One Fifth Of Installed Apps Are Forgotten About

A recent study from the search engine giant Google has revealed that Britain’s app users tend to install and then swiftly forget about 20% of their apps, The Drum reports. Around 1,200 app users from the UK were questioned on their use of apps and app behaviours in the shopping, dining and travel categories.

The research, conducted in conjunction with Ipsos – a market research company – discovered that the apps most likely to be installed and then forgotten about were from the travel and holiday sector, at 33%, followed by shopping apps at 18%. Restaurant and eating apps – for example takeaway apps – came in at 17%. It was discovered that shopping apps are generally downloaded only when an individual indulges in regular interaction with a brand, whereas takeaway and eating apps are downloaded mainly for food discounts.

Nevertheless, despite quite a high number of apps being left by the wayside after their initial installation, almost half (47%) of the respondents to the survey said apps were still their first port of call when they required information quickly; this was compared to only 17% who said they would use a mobile site. That being said, the number of individuals using mobile sites rose to 49% when they specified a need for detailed information that an app could not provide.

The provision of information was not the only thing that put apps ahead of mobile sites in the users’ minds – 50% of respondents said navigation was easier on an app than on a mobile site, and 46% said they felt apps loaded faster than mobile sites, too.

The agency head of Google UK, Max Macintosh, said: “For successful ongoing app engagement, businesses can use push notifications, ensure apps appear in organic search results and link search ads and results to relevant pages in apps.”