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Why Apps Need to Invest More in Personalization and User Journey

Written by Jenny Duong | Dec 17, 2024 1:30:00 PM

No doubt remains that one of the most important factors for improving interactions within an app is the user journey and its personalization. As mobile apps become increasingly saturated, standing out can be a challenge. Therefore, it’s essential to offer an experience that your customers will remember. Furthermore, by analyzing your user journey, you can identify and address weak points in the app, making it easier for users to achieve their goals.

Interested? Stay with us and keep reading!

How can brands maximize the personalization of their user journey?

Recent studies reveal that 58% of consumers state that a lack of personalized experiences would prevent them from purchasing a product or service online. This percentage rises to 62% when products are not tailored to their needs.

Additionally, 44% of consumers said that a brand that understands their preferences and makes relevant product or service recommendations stands out and fosters loyalty—a crucial factor for success regardless of the industry. Evidence of this is a recent study showing that increasing customer retention by just 5% can boost a brand's profits by 25% to 95%.

Therefore, more than ever, to succeed, a brand must prove to its customers that it knows them, thus earning their loyalty. To achieve this, your brand needs to ensure personalized experiences for its customers.

But how can personalized experiences be offered efficiently and at scale?

The answer is analysis.

To deliver these personalized experiences, your brand must know its customers on a deeper level, and understand what works and why—and this cannot be identified without analysis. Using insights derived from analysis, you can strengthen your users’ experience with your brand.

Effective Strategies for Personalizing the User Journey

As mentioned earlier, providing a good experience should be a priority in companies' app marketing strategies. Mapping the user journey helps gather crucial insights into their needs and preferences. With this data, you can create actions to optimize the in-app experience even further.

To help your app stand out, we’ve outlined three app marketing actions based on user journey personalization:

  1. Use Push Notification Strategies to Your Brand's Advantage

App push notifications are an excellent way to keep your customers engaged. Delivering messages or content directly to a user's lock screen encourages them to open the app and take action. However, these notifications must be strategic—timed correctly and tailored to the user’s interests and habits to provide a personalized experience. Otherwise, the strategy could backfire.

Take a delivery app as an example:

Sending a push notification with a coupon or promotion from a restaurant the user frequently orders from, shortly before their usual lunch hour, is a smart strategy. There’s a high chance this user will place an order through your app.

Now imagine another situation where a vegan user receives constant notifications about discounts at steakhouses or butcher shops. Frustrating, right? This could even lead to the user uninstalling your app.

  1. Leverage Geolocation-Based Messaging

Messages based on geolocation further enrich the user experience, allowing you to provide relevant content based on their location. This strategy is particularly effective for restaurant apps. By delivering the right message at the right time, you can enhance the user experience and build loyalty.

  1. Develop a Loyalty Program

Loyalty programs can encourage more downloads and engagement with your app. For example:

  • Offer new users a 10% discount on their first app purchase.
  • Provide rewards for referrals or points that can be redeemed for benefits when performing actions in the app.

This strategy is common in shopping and travel apps. Additionally, it’s essential to personalize communication within the loyalty program.

Loyalty programs can also drive repeat purchases, such as:

  • Offering double points for purchases made through your app.
  • Exclusive app coupons.
  • Early access to new items before they’re available to the general public.