What is Mobile App Onboarding?

Mobile App Onboarding is a marketing approach designed specifically for people who are just starting to use a mobile application.

The concept originated from the rapid digital evolution in the late 2000s, as smartphones came into widespread use and mobile applications became essential tools for various aspects of our daily lives. The necessity to guide first-time users and ensure fluent user experience contributed to the emergence of mobile app onboarding.

This method is about offering upfront, clear instructions about how to use the app. The main function of each part of the app is shown, and users are guided through their first interaction with the app. The aim is to immediately connect users to the app and prevent early departure due to confusion or lack of understanding.

Why is this practice so important for retention? Well, it's because first impressions count. A smooth, guided introduction to an app increases the likelihood that new users will get engaged, positively impacting user retention.

Examples of Mobile App Onboarding

1. A fitness app providing a step-by-step guide to creating a personalized workout plan upon first use and explaining how to log exercises, track progress, and use other features.
2. An e-commerce app that introduces various sections, such as product browsing, the shopping cart, and customer service, to the user from the get-go and shows how to make the first purchase.
3. A project management app that helps new users set up their first project, explaining how to assign tasks, track progress, and use other important features.
4. A language learning app giving an initial tour to a new user for exploring sections like lessons, practicing exercises, and profile settings.
5. A banking app demonstrates how to set up an account, transfer funds, pay bills and checks account balance to a new user during their initial use.

Marketing Tactics Similar to Mobile App Onboarding

1. User Education: This includes tactics that help users understand your product better such as tutorials, help centers, and FAQ sections.
2. Customer Journey Mapping: It involves creating a visual story of your customers' interactions with your brand, product, or service. The goal is to scrutinize the customer journey to provide a superior experience.
3. User Experience (UX) Design: This aims at designing products that provide meaningful and relevant experiences to users. It covers design, branding, usability, and function.
4. Gamification: It is the use of game elements in non-gaming contexts. In terms of user onboarding, it can be applied by turning the sign-up process into a game to make it more engaging.
5. Personalization: Personalizing the user interface based on users' data can be effective in retaining customers and making them feel valued.

Link to this page

If you share this content in your blog post or email newsletter, you can use the tool below to quickly copy and paste the link.