If you find yourself asking how to increase user engagement on App Marketplaces, you’re not alone. As any marketplace owner knows, getting users to land on your marketplace is just the first step; engaging those users in ways that keep them browsing and buying tech is critically important to the success of your marketplace.
Here’s how to increase user engagement on App Marketplaces in five essential steps:
1. List a range of integrated partner apps and solutions on your marketplace.
No app is an island, and selling other integrated solutions in conjunction with your tech is a great way to maximize user engagement and conversion rates on your App Marketplace. Research from Vendasta found the following: “Selling an SMB 1 product has a retention rate of only 30% after 2 years. Selling that SMB just 1 more product showed an increased retention rate of nearly 20%, while selling an SMB 4 products shows a retention rate of 80%.”
The more apps and solutions you sell a customer via your Apps Marketplace, the more engaged they are. That’s because when your marketplace represents an ecosystem of useful, integrated solutions, customers are more likely to keep exploring your marketplace for apps that play well in their existing tech stack.
2. Create product listings that clearly communicate core benefits.
This article from Clear Bridge Mobile points out the importance of creating app listings that clearly communicate how an app solves a customer’s pain point. After all, customers decide whether or not to buy a solution based on the information included in the listing, so this needs to be as clear and compelling as possible. “Businesses need to include persuasive messaging that demonstrates the long-term value of your app,” says Clear Bridge. “For businesses that do this effectively, and follow up by delivering value, they will see an increase in the number of users that remain engaged over time.”
When selling partner apps and solutions on your App Marketplace, getting this right requires making the marketplace user-friendly for partners as well as customers. When partners can easily and independently update their profiles and create compelling app listings – including assets like video demos, for example – your marketplace’s ability to engage and convert customers skyrockets.
3. Leverage social proof through ratings and reviews.
No matter how convincing your app listings are, or how user-friendly your marketplace is, customers are still more swayed by word-of-mouth evangelism than anything else. Until you can get users shouting the virtues of your marketplace from the rooftops, opt for the next best thing: including social proof in app listings in the form of user ratings and reviews.
4. Increase user engagement through your Customer Portal.
An intuitive, easy-to-use Customer Portal acts as a Mission Control Base Camp for your customers. Not only can customers browse, compare, and buy apps and product integrations from within their own secure Customer Portal, they also have quick access to a personalized dashboard with full visibility of purchased apps, billing cycles, and upcoming renewals. The Customer Portal is also where communication with vendors and partners takes place, making it a powerful user engagement tool. See Morphed’s Customer Portal in action here.
5. Include CTAs aimed at capturing leads at differing stages of the buyer journey.
Of course, ‘Buy Now’ is a no-brainer CTA that needs to be included in every app listing. Only including a ‘Buy Now’ button, however, risks missing out on opportunities to engage interested users who aren’t quite ready to purchase. Increase marketplace user engagement by using web-to-lead forms designed to capture leads who are interested in purchasing an integration or app but aren’t ready to commit just yet. Features like VideoAsk and chatbots are also useful ways to engage and convert users at various stages of the sales funnel.
