What to include in your mobile app testing strategy to reduce customer churn?
Tags: testing, devops
Published: 2023-06-10 16:14:37

It is forecasted that mobile apps will generate more than 613 billion dollars by 2025. In addition, to retain mobile app clients, these apps must be stable and work smoothly, as expected by the user. As a result, mobile application testing is essential to the success of applications to achieve efficiency. It is a procedure used to test the functionality, usability, performance, consistency, and other aspects of software designed for the devices. 

However, the [mobile app testing](https://www.headspin.io/solutions/mobile-app-testing) process is not without its difficulties. Consequently, mobile testing applications is challenging since numerous elements must be considered, such as operating systems (OS), device types, unique usage scenarios, and network compatibility.

**What causes customer churn rate?**

In its most basic definition, churn refers to consumers who have quit using an app. Therefore, the churn rate is the proportion of customers that have installed your app but have since deleted it within a specified time frame.

If your app has a higher than average churn rate, it’s essential to investigate why. There are several common causes of user churn that may be at play:

**- Lengthy multi-step sign-up process-** A tedious sign-up procedure is a major turnoff for most users. The sign-up system must be short and simple for the app to move beyond the installation phase and engage the user. To further simplify matters, apps may also permit sign-in using a Facebook, Twitter, or Google account.

**- Too Many Permissions/Privacy Concerns–** When installing new apps, privacy is a huge concern. Apps that request excessive permissions may be deleted immediately. For example, a banking, taxi, grocery store, or services app requesting permission to access the images and videos on the user’s mobile device does not sound right.

**- Irrelevant Notifications–** Apps that send excessive push notifications irritate the user, especially if the reports are unrelated. The program is uninstalled if the user receives too many push notifications when they are not required.

**- Free Memory–** If users need to free up space on their phone’s memory, they may remove your application and several others. When a user determines that an application is not worth the memory it occupies, it is released.

**- Data Consumption—** Users dislike using their pricey, high-speed data on background programs. The likelihood of uninstallation is significantly increased if your software consumes excessive data.

**- Battery Draining–** Most smartphone users complain about quick power depletion, and if your app is the cause of this battery drain, it has a significant likelihood of being deleted.

**- Phone Freezes/Hangs–** If users observe a dramatic increase in the number of times their phone freezes or hang after installing your app, they may uninstall it.

**- Installed a Competitor’s App—** There are several apps for every conceivable need or want. If your user has established a new program with comparable features and more value, he may uninstall your application.

Users frequently become addicted to gaming or entertainment apps; when they discover spending excessive time on a particular app, they uninstall it. Uninstalling an addictive application is a method for overcoming the addiction.

**- Unused App–** If users haven’t used your app in a while, they may no longer need it or have moved on to another app that delivers more excellent value. Apps that have been idle for some time are typically uninstalled when the user realizes he no longer requires them.

**What to include in your mobile app testing strategy to reduce customer churn?**

You need to polish your mobile testing strategy to reduce the churn rate. Here are a few things you can do-

**- Application Testing Across Multiple Configurations-** When testing mobile apps, it is essential to run user acceptance tests across many configurations that account for more than Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android OS. The most significant settings or layers to consider while testing a mobile application are the operating systems, the specific version of the said operating system, the hardware given by a particular smartphone model, and the screen dimensions. 

**- Testing in different Networks-** When evaluating applications, the speed of data networks is an essential factor to consider. The cellular networks and Wifi hotspots have made it feasible to use mobile applications nearly anywhere. As a result, the situation demands test applications on wireless and cellular networks with varying speeds. Differences in a network’s speed and data capacity might affect page load times and specific services, such as augmented reality, which requires a faster network. The disparities in data network speed across different countries.

**- Testing Applications Across Various Screen Dimensions and Specifications –** Whoever stated that size does not matter was not referring to application testing. Screen size is crucial while testing an app, as it can reveal issues that severely affect its layout. When an app cannot resize effectively across specific dimensions, everything from essential functionality to genuine products may be cut off the display. Moreover, programs can quickly lose a portion of their functionality when crucial parts are partially or entirely obscured from view.

**- Automated testing and tools-** Before testing a mobile application, it is prudent to determine if any test cases may be automated to enhance speed and effectiveness. This will rely much on the application’s nature and the test campaign’s goals. Test Automation is ideally suited for [regression testing](https://www.headspin.io/blog/regression-testing-a-complete-guide), data-driven testing, repetitive testing, and other circumstances that make manual testing inefficient or impossible. Choose a tool that covers most problem areas and completes the test faster than your competitors without sacrificing accuracy. HeadSpin is a great example. HeadSpin helps to run multiple tests at the same time without compromising the speed. Get real-time audio and video check. HeadSpin ensures professional support for dashboard creation, performance tests, weekly analytics, and more.

**Conclusion**

With the increasing demand for new apps, the application competition is also increasing. In this scenario, mobile app testing is essential for launching a bug-free application and reducing the churn rate. Therefore, choose a robust tool to maximize the benefits.