Launching your app is the start, not the finish. Its value comes from the customers who install it, so the first months are about one thing: getting your best customers to download it.
The good news is that you already reach them every day, on your website, in your emails, in their parcels. Each of those is a chance to invite them.
1. Add a banner to your mobile website
Most of your customers already visit your website on their phone. A small banner at the top that says "Get the app" reaches them at the right moment.
On iPhone, Safari supports Smart App Banners: one line in your website's code shows a native banner with your app's icon and a View or Open button. Android shoppers can be shown a similar banner that links to Google Play.
2. Give a reason to switch
"Download our app" is a request. "Get early access to drops in the app" is a reason. Good reasons include:
- early access to new collections or sales
- app-only offers, such as a first-order discount
- faster checkout with a saved account
- restock alerts for sold-out favourites
Pick one and repeat it everywhere you promote the app.
3. Announce it to your email and SMS list
Your subscribers are your most engaged customers and the most likely to install. Send a launch announcement that shows the app, explains the reason to switch and links straight to both stores.
4. Put a QR code in every parcel
A card in the box with a QR code and a short reason to download reaches customers right after they have bought from you, when they are happiest with your brand.
5. Use the order confirmation page
After checkout, the order confirmation page is one of the most-viewed pages on your site. Add a line such as "Track this order and get early access in our app".
6. Tell your social followers
Pin a post announcing the app, add the link to your bio, and show the app in a short video. Shoppers are far more likely to install something they have seen in action.
7. Bring it in store
If you have a shop, a counter sign with a QR code turns in-person customers into app users. Staff can mention it at the till.
8. Make the store listing convincing
Every route ends on your App Store or Google Play listing. Make it count:
| Part of the listing | Tip |
|---|---|
| Icon | Use your logo mark, bold and simple |
| Screenshots | Show real screens with your products, with a short caption on each |
| First lines of the description | Say what shoppers get: early access, offers, faster checkout |
| Ratings | Ask happy customers to leave a rating after a good order |
Track what works
Use a separate link or QR code for each channel so you can see which ones bring installs. Double down on the channels that work and drop the ones that don't.
In AppFromShop, the app asks new users for notification permission at a moment that earns it, the second time it is opened or the first time something goes in the bag, so the customers you bring in become reachable by push.
