Mobile app conversion rate: guide, benchmarks & best practices

What is a mobile app conversion rate?

Mobile app conversion rate is a mobile app KPI that reports on what percentage of your end users took a desirable action on your app.

The importance of conversion rates lies in how it reflects the overall effectiveness of your app—as well as the product and marketing strategies behind it. The higher your mobile app conversion rate, the more successful your app is likely to be.

Types of mobile app conversions

Since there are usually a bunch of “desirable actions” app developers care about, there are also a plethora of different mobile app conversions.

Here are three of the most common:

1. App Store Conversion Rate: When people talk about conversion rates in the context of mobile apps, they usually refer to the percentage of visitors that install your app after viewing its dedicated page in the app store.

2. In-App Conversion Rate: This is the percentage of users that take some desirable action within the app after installing it. It could be subscribing to a service, making an in-app purchase, or completing a tutorial.

3. Advertising Conversion Rate: This is the percentage of users that install your app after clicking on an advertisement.

Mobile app conversion rate benchmarks

We did research on the most recent conversion rate stats for mobile apps. The data was collected from a variety of sources, including surveys and studies.

In-App conversion rate benchmarks

The range of install-to-purchase conversion rates usually ranges from 1-2%. Here are benchmarks by industry:

• Retail apps install to purchase conversion rate: 1.39%

• Travel apps install to purchase conversion rate: 2.42%

App store conversion rate benchmarks

According to the most recent available data, the average mobile app conversion rate across both app stores is as follows:

• Page View to Install Conversion Rate (App Store): 33.7%

• Page View to Install Conversion Rate (Google Play): 26.4%

• Impression to Install Conversion Rate (App Store): 3.6%

Don't put too much stock in these industry averages, though—average conversion rates are highly dependent on factors like genre and niche.

Why should you measure mobile app conversion rates?

To answer this question simply—because it's the best way to get a baseline understanding of how your app and its marketing assets are performing with end users.

That said, there are a few more specific reasons you should be measuring your app's conversion rate:

Lower customer acquisition cost (CAC)

The more you can increase the percentage of users you convert (at any stage of their journey), the lower your CAC. 

To see this effect in action, look no further than Placemakers. The Placemakers team noticed a decrease in the in-app conversion rate so dramatically that it would eventually double their required acquisition spend. They used UXCam's Session Replay and Heatmap features to look for the cause and realized that a single label they were using to tag temporarily unavailable products was tanking conversions.

A quick UI adjustment didn't just solve the problem—it doubled the company's sales.

Better UX and product insights

Finally, you can use conversion rates to identify which product or UX changes have the most significant impact.

This is especially true when you use a tool like UXCam to get a granular view of user behavior within your app’s funnel. You can pinpoint the exact features, screens, and products where users are most likely to drop off—or convert.

How to increase app conversion rate

Boosting your app's conversion rate can lead to increased revenue and customer satisfaction. To improve your mobile app's conversion rate, consider factors such as user experience, user acquisition, and customer engagement.

1. Make your app easy to install and set up

People are generally pretty lazy when it comes to downloading and setting up mobile apps—the smallest obstacles can be enough to make them abandon the process entirely. You must ensure that your app is quick to install and easy to set up.

You don't have any control over the app store installation process. But once users land in your app, you can make sure that the setup process—sign-up, permissions, onboarding, and tutorial—is quick and painless.

Here are some simple ways to make it easier:

• Visualize the onboarding process. Progress bars, checklists, and other visuals can help users quickly grasp what's required to finish the setup process. You can also gamify the onboarding process to make it more engaging.

• Minimize permission requests. Only ask for permissions you absolutely need, and make sure to explain why each one is necessary.

• Take users to the correct setting. If your setup process involves changing settings, link to them directly from your app.

2. Write compelling app descriptions

Your app's description in the app store is one of its most important sales pitches—especially when it comes to converting app store browsers who’re discovering your app for the first time.

Both the App Store and Google Play give you 4,000 characters to work with for the long app description. That's a fairly generous amount of space—use it wisely!

Here are a few best practices for optimizing this important real estate:

• Avoid walls of text. Bulleted lists are a great way to make information-dense descriptions more skimmable.

• Include keywords. You want to ensure that browsers searching for apps like yours can easily find it.

• Connect features with benefits. People want to know how your app will make their life easier, so explain in clear terms how the features you've built can help them.

3. Optimize your app for first impressions

Data shows that roughly 25% of app installs only lead to a single session. To translate, a huge percentage of your users may be opening your app once and never coming back.

The solution to this problem is simple—seize the small window of time you have to make a great first impression by optimizing your onboarding process.

To do this, you should:

• Use A/B testing. Systematically test different onboarding flows and messaging to boost conversions.

• Highlight value-adds upfront. Introduce users to your most important (and valuable) features as quickly as possible.

• Analyze new user sessions. Use UXCam's Session Replays to get a better look at how users are engaging with your app, so you can identify and address any drop-off points for new users.

4. Keep mobile UI/UX simple

When it comes to mobile user interfaces, less is (almost) always more. Not only are maximalist UIs out of fashion with app users, but they’re also much harder to get right.

Minimal UI design means fewer opportunities for users to get confused or sidetracked. Your app should be intuitive and self-explanatory, with clear pathways for users to take. And your navigation should get users to their destination as quickly and directly as possible.

Here are a few best practices for simplifying your UX and UI:

• Include whitespace. Cluttered apps are visually overwhelming, and they can make users hesitant to interact.

• Focus on clarity. Labels, buttons, and pathways should all be as clear and straightforward as possible.

• Test your app. Regularly run tests to measure UX factors like user flow, loading speed.

5. Optimize loading and processing speeds

Mobile users hate waiting—research shows that 53% will abandon a search if they’re forced to wait more than three seconds for a page to load. This need for quick loading applies to your app, too.

Optimizing loading and processing speeds increases your conversion rate by reducing the number of users who drop off due to frustration. And as an added bonus, you're also increasing overall user satisfaction.

Here are a few tips for optimizing app speed:

• Reduce unnecessary animations. Animations can be fun, but they also take up resources.

• Compress image sizes. Larger images take longer to load, so compress them before you upload them.

• Reduce the number of API calls. Every API call takes valuable time, so make sure you're only using the ones that are absolutely necessary.

6. Actively manage ratings and reviews

Ratings and reviews can have a massive effect on your app's conversion rate.

For starters, they're one of the top ranking factors that the App Store and Google Play use to decide which apps to promote. Plus, users look to ratings (and reviews, to a lesser extent) when deciding which apps to install.

Some best practices for managing your app’s ratings and reviews include:

• Aim for 4.1-4.9 stars. A rating under 4 stars is a red flag for many users. Ratings between 4.1 and 4.9 are the sweet spot.

• Direct feedback strategically. You want positive feedback to end up in app stores and negative feedback to stay in-house—use in-app prompts to make this happen.

• Respond to feedback. Negative reviews are an opportunity to show users how much you care about their experience by responding promptly and thoughtfully.

7. Choose metrics and KPIs to track

Tracking as much as possible is important, but it's just as important to make sure you're tracking the right things.

Your product team should agree on key metrics and KPIs that will give you actionable insights into user behavior. This could be anything from average install time to the number of daily active users.

UXCam's suite of tools can help you monitor key performance indicators like engagement and funnel drop-off rates. UXCam users can also use Session Replays and Heatmaps to gain a micro view of how users engage with their applications.

By tracking the right metrics, you'll be able to identify trends and pinpoint areas for improvement. This will help you optimize your app for higher conversions—and better user experiences.

Make the most of your data

A sub-par mobile app conversion rate can be incredibly frustrating. Mobile app development is a complicated, time-consuming process,

A sub-par mobile app conversion rate can be incredibly frustrating. It's important to remember that it isn't a lost cause. By following the simple steps outlined above, you can make your app more user-friendly and increase conversions.

At UXCam, we provide powerful tools that give you access to the data you need to optimize your app's conversion rate and user experience. Our Session Replays and Heatmaps let you see how users interact with your app on a micro level—so you can identify areas for improvement and fine-tune your app to cater to user needs.

So, if you're looking for a way to supercharge your app conversions, give UXCam a try with a 14-day free trial.