15 Mobile App KPIs To Measure The Performance

You developed a mobile app, added it to different app stores and it started to be listed in there. Now, it is time to see some measurable results and update the strategies accordingly. It is important to assess the performance and value of your app. There are several metrics defining and measuring the app success. Let’s start with determining the most useful 15 KPIs and metrics you should track.

General Metrics

These metrics give you general insight about your app. Anyone who owns a mobile app should track these. But the weight of each one changes according to the nature of the app.

Downloads

It is the keystone metric of mobile apps. Everything begins with the very first download. And all other KPI metrics are built upon it. App download number is the popularity indicator. The more the mobile app is downloaded, the more it gets popular.

Install/Uninstall

I said download is the very beginning. Then, you should track whether it is installed or not. Also, installing your app doesn’t mean it would be so forever. Users can uninstall your app due to various reasons. As they don’t like the latest version of your app, they don’t need anymore. In order to explore the reason, you should consider and ask yourself questions.

Brand Awareness

It is related with the impression rate belonging to different platforms. How many times does your app appear in the search results and different social platforms? The more it is seen on platforms, the better brand awareness your app has.


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Engagement Metrics For Mobile Apps

These metrics give you insight about how, when, where and in which ways users engage with your app.

App Open Rate (Sessions)

It is related with the sticky users to your app. Session is the basic measurement for app engagement which means a specified period of time that a user with a unique IP address interacts with an app. The more sessions users generate, the more sticky users you have.

Session Length

Session length means the amount of time user spend on each session. It is better to have users who spend more time on your app. However, you need to analyze session length whether it is not related with any crash.

Session Interval

Session interval means the time length between sessions. How often do your users visit your app? Generally, shorter session interval is better. Before interpreting it, think on the tie between your app and particular time/event. If timely events are not necessary for visit, shorter session intervals may be a useful KPI for you.

Retention Rate

It is related with the loyalty of users. Retention rate shows the amount of users who come back or still continue using the app after certain number of days after install. It is one of the most valuable metrics. say the average retention rate after a 90-period day is 20%. The reason behind this result is adopting new mobile apps.

The higher the retention rate is, the more qualified your app is and the more future earnings you are likely to get. Its formula is:

Retention Rate = ((CE – CN) / CS)) X 100

CE = number of customers at end of period

CN = number of new customers acquired during period

CS = number of customers at start of period

Churn Rate

Churn rate shows the number of users who stop using an app within a given period. It is the opposite of retention rate. The lower churn rate is a good indicator of a healthy mobile app. As you can find it by subtracting your retention rate from 1, the formula below gives you the result:

Churn Rate = (CL/(CS + CN)) X 100

CL = number of customers who left

CS = number of customers at start of period

CN = number of new customers acquired during period


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Revenue Metrics For Mobile Apps

Of course, you want to gain money from your app. These metrics show you how profitable your app is and how it’s generating revenue.

Daily Active Users

As it is understood from its name, it indicates the number of users on a daily basis. According to the feature of your app, there might be a pattern showing which days the number of daily users is less and more.

User Growth Rate

It shows the growth rate of the number of users within a given period or throughout the timeline. It indicates whether the growth rate is slow, steady or high. By analyzing this metric, you can explore the reasons such as advertisement activities or pricing campaigns.

Average Revenue Per User

It shows the average amount of revenue generated by per user. There would be several monetization methods such as in-app purchases, paid downloads or ad clicks. By multiplying the total number of users, you can figure out the total revenue.

Lifetime Revenue / Number of Users

Customer Acquisition Cost

It shows the amount of cost for acquiring new customer. In order to gain new customers, you need to spend for several actions including advertising on social platforms or search engines, attending an event, hiring content writer and other marketing costs.

Total Gross Revenue / Sales & Marketing Cost

Customer Lifetime Value

It shows the total amount of revenue customers generated for your app throughout lifetime. It might be listening to music for a music app while it might be ad impression for a news app. The important point is to be able to define the meaning of “value” and identify the users who add value.

Avg Value of a Conversion X Avg # of Conversions in a Time Frame X Avg Customer Lifetime

Conversion Rate

While conversion means any desired action, the conversion rate is the number of conversions divided by the total number of visitors. There are two conversion rates: Organic and Paid.

Organic conversion rate is the rate of conversion through unpaid discovery. It embraces organic search, related apps listing in the app store, word of mouth, influencer marketing. If any of them let your app being found, that’s an organic conversion.

Paid conversion rate is the rate of conversion through paid discovery. It embraces PPC advertising, social media ads, sponsored posts or any other paid marketing activities.

Return On Investment

It measures the amount of return on an investment relative to the marketing cost. Measurement of ROI is useful to strengthen the marketing efforts you apply to your app. It is calculated by;

(Gain from Investment – Cost of Investment) / Cost of Investment


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