The secret to boosting mobile app retention in 2025: 9 effective app retention strategies.

Mobile apps are a direct and personalised communication channel with your customers.

They help you build a stronger brand and boost customer loyalty. They give you access to tons of useful customer data — and the opportunity to increase revenue with in-app purchases and hyper-personalised shopping experiences.

Building the app and getting people to download is the first part of the equation. But — once your app is up and running — you need to employ mobile app retention strategies that keep them using your app long after that download date.

This is tough. According to the latest research, more than 90% of app users give up on an app before the 30-day mark. Even very popular mobile games lose up to 80% of users within a month.

So you need to do all you can to get them to stick around. Here, we look at why mobile user retention is so important and how you can improve user retention rate with 9 key strategies.

What is user retention?

User retention is the ability to keep users engaged with your app over time. It’s a metric that indicates whether people are returning to your app after their initial download.

Your user retention rate is represented as a percentage. It’s the percentage of users still using the app a specified number of days after app installation.

App owners tend to assess retention rates at intervals. For example, they’ll look at their Day 1 retention rate, their Day 7 retention rate and their Day 30 retention rate.

High user retention rates suggest that your app is providing a valuable and engaging experience for users. Low user retention rates indicate that there’s work to be done. You need to identify problems and maximise your user experience to keep customers coming back for more.

Why is mobile user retention important?

With so many users giving up on an app within 30 days of downloading it, you may think your best approach is to focus on user acquisition.

While user acquisition strategies are essential, you can’t lose focus on retention. Retaining users is easier and more cost-effective than chasing new ones. It also brings the following benefits:

• Improved revenue. Loyal users contribute more to revenue. They’re more likely to make in-app purchases and subscribe to your premium features.
• Customer recommendations and feedback. Engaged users are more likely to recommend your app to others. They’re also more likely to provide valuable feedback that can help you improve your product or service.
• Better app visibility. Apps with high retention rates tend to rank better in app stores and search engines, which increases your organic visibility.
• More effective marketing. You can use segmented retention data to find out which marketing channels are bringing in your most engaged and loyal customers. You can then focus on the channels that provide the best ROI.

How to boost user retention: 9 app retention strategies

Achieving high mobile user retention rates is great news for your business. Let’s take a look at how you can make that happen with 9 effective mobile app retention strategies.

1. Improve onboarding

First impressions count. Your customers are deciding between apps in a saturated market. They have so many different options to choose from.

So a customer’s first interaction with your app should be seamless and enjoyable. They should leave with a positive feeling towards your brand — and an intention to pop back soon.

That means delivering a top onboarding experience. To improve onboarding:

• Make it easy for users to sign up. Allow users to sign up using existing accounts like Google, Facebook or Apple to minimise friction and speed up the process
• Keep it short, sweet and simple. Provide a simple and interactive tutorial that helps users get started with your app. And don’t drag it out — keep onboarding screens to a minimum.
• Highlight app benefits. You know what makes your app so great but new users probably don’t. Use this opportunity to share the key benefits of your app with them.
• Use progressive onboarding. Introduce features gradually to prevent customers from becoming overwhelmed.
• Provide easy access to customer support. Signpost help and support — during onboarding and beyond — so users don’t end up leaving you’re app because they’re unsure what to do next.

2. Focus on creating excellent UX

Another reason users stop using your app? A clunky or confusing in-app experience.

Every element of your app should stick to user experience (UX) design best practices, considering what the user needs and putting those needs first at every turn.

Key elements of good UX design include:

• Fast loading speeds. When mobile users click, they expect an instant response. If your app takes more than a few seconds to load, users are likely to abandon it.
• Intuitive navigation. Users should be able to see, in an instant, where to click next. So create a minimalist interface with clear menus and zero clutter.
• Built for one-handed operation. Screen sizes are getting bigger and a large proportion of users use their phone with one hand. Get to know the “thumb zone” and put menu items and frequently used controls within it.
• Provide user feedback. Feedback makes an app experience engaging. So use micro-animations, loading animations and progress bars to reassure users that their actions are having the desired effect.
• Transparency and security. Provide transparent permission policies and allow users to control how their personal information is used. Also, showcase trust signals, like security badges, especially in places like your e-commerce checkout.

3. Personalise the experience

Personalisation means providing users with content that is relevant to them and their needs — while keeping content that’s less relevant out of the way.

An easy way to add personalisation to your app is by featuring a user’s name on the welcome screen and in your messaging.

You can also use user data to recommend products based on previous browsing behaviour or orders. This helps users to find products or services that are of interest more quickly.

Another idea? Let users control aspects of their in-app experience. For example, you could allow them to customise their notification settings or interface colour scheme.

4. Use push notifications wisely

If you’ve ever been on the end of pushy push notifications, you know how it tends to go. You eventually get so frustrated that you either switch off notifications or delete the app altogether.

While push notifications can be a useful tool for encouraging app engagement and bringing users back to your app, they can also have the opposite effect. So use them wisely.

That means thinking twice before sending a message. Think about the value you’re providing to users with this message and whether you’d be inclined to click on the notification if it interrupted your day.

Try to only send notifications that include personalised recommendations, exclusive deals or important updates. And be sure to avoid sending push notifications at odd hours — adapt your schedule to user time zones where necessary.

5. Use in-app messages

In-app messages can improve mobile user retention by 30%. These messages appear while a user is actively engaged with your app. Examples include full-page messages — and banner messages, which appear at the top of a user’s screen.

The best in-app messages relate to a user’s behaviour and actions and provide relevant information at the right time. You can use in-app messaging to:

• Offer information and guidance
• Encourage users to explore new features
• Highlight a promotion

You can even use in-app messaging to launch a customer poll. This is a great way to find out what users think of the app experience — and what you can do to improve it.

6. Use rewards and incentives

Rewards and incentives are really effective app retention strategies. They tap into consumer psychology, using status and improved access to entice users back to your app.

Here are some examples of what you can offer your app users:

• Access to freebies
• A VIP program
• Premium content
• Discounts
• An opportunity to see or buy new products ahead of non-app users
• A badge or score that indicates high user status

Loyalty programs and refer-a-friend campaigns also work well. But bear in mind that different audiences respond to different incentives. So it may be worth experimenting to see what works best for your users.

7. Use gamification

Gamification means using game-like features in a non-game context.

Gamification harnesses our in-built drive for social recognition and competition. And it leverages the sense of satisfaction we get when completing a task. It’s also a great way to boost mobile app retention in 2025.

Incorporate leaderboards, points, quizzes, challenges, in-app currency and random rewards to create the sense of fun and engagement users get when playing their favourite games.

8. App store optimisation

A good app store entry will gain you new app users. But it can also help with retention.

This is because users who come to you organically, via search, are more likely to remain loyal to your app. They haven’t been persuaded by an ad to give your app a go. Instead, they have independently identified a need they think your app can solve.

So in your app store listings use relevant keywords. Ensure your app name and description accurately reflect what users can expect from your app. Be sure to include screenshots and videos. And try to use bullet points so your app information is easy for users to digest.

9. A/B testing

Split testing is a great way to see how different versions of app features measure up against each other. You can use two versions of a feature or piece of content, changing a single element to assess which gets the best user response.

After running both versions for a period of time, you get concrete data that shows which content version creates better user engagement and retention. Based on this insight, you can then use the better performing content going forward.

Make a Radical difference to your brand’s mobile experience

Use these app retention strategies to improve user loyalty. With easy onboarding and excellent UX along with the right mix of messages, incentives and personalisation, you can create an app experience that users will love returning to.

That means improved revenue, more recommendations and lots of useful feedback from your audience, too.

And if you want help designing and developing an app or a mobile responsive website, our web design and development agency can help. The Radical team creates beautiful, branded digital experiences, sure to delight your customers — and keep them coming back again and again.

Get in touch with the Radical team to chat about your project.