5 App Usage Facts Ecommerce Brands Should Know

How heavily do consumers use apps? Why subscribe and when are push notifications accepted? Airship investigated such questions in a study of 9,143 participants in Germany, USA, Great Britain, France, Australia, Singapore and India. From this, five basic facts that brands should know are derived:

1. More than 60 percent of baby boomers have been using apps more or evenly since the beginning of the epidemic

Younger generations are leading the way when it comes to using mobile apps. But, more than 60 percent of baby boomers have been using apps more or nearly the same in all categories (except education, travel and hospitality) since the start of the pandemic. Brands should take advantage of this potential and attract more Boomers to their applications.

2. Immediate benefit is the number one reason to subscribe to app notifications

Customers love bonuses, specials, and discounts. Brands like Chipotle, Starbucks, and Ace Hardware are leading the way in putting seamless, value-added app experiences and loyalty at the core of their concepts for growth, retention and customer value. Bottom line? When you offer your customers meaningful rewards for their continued loyalty, the brand benefits.

3. Nearly half of global respondents are willing to share their “social values” with brands

What information do people share to benefit from personal interactions and special incentives with brands? Users least willing to share “information from their social media profiles” (35 percent). However, nearly half (46 percent) disclose their social values ​​in the areas of environment, morals, politics and religion. This is particularly important as other research has shown that ethics, CSR and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) factors are increasingly important to customers and influence their purchasing decisions.

4. Consumers tend to opt in when they can control the cause (43 percent), frequency (41 percent), and channels (40 percent) of brand messaging.

Increasing privacy regulations, phasing out third-party cookies, and increasing consumers’ awareness of how their data is used are transforming digital experiences and making it more important than ever to give customers the ability to personalize their communication preferences.

In the United States and India in particular, but also in Germany, consumers want more control over the messages they receive. This underscores the importance of brands to capture user preferences during setup and continue that effort throughout the customer lifecycle so that they can create the kind of personalized experiences and two-way exchanges that keep customers engaged.

5. Nearly two-thirds of consumers use retailer apps to communicate digital and physical experiences

As the lines between physical and digital (“phygital”) experiences continue to blur, more than half of respondents in all countries said they were most likely to use their smartphone for eight different in-store activities. This includes, but is not limited to, opening a retailer’s app, using loyalty cards and coupons, or scanning a QR code. Again, millennials are leading the way, but a large percentage of baby boomers also report using their smartphone when shopping. This is a good opportunity for brands to reach out to older generations and show them in-store or via an app how using their smartphone can improve the in-store shopping experience.

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