Developers Blog
Design
Develop
Distribute
Play Console
developer.android.com
Android Developers Blog
The latest Android and Google Play news for app and game developers.
Find success on Google Play: What app developers can learn from games
02 March 2016
Posted by Matteo Vallone, Business Development Manager at Google Play
(As a way to reach more app developers and help them grow successful businesses on Google Play, this post was first
published on The Next Web
– Ed.)
There is much common ground between freemium apps and games businesses when it comes to achieving success. Users are, however, more used to paying for games than apps, stemming from the history of traditional gaming consoles. Moreover, mobile games are also able to easily offer ‘virtual goods’ across a range of price points to suit every pocket. This means that game developers have had plenty of opportunity to learn about how to improve onboarding, conversion, and ultimately the user Lifetime Value (LTV). So what can app developers learn from game developers? Here are some best practice tips and insights from successful game developers that can be applied to many apps, today.
Drive app success the game developer way:
1. Optimize retention before investing in acquisition
Retention is king, and retention drives conversion. For games developers, retention is the key measure of game quality and whether it appeals to players.
Most game developers will “soft launch” to beta testing communities or test markets. During this phase, the game is tweaked to optimize retention by looking into specific areas, such as tutorial completion, level difficulty and conversion. Developers can then track retention using the
Cohorts reports in Google Analytics
. Once retention is satisfactory, the developer can go to full launch and start investing in user acquisition.
2. Retain users with step-by-step engagement
The first seven days after install are the most critical for retention: users install several apps to try them, and decide in the first few days which ones they want to keep using. If you can retain for that time span, your app is more likely to become part of the user’s daily routine.
There are some simple ways to progressively build user engagement. It’s important to present a strong story that explains why that app is relevant to the user, while introducing them to key features. Then place features that offer the user value early, so they can be found without much effort.
This is a not a one-size-fit-all. To find the right solution, a developer needs to first make assumptions on what user flows can improve retention and then run A/B tests to validate or correct them. For example, a developer could think that introducing sign-in later in the user flow might improve retention. Also, the developer needs to keep in mind what the key long term engagement metrics are for the individual app (such as photos uploaded or the number of articles read) and measure the impact of the different onboarding flows on those metrics as well.
In general, these principles are good places to start optimizing your onboarding:
Look for ways to let the users experience the app straight away, rather than taking them through a long, complex setup.
Present “activation moments” — such as registering an account, uploading a video, or finding friend — gradually
Start by requiring minimal investment by the user, then ask them for more details as they are needed to use the apps features.
Treat permissions as a service for the user. For example, if you want users to register, show them in advance that, by making their experience more personal, they’ll get more value from the app.
In this example, OkCupid tried different onboarding flows and found the most engaging version increased seven-day retention by over 20 percent.
Finally, ensure the user can understand the value of your app before you start asking them to pay. Game developers are particularly good at letting their users try most or all product features for free in in a set number of days or sessions.
A great tool to help analyze how users are engaging (or not) with the app is through the
Flow Report in Google Analytics
. Using this report, a developer can see how users navigate through the app and where they leave to identify potential roadblocks.
3. Target the right offers at the right users
Understanding different groups of users in-app purchase behavior is the key to devising strategies to encourage them to spend.
Start by identifying groups of users by how they spend and much they are likely to spend. It may be by age group, the channel that brought the install, or in-app behaviour. Use the
Segment builder in Google Analytics
to identify and define these groups of users. Then, tailor in-app purchase offers to match the segments spending behavior. For example, for segments where multiple users tend to spend more in one go, but spend infrequently, offer them in-app features bundled together.
4. Offer in-app purchases when users are most likely to spend
Users are also more likely to spend, if the purchasing experience is frictionless, and even more so when they can see how the expenditure will add value. So:
Present purchase opportunities to users when they’re most likely to need or want it — and explain to the user why it’s relevant.
Make purchasing accessible easily from within the app with a minimum number of taps. For example, offer an upgrade button on the footer of relevant screens.
TomTom added a countdown to indicate when the free service runs out (counted in kilometers travelled). The counter includes a button to upgrade offering a one tap in-app purchase.
Like all good game developers, they focus on building good experiences that retain and engage users through constant testing and analytics. First impressions are important, so users need to be able to quickly understand the importance of the app and easily navigate through the onboarding experience. And to start generating revenue, it is important to be thoughtful about how to make in-app purchases actionable.
Watch Matteo’s Playtime 2015 session ‘The rules of games, for apps’
to hear more in-depth insights which app developers can learn from games with best practices and developer examples:
You can also
watch the other sessions from Google Playtime 2015
to learn more about tools and best practices which can help you find success with business on Google Play.
Labels
Android O
Android Studio
Design
Develop
Google Play
Archive
May 2018
(13)
April 2018
(8)
March 2018
(8)
February 2018
(7)
January 2018
(9)
December 2017
(9)
November 2017
(13)
October 2017
(14)
September 2017
(12)
August 2017
(19)
July 2017
(11)
June 2017
(13)
May 2017
(21)
April 2017
(12)
March 2017
(14)
February 2017
(11)
January 2017
(12)
December 2016
(17)
November 2016
(16)
October 2016
(9)
September 2016
(6)
August 2016
(7)
July 2016
(12)
June 2016
(14)
May 2016
(16)
April 2016
(14)
March 2016
(8)
February 2016
(8)
January 2016
(9)
December 2015
(9)
November 2015
(13)
October 2015
(20)
September 2015
(15)
August 2015
(13)
July 2015
(9)
June 2015
(8)
May 2015
(10)
April 2015
(10)
March 2015
(12)
February 2015
(8)
January 2015
(3)
December 2014
(9)
November 2014
(13)
October 2014
(11)
September 2014
(6)
August 2014
(2)
July 2014
(9)
June 2014
(10)
May 2014
(4)
March 2014
(4)
February 2014
(3)
January 2014
(2)
December 2013
(3)
November 2013
(2)
October 2013
(7)
September 2013
(2)
August 2013
(5)
July 2013
(5)
June 2013
(4)
May 2013
(9)
April 2013
(3)
March 2013
(2)
February 2013
(3)
January 2013
(3)
December 2012
(5)
November 2012
(3)
October 2012
(3)
September 2012
(1)
August 2012
(1)
July 2012
(2)
June 2012
(5)
May 2012
(1)
April 2012
(5)
March 2012
(5)
February 2012
(5)
January 2012
(5)
December 2011
(7)
November 2011
(7)
October 2011
(5)
September 2011
(5)
August 2011
(3)
July 2011
(7)
June 2011
(2)
May 2011
(5)
April 2011
(6)
March 2011
(8)
February 2011
(8)
January 2011
(4)
December 2010
(8)
November 2010
(3)
October 2010
(4)
September 2010
(7)
August 2010
(6)
July 2010
(10)
June 2010
(11)
May 2010
(11)
April 2010
(2)
March 2010
(3)
February 2010
(2)
January 2010
(5)
December 2009
(7)
November 2009
(5)
October 2009
(5)
September 2009
(8)
August 2009
(2)
July 2009
(1)
June 2009
(2)
May 2009
(5)
April 2009
(12)
March 2009
(5)
February 2009
(8)
January 2009
(3)
December 2008
(3)
November 2008
(1)
October 2008
(4)
September 2008
(6)
August 2008
(4)
June 2008
(1)
May 2008
(5)
April 2008
(4)
March 2008
(5)
February 2008
(2)
January 2008
(5)
December 2007
(3)
November 2007
(5)
Feed
Newsletter
Android Developers
Google Play
Play Console
