Your App Is on It’s Deathbed: Should You Save It’s Life or Simply Pull the Plug?

Mobile Marketing

Hagar Hoch 04 May 2016

It’s needless to say that the percentage of apps that actually make it big is incredibly minor, however, times are now more challenging than ever as demand for mobile apps is constantly decreasing. Most mobile users download zero new apps per month, and 80-90% of apps are used once before they are deleted. Since unlike supply, demand can’t be created, app developers are in for a challenging battle to become exposed and engage users within seconds before their app is deleted. From my experience, there’s only one situation (leaving funding aside) in which there’s nothing that can’t be done in order to save an app’s life. This happens mostly when entrepreneurs create apps that answer a personal problem they believe exists, without taking the time to explore whether others are experiencing the same issues. They then end up with a product that has no market or potential audience. The sad thing about this is that most of these apps are often designed to perfection and are almost free of bugs, but despite functioning well, they simply can’t attract users and all that’s left to do is to just pull the plug. Below are five major red flags that indicate your app is on it’s death bed and requires immediate intensive care:   It’s Infested With Bugs Bugs are users’ pet peeves, and despite the fact that this is very well-known among developers, buggy apps still continue to appear. When users download apps that crash often, slow down their device, drain their battery, or use up too much storage space, there’s not even the slightest chance that they’ll keep it in their phone, let alone visit it again. If your app has one or more of these issues I suggest you fix them ASAP or your app will be dead in no time.

• lack of planning

It’s Too Pushy With Push Notifications Too many notifications are another major turnoff for users, when app developers over do it, they become extremely annoying. Users will delete an app when they rarely use it and yet receive a ton of notifications from it, or when too many notifications come up in the registration stage. So app developers – if you don’t take it easy and play your push notifications wisely, your users will continue dropping like flies.   It’s Poorly Monetized Let’s face it, users aren’t stupid, and if you come up with poor monetization methods they’ll be on to you in no time. If your app features too many ads or offers users all the valuable content they really need in order to use the app as in-app purchases, users will just uninstall the app since it’s not usable and offers a negative experience. If you don’t find a way to monetize your app wisely without compromising user experience, it’s definitely the time to pull the plug on your app.   It’s Being Beaten By Competitors If your app aims to answer a certain need or fulfill a purpose that’s better answered by a competitor, it’s time for some serious crisis management. Yes, competition is good, it means that there’s a market for what you’re trying to deliver. However, when you’re overpowered by competition and fail to offer added value to set yourself apart, you’re in a serious crossroad – do you give up and kill your app, or do you reconsider what your app is all about? That’s up to you to determine.  

It Leaves a Negative First Impression First Impression is everything, especially when it comes to mobile apps. Mobile users nowadays and fiercely impatient, 16% of users won’t even try an app more than twice before deleting it entirely, and that’s why apps need to dress to impress. Don’t feature a poor, outdated, or unprofessional UI and don’t ask for too many permissions right off the bat, because you’ll simply scare users away. So either fix these problems immediately, or realize that your app is seriously dying. The good news is that there’s only one situation in which there’s no hope and your app is destined for a tragic death. And the other good news is that there’s something to be done about each of the red flags mentioned above.

Hagar Hoch

Hagar is Moburst's Head of Design. With over 9 years of experience in design, she leads a team of talented designers, creating impactful and engaging experiences for some of the world's leading brands.

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