10 Essential Mobile App Metrics You Should Track

Once you have completed your mobile app design and launched your app, it is essential to measure your mobile app metrics. 

Mobile app metrics are key performance indicators (KPIs) that measure the performance of an app and help understand user engagement. They provide insights into how users interact with the app and what needs improvement. Tracking these metrics is essential for app success as it enables data-driven decision-making to improve user retention and increase revenue.

In this blog, we will discuss the importance of tracking mobile app metrics and how to track mobile metrics. We highlight the 10 essential mobile app metrics that you should track to improve your app's performance and user engagement, including: 

1. Number of App Downloads.

2. User Retention Rate.

3. Churn Rate.

4. Exit Rate.

5. Daily and Monthly Active Users.

6. Stickiness Ratio. 

7. Session Length.

8. User Acquisition Cost.

9. Average Revenue Per User.

10. Load Speed.

Why Track Mobile App Metrics?#

Tracking mobile app metrics is essential, especially when you build an app for business. 

Tracking mobile metrics provides you with a clear understanding of how users are interacting with your app, what features are popular, and what needs improvement. This insight enables you to make informed decisions about how to improve your app's performance and user engagement.

Not tracking app metrics can put businesses at a disadvantage in the competitive app market, leading to missed opportunities for growth and revenue. Without tracking metrics, you also won't be able to measure the success of your app and whether you are achieving your goals. This can lead to wasted resources and an ineffective app marketing strategy.

How to Track Mobile App Metrics#

You can use Google Analytics to track your iOS and Android mobile app metrics. 

To start tracking your mobile app metrics, you will first need to set up your Google Analytics account and create a new property for your mobile app. You will then need to implement the Google Analytics SDK into your mobile app code. Finally, you will need to set up the metrics that you will want to track in your Google Analytics. 

Once you have set up the tracking, you can analyze the data in the Google Analytics dashboard. Based on the insights you gain from the data, you can optimize your app's performance by making changes to the user experience, marketing campaigns, and monetization strategy. By using the data to identify trends and make data-driven decisions, you can ensure your app's success.

10 Mobile App Metrics to Track#

From mobile app performance metrics to engagement metrics to revenue metrics, there are numerous metrics that you can measure for your mobile app. Different apps will have different goals, such as increasing user engagement or generating revenue. The most important metrics to measure for your mobile app will depend on your app's goals, user journey, and industry benchmarks. 

We have outlined the top 10 app metrics to track:  

1. Number of App Downloads#

Number of app downloads highlights how many unique devices are downloading your mobile app. 

Number of app downloads is an important metric to track as it highlights the popularity of your mobile app and the effectiveness of your app’s marketing campaigns. By tracking the downloads, you can see how many users have downloaded your app through various marketing channels, such as social media or app store listings. This information can help you identify which marketing channels are the most effective for promoting your app and adjust your marketing strategy accordingly.

You can track your app downloads on Google Play Store and Apple App Store. If you have built a cross-platform app, make sure to be tracking your app downloads on both stores. You can optimize aspects of your app, such as the app icon and the keywords used in the description, to increase your app downloads on each store. 

2. User Retention Rate#

User retention rate measures how many users continue to use your app over a specific period, such as a month or year. 

Tracking the user retention rate can help you identify trends in user behavior and make data-driven decisions to improve user engagement. For example, if you notice that your retention rate is declining, you can investigate the reasons why users are abandoning your app and make changes to improve the user experience.  This can include adding new features, improving the user interface, or providing better customer support. Or you can see if sending push notifications increases the retention rate.

To calculate the retention rate, divide the number of active users in the current period by the number of active users in the previous period and multiply by 100 to get a percentage. For example, if you had 1,000 active users in the previous month and 800 active users in the current month, your retention rate would be 80%.

3. Churn Rate#

Churn rate measures the number of users who uninstall the app, cancel subscriptions, or stop using your app over a specific period. 

Churn rate is a crucial metric to monitor as it signifies there are improvements you need to make to your app. Some common reasons for users to churn include poor user experience, lack of new content, or the availability of better alternatives in the market. By tracking churn rate, you can identify these reasons and make data-driven decisions to improve user retention.

To track churn rate, you need to monitor the number of users who have stopped using your app over a specific period. You can calculate churn rate by dividing the number of users who have stopped using your app by the total number of users in that period and multiply by 100 to get a percentage. For example, if you had 10,000 users in the previous month and 1,000 of them stopped using your app in the current month, your churn rate would be 10%.

4. Exit Rate#

Exit rate measures the percentage of users who exit your app after a specific action, such as opening the app or completing a task.

Reducing exit rate is important because it indicates that users are not finding the app useful or engaging enough. To reduce exit rate, it is crucial to identify the reasons behind user exits and make changes accordingly.

Push notifications are an effective strategy to reduce exit rate. Push notifications can be used to remind users to return to the app, provide personalized recommendations based on their usage behavior, and notify them about new content or features. By using push notifications strategically you can encourage users to stay engaged with your app and reduce the exit rate.

5. Daily and Monthly Active Users#

Daily active users (DAU) is a mobile app metric that measures the number of unique users who open your app and engage with it daily. Monthly active users (MAU) measure the number of unique users who open your app and engage with it monthly. Tracking both daily and monthly active users helps you understand how often users are using your app and how engaged they are with your app. 

To track daily and monthly active users, you need to monitor the number of users who are active on your app daily or monthly. Google Analytics provides real-time data on user activity, allowing you to make data-driven decisions to improve your app's engagement.

To improve daily and monthly active users, you need to focus on improving the user experience and providing value to the user. This can include optimizing the user interface, adding new features, providing personalized content, and sending push notifications to remind users to return to the app. By improving user engagement, you can increase user retention and app revenue. 

6. Stickiness Ratio#

Stickiness ratio is one of the important mobile app engagement metrics to monitor. Stickiness ratio measures how frequently users return to your app over a specific period. 

Tracking stickiness ratio helps you understand how engaged your users are with your app. A high stickiness ratio is a strong indicator of user satisfaction and loyalty, whereas a low stickiness ratio demonstrates a need to make improvements to your app. 

You can calculate stickiness ratio by dividing the number of DAU by the number of MAU and multiple the answer by 100. For example, if you have 100 daily active users and 500 monthly active users, you will have a stickiness ratio of 20%. 20% or higher is deemed a successful stickiness ratio across industries. 

To improve stickiness ratio, you need to focus on improving the user experience and providing value to the user. This can include adding new features, optimizing the user interface, providing personalized content, and sending push notifications to remind users to return to the app. Improving stickiness ratio can lead to higher retention rates and increased revenue.

7. Session Length#

Session length is an engagement metric that measures the duration of time users spend on your app during each session. The session length is calculated between the time when the user opened the app and the time when the user becomes inactive. 

Session length helps you understand how users interact with your app and identify features that are most popular among users. By tracking session length, you can optimize the user experience to ensure they spend more time on your app. Google Analytics allows you to easily track your user’s session length.

To improve session length, you need to focus on optimizing the user experience and providing value to the user. This can include improving the user interface, reducing load times, and providing personalized content. You can also use push notifications to encourage users to return to the app and spend more time on it.

8. User Acquisition Cost#

User acquisition cost (UAC) is a mobile app metric that measures how much it costs to acquire a new user. 

UAC is an essential metric for understanding the effectiveness of your app's marketing campaigns and optimizing your marketing budget. By analyzing the data, you can identify which marketing channels are generating the most users and adjust your marketing strategy accordingly.

To optimize user acquisition cost, you need to focus on improving the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns and maximizing the return on investment (ROI). This can include improving your app store optimization strategy, optimizing your advertising campaigns, and using social media marketing to increase brand awareness.

9. Average Revenue per User#

Average revenue per user (ARPU) is a mobile app metric that measures how much revenue your app generates per user. If you are looking to make money with apps, this is an essential metric for understanding your app's revenue potential. By tracking ARPU, you can identify areas where you can improve your monetization strategy.

To track average revenue per user, you need to monitor the total revenue generated by your app and divide it by the total number of users. You can use Google Analytics to track total revenue and user numbers. 

To optimize average revenue per user, you need to focus on improving your app's monetization strategy and increasing user engagement. This can include implementing in-app purchases, offering premium content, and using ads to generate revenue. You can also use push notifications to encourage users to engage with your monetization features.

10. Load Speed#

Load speed, also known as app load time, is one of the essential mobile app performance metrics to monitor. Load speed refers to the amount of time it takes for a mobile application to load and become functional for the user. 

It is important to track load speed because users expect apps to load quickly and become functional immediately. Slow load times can lead to user frustration and abandonment, which can negatively impact user retention and engagement. 

To track load speed in Google Analytics, you can use the App Speed reports. These reports measure the app's speed based on user sessions and provide data on the app's load time, app speed distribution, and performance by device type. By monitoring load speed in Google Analytics, you can quickly identify any technical issues and make improvements to provide a better user experience. 

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