In the world of competitive sales, user attention is integral to success. No matter how amazing your business idea might be, it is nothing if users won’t open the application. When it comes to mobile, there are lots of competitors breathing down your neck, and the only way to gain customer engagement is to offer them a flawless user journey.

However, users will not get a chance to know how impeccable your application is without installing it. Let’s put ourselves in the customer’s shoes and imagine how the installation flow looks like to them.

Ratings: mobile store face control

When searching for an application, the first thing customers pay attention to is its ratings and reviews. According to the Apptentive annual report, only 50% of the users will consider downloading a 3-stars rated app. It drops down to 10% when the rating is 2 stars or less.

Low application ratings and negative reviews can stop new customers from using the product - they will not trust it from the start, even though the app has somehow caught their attention. Store rating influences much more than just attracting or losing customers. Ratings have a major impact on application ranking in the App Store and Google Play along with the app's name, keywords, downloads, update frequency, and in-app purchases.

App ranking, in turn, defines the position of the application in the search results and controls the probability of customers opening it. According to a GoodFirms report, 60% of users find an application by searching through a mobile store, and almost 40% of customers install an application because it was recommended by the store, meaning the ranking can become a key factor to boost up your downloads.

Before you get your first rating‍

Awesome! The application has caught user attention, and a user, satisfied with the overall application rating, has installed it. What is vital in keeping a customer happy? Let’s talk about the essentials needed to design a top-notch application that gets 5-star reviews at any given time.

• Thorough testing at every stage of the development and release process. It can be extremely annoying if an app crashes in the middle of the game or a cart gets empty after refreshing the page. Same for typos, cut-off titles, and cropped images. Small things matter and quality should never be a compromise.
  

• Decent performance. If you click “Next” and yet have time to make a cup of tea while the page loads, well, something’s wrong. Users will simply delete the application if it's slow. Both front-end and back-end performance matter: buttons should quickly respond to touch, elements render at once and the backend should rapidly provide requested data.
  

• High-level UX.  User convenience is also important. App usage should be as simple and consistent as possible, without making users tap on small buttons or think about how to close a popup.
  

• Beta testing. This type of testing is integral for the initial release as it provides feedback from users before the app goes live. Beta testing allows you to enhance the UX and fix the issues that bother the target audience. Now you’re ready to offer a seemingly spotless product. You can learn more about it here.

It’s time to ask for a review‍

User feedback is important for product quality and growth. But it is important for its users? Not so much. Choose a proper moment: when in the right mood, a customer might write a few good words and share his opinion on the product.

• First of all, don’t bother users right after the installation. Give them time to explore and enjoy the product. The time needed to make a judgment depends on product complexity. Wait a week or two so that users get used to the application and see its value.
  

• Do not ever interrupt the user journey. Let them finish their task, win their game, or place an order - and only then ask how they liked it.
  

• Make sure you ask only when the end-to-end flow is steady. Even a single glitch or bad UX can make users leave a lower amount of stars.
  

• Ask if they like the application before prompting them to leave the store review. If they say yes - you’re on the right path, and it seems a good idea to offer them a rating and review form in the store. If they say no, ask why, and process the feedback without redirection to the store. It is important to collect any user opinion to fix the issues early. It always feels great when someone takes care of things that annoy you in the product you use.

Process feedback to get the most out of it‍

Great, your first reviews are in! How to use the feedback to revamp the product and show its users that you care? As simple as that - constantly analyze reviews, while paying the most attention to the negative ones. Those customers who left 1-star ratings aren’t lost for good - chances are they have loved the idea of your application but couldn’t properly use it due to some issues. Now it's time to fix them all.

Improve your application with new features, bug fixes, optimize the performance, adapt to new OS changes - all these steps show you as a proactive developer who probably deserves a higher rating.  

It is a good practice to return to a negative review if the mentioned flaws are fixed. Otherwise, there is no other way to let your customers know your application has been improved. Ask them to upgrade it to a newer version, try it out, and send new feedback if they are happy. Also, make sure it is easy to contact the tech support team - any issue can be solved without negative feedback if there are people who can help the user out.

Positive reviews are priceless. If a user found time to write a few grateful words, be thankful. The feeling of care and attention from the product team increases customers' engagement and boosts up the chance of getting recommended to friends and family. Satisfied users are likely to mention what exactly they like in the application and what features they want to see in the future. In other words, this is your opportunity to form a new roadmap considering your customers' vision.

On A Final Note

Getting positive user feedback requires a lot of effort and dedication to product quality. User reviews can put your app on top. They may as well as tear it down. It is crucial to engage with the customers, provide constant updates and improvements. Build a dialogue around your application and the experience it provides.

Here at Akveo, we care about user satisfaction and value quality. We hope this article will help you boost up your product ratings and involve more customers. Feel free to leave your comments here or drop us a line if you have any questions.