and tablets. And, just the current operating systems such as Android, Windows, and iOS.

You get the point. There is no way a business can launch one application to take care of all mobile devices and platforms. Mobile apps need to be built tailored to the various devices, right at the start. The chase to cover all mobile platforms never ends. With the rapid advancements in mobile technology, newer devices enter the market while old ones fade out.

To remain relevant, you need to perform regular app upgrades to include other devices and platforms that are yet out of your reach. Businesses take care of the guidelines to publish their apps in various app stores. This is a key tip for businesses looking to expand their outreach.

Count the other mobile app devices and platforms in!

User feedback – Hear Them Out

Your users keep on leaving integral feedback on your app store presence, your social media channels, your business feedback pages, etc. This user-generated data and feedback will provide you valuable insights on how your app is performing. Pay heed to this data and act on it.

When your customers lodge complaints in their feedback, the first thing to do is to not let their inputs go unheard. After that, plan an upgrade. Most businesses just keep talking. And, then keep losing precious customers. People believe in the doers today, and leave businesses who are just about the words.

If your users have been talking about some feature, they are actually leaving upgrade suggestions for you. Take those hints and work on them. User feedback is a phenomenal way of mapping your users’ needs and delivering value on time.

Pursue a major update that focuses on user feedback and you will stand out in their minds. Hear the cues even when your users only tell they can’t find a specific feature on their app. Hint: this points to poor navigation in the app and loose app experience.

Hear them out!

Aging App Codebase – Revitalizing the App

Find your drive to upgrade in your aging codebase. It is said that the mobile codebase ages fast. There is a rapid evolution in technologies and newer trends springing up on the horizon every day. In these situations, it is crucial to plan an app upgrade once every two years. At the most. Technologies shape an app, and when better things arrive, you want to be a part of them. Leverage the best, always!

To do that, businesses need to realize the importance of frequent app updates. However, updating and rewiring the codebase is a consuming task. It is essential to lay out a detailed plan, so things don’t go astray.

When there have been numerous designers and developers working on your mobile app, the need of the hour is to oversee the changes and revitalize them. Improve your app’s overall efficiency and performance by upgrading the codebase.

Latest Technological/Design Trends – Keep up With the Flow

When the latest trends knock, answer the door! Technological and design trends are evolving at skyrocketing rates. When you fall short of catching up, you lose customers. Businesses are striving hard to compete and keep their pace. There is a reason. When you employ the latest technologies, you give out the impression of an active brand that takes rapid measures to innovate. Most of the design trends will be gone by the time you plan and execute.

The process needs to be shorter. The turnaround needs to be quick. When trends and technologies are concerned, even a bit of a delay can cost you dearly. Know when to upgrade. Businesses can come out as the leaders in their industry when they plan to bring out a trending feature first. Establish yourself as a leader.

Latest and popular developments in designs and features mean people are loving them. Bringing them to your mobile app rapidly can help you maintain a brand image and come off as an innovator. One quick tip: Keep your developers and staff on their toes for this one. When your tech enthusiasts sense a new trend on the horizon, you will implement it before anyone else does.

Security – Leakages Need Fixes

Security breaches have lined up our experiences online. Make sure you don’t fall prey. Several pieces of research have been conducted on how customers respond to security breaches. One of them reveals that the effect is analogous to a natural disaster. Businesses fall hard on the ground when their customers know their data wasn’t safe.

If your mobile app stores sensitive information about your customers, regular security patches are life-saving jackets for you. As business infrastructures get connected and all goes mobile, the average costs of data security breaches in 2020 will exceed $150 million.

People no longer believe that their data is completely safe, another study suggests. But, that doesn’t mean they don’t care. Your customers will turn things around when their data is compromised. Therefore, any anomalies or chances of security loopholes should be eliminated through frequent security upgrades.

Stability – Eliminate the Crashes

A mobile app’s stability matters to the business. App stability is an essential metric that defines and determines customer engagement on any mobile app. When your business app keeps on crashing, you lose customers and their interest. App crashes plummet user retention rates too. To ensure your mobile app’s success, handle any stability issues at the earliest.

Companies should make using their mobile apps a cake walk for their users, so their profits come easy and their business thrives. Mobile-driven interactions are a craze among the millennials. Make sure you leverage this opportunity to offer them exceptional mobile experiences.

The trend of mobilizing applications is not dying out soon. App stability is a crucial metric to make sure you don’t fall out of the competition.

Wrap-Up

To lower your app’s abandonment rates, embrace frequent upgrades. Our comprehensive list offers suggestions when an app upgrade is necessary. Even if your mobile app satisfies only one of these criteria, it is completely worth the time and effort to upgrade it.

While releasing a major app upgrade, keep your focus on the customers. It is all about their experience. Customer-centricity is what brands and businesses are betting high on. With a consumer-focused approach, you will be able to fathom their needs way before they tell you.
Jump on the bandwagon of mobile app upgrades. That is considered the key to growth and success.

Apps that are updated frequently, about 9 times a year, have been recorded to have better customer reviews. In the near future, app upgrade frequencies will also become a determinant of the business’ success or failure.

The right upgrade at the right time. An app upgrade strategy can help you track your mobile app’s performance, schedule upgrades, and roll them out seamlessly. Businesses that invest in regular app upgrades are the ones who win customer loyalty in the long run.

Are you ready to roll out the next upgrade? Let us know in comments below.