7 Ways To Promote Your Local Store App (Number 6 is Really Smart)
If you run a brick and mortar store and you have launched an app, paying for advertisements is not a great idea in my opinion. I say this because the cost of acquiring a customer is always higher than the price of your shop mobile app. But promoting an e-commerce app takes time and planning. Everything from the icon design to getting the app reviewed by a review site requires strategizing. To help you strategize, The App Chicks team came up with these 7 ideas.
1: QR Code
Leverage your foot traffic through QR codes. By placing a QR code on your store window and your business card, you can let people know that you have a shop mobile app. Alternatively, you can even place the Play Store and App Store logo stickers on your store window and people will know about your app.
2: Meetups Etc.
Did you know that meetups are great for promoting retail apps? And not just meetups, conferences, events and seminars can also be good places to find new people to download your app. Besides talking about your e-commerce app, remember to also hand out your business card to as many people as possible. Suggest that they give you their feedback about the UX.
3: Mobile App Review Site
To get on an app review site, you need to send them an email pitching your shop mobile app and its features. You have to convince those people that your app is worth reviewing on their site. Typically, they judge retail apps based on these:
- Beautiful UI
- Interesting, fresh content
- No glitches or bugs in the app
- Fast-loading time
4: Download Link In Your Email Signature
As a business, you must already communicate to a lot of commercial and noncommercial entities via email. Make sure to include the download link to your app in all the email signatures of your staff. Everything from marketing emails to tech support emails should have the link that says something like this: “Here’s our new app (app name) which will help you (define the objective). Click here to get it!”
5: Well-Designed App Icon
Both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store have over a million apps. So no matter which category your app falls under, there’s a lot of competition. Amidst that crowd, the foremost way to grab attention is to have a stunning app icon. Focus on the following to make a stunning icon:
- An interesting, unique shape
- No more than 2 colors
- No photos
- Minimal text
Be sure to test your shop mobile app icon on various different wallpapers.
6: A Contest
Contests are a great way to draw attention and garner engagement. Run a contest in your physical store and the prize can be something that the winner can enjoy only after downloading your app. This will incentivize your customers to download your e-commerce app. Create several levels or rounds in the contest that your customers have to climb by sharing your app or rating it.
7: Something Out-of-the-Box
Sometimes, taking the road less traveled is the smart thing to do. Think of an unusual approach. May be you can take to the streets around your store and spark the curiosity of commuters by distributing an open letter to them about your app, describing how great it is, how it provides better discounts than any of your competitors and how fast it delivers products to customers’ doorsteps and so on. A letter has a more personal touch than handouts or pamphlets. And this personal touch will garner downloads and word-of-mouth promotion. Exactly what you need.
We’ve put together 7 ways to promote your local store app. If you can think of any other, do let us know. And if you want some heavy-duty promotion of your app, we can have a Skype call, phone call or may be you can come over at our Sacramento office and we can discuss your requirement over a cup of coffee. You can always contact us via email:
