Nearly Two-Thirds of Businesses Say They Actively Implement Feedback From Mobile App Reviews

Staff Report

Monday, November 12th, 2018

Nearly two-thirds of businesses (63%) actively collect and implement feedback from reviews into their apps, according to a new survey by The Manifest, a business news and how-to website. Meanwhile, 25% read reviews and only sometimes implement feedback, and just 10% read reviews and never implement feedback.

The Manifest surveyed 301 app developers and marketers across the U.S. to determine how businesses implement feedback from mobile app reviews.

Implementing feedback allows a business to better respond to customer demands.

"The best tip I share with my clients is to monitor and manage your online reviews," wrote Ian Blair, CEO and co-founder of BuildFire. "Having a firm understanding of your customer's feedback and pain points can make a huge difference for mobile apps as it allows a business to leverage customer feedback."

Ultimately, a well-refined app earns more positive reviews and engagement and more effectively drives downloads.

Companies Most Frequently Encourage App Reviews On Their Websites

Companies most commonly encourage mobile app reviews through their websites (26%), through push notifications in the app (25%), by requesting reviews on social media (21%), by encouraging reviews in the app store (19%), and by using third-party sites such as SurveyMonkey (10%).

Collecting reviews from numerous channels helps a company gather a greater number of relevant reviews.

The ideal time to gather feedback is following an in-app success, such as a completed transaction. To do this, the developer must build a continuous feedback channel into the app.

For example, Apple's SKStoreReviewController API allows users to rate and review an app while it's still in use.

The ability to offer instantaneous feedback greatly increases the likelihood of gathering a positive review in an enthusiastic moment.

Larger Companies Dedicate More Time to Reading Reviews, Implementing Feedback

The availability of resources impacts how often companies read and implement feedback from reviews.

A little under half (49%) of companies with 11-50 employees read reviews and actively implement feedback, compared to more than 60% of larger companies.

Regardless of the size of a company, it's important to respond to all negative reviews in a timely and professional manner.

Companies cannot disregard the importance of mobile app reviews. Overall, businesses should be paying close attention to all aspects of their mobile app.

"The app should be the primary focus of development and marketing," said Vik Patel, CEO and founder of Future Hosting. "...Mobile is now the dominant computing platform, and it makes sense to put the mobile experience front-and-center."

Overall, the survey suggests that acting on customer feedback from mobile app reviews is pivotal to creating a unique product that encourages engagement and loyalty.