It’s easy to get caught up in the number of downloads you’re getting or whether or not your app users downloaded the latest update. More and more metrics experts recommend looking at a single metric to determine whether or not your app is getting the engagement that you expect: the amount of time that your users are spending in the app.
Why Time Spent in App is the Most Important Metric
Globally, social media apps account for nearly 50% of screen time on mobile devices, according to a 2018 study. Users spent nearly 700 billion hours consuming content within apps in 2018, a staggering number. This is the first time that WhatsUp, the global messaging app owned by Facebook, exceeded Facebook’s engagement metrics over a period of time. Here are some of the top communication apps with their average statistics:
While average times within the app will vary based on the type of mobile application you’ve created, many ad-driven vehicles make money by encouraging people to interact more deeply and more often with the app.
Determining Average Time Spent in App
Analyzing the average time that is spent in your app is straightforward. You simply multiply the number of users by the average time per user to get the total time spent in your app. However, how can you tell if this number is good, bad or indifferent? This is where industry research comes in handy, as you can review the time in app for your competitors as well as reviewing the time your customers are spending interacting with your app over a period of months.
Anytime you make changes to your app, it’s crucial to review these numbers and be sure you’re not causing additional problems for your users. If the time in your app seems extraordinarily long, don’t rejoice quite yet! It could mean that users are having challenges finding what they were looking for. If you need assistance interpreting the numbers, you can always review the ratings and additional feedback that you receive from customers to see if there’s a root problem that needs to be addressed.
Measuring Market Share
Total time in app is often used as a leading indicator of revenue. Even those organizations that are far ahead of their competitors are not able to simply rest on their laurels. It can only take a few months for an up-and-coming competitor to creep up and eventually overtake your share of market — significantly reducing your revenue opportunities. This change in share is one of the most accurate measures of the long-term health of your app versus your competitors. There are two key components in understanding the total time spent by your users in your app: Monthly Active Users and Average Time Spent Per User.
Monthly Active Users
A one-time download of your app is great, but your key goal is to drive ongoing engagement over time. This measure of Monthly Active Users (MAU) is a crucial metric that helps you understand the overall churn associated with your app. How long are people interacting with your app on a regular basis before deleting it? If you’re gaining 100,000 new app downloads in a year, and losing 50,000 of those individuals — it’s a prime indicator that you’re not providing unique value for those users. Looking at the monthly active users over time shows you a true snapshot of the competitive landscape and can help highlight any significant shifts.
Average Time Spent Per User
When combined with your monthly active users, average time per user is a component metric that can help you detect any marketing flashes or strategic shifts in your competitors. Just as with the MAU metric, determining the average time that your users are spending within your platform helps you determine whether the app is delivering long-term value to your users. Anytime you see a gradual increase in your competitor’s metrics over time, it’s time to review your strategy to see if a shift needs to occur.
Whether you’re launching a new business into the market or looking for ways to optimize your current mobile application, it’s crucial to understand the competitive marketplace. If you find yourself losing ground to a competitor, look to sentiments and reviews for ways to actively ferret out any user experience issues that could be occurring. Create an ongoing review cycle to ensure that your app is always performing to its highest potential.
