15 Key Insights from the 2016 Mobile FirstLook Conference

January 27, 2016

I received an invitation to the Mobile FirstLook: Strategy 2016 conference from Jeremy Sigel, Director of Mobile at Essence and knew it would be promising to say the least. I attended, knowing that the range and depth of knowledge of both the speakers and attendees would be phenomenal. My immediate goal was to ensure that Socialike’s clients were implementing effective mobile strategy. Here are 15 key insights from the conference:

What does your app do? Your app should perform a unique task on a mobile phone, for example, depositing a check via mobile banking.
Learn from the bigger companies. Companies like Walmart have spent millions on App Research & Development. Test out their apps and see what works best.
Keep your app simple. Eliminate as many steps as possible so your app is user-friendly. Consider using a Facebook login or Apple Pay so users don’t have to fill out as many fields.
Always have measurable KPIs in mind when creating an app that will matter most for the success of your app. App installs should not be your main performance indicator.
Start on organic platforms when trying to acquire new users.
The average person has 150 mobile moments per day. App creators are in an arms race for those mobile moments. How can you stand out?
25% of apps get 100k downloads, but the goal is to keep your users engaged. This goes back to the old 80/20 rule. 80% of the people will almost never log in, so make sure you are optimizing your performance and usability for the 20%.
Advertising in the App Store is a great way to increase downloads.
Your best customers will rely on your app consistently.
Know your app like the back of your hand. You should be able to predict when users will be ready to go to next step and preload that page.
How are you going to keep your users’ attention? Establish a push notification strategy that will keep your users engaged, but not disrupt them too frequently.
Speed is everything. Half of your customers will leave if a page doesn’t download in 3 seconds or less.
The user interface needs to be designed and optimized for touch. Consider designing your app for touch with one finger, which is how most people use their phone.
Have a plan to collect user data and use it to your advantage in perfecting your mobile strategy. Dissect traffic patterns of where people go next on your app and how they get there.
Optimize purchasing for mobile phones:
- If the user only needs numbers to enter credit card information, don’t have an alpha screen pop up. Instead, have only a numerical screen for this section for ease of purchasing.
- Use digital wallets so your user can quickly and easily make a purchase.

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Isaac Brody (aka“Ike”) is the owner and CEO of Socialike, a Manhattan-based creative agency that specializes in social and digital marketing. Isaac comments on trends in marketing. Socialike’s clients, whether they’re in natural products, hospitality or any other industry, get concepts that differentiate them–along with trackable results.

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