Adobe Mobile App Analytics Puts a Play Button on Your Data

Adobe Summit is underway and whether you are already here with us, watching our keynotes live online, or using the Summit Mobile App, we have some exciting things to announce, especially in the mobile analytics space. There will be exciting sessions about all aspects of Adobe, but I am most excited to share with you some powerful enhancements to the already robust suite of Mobile Analytics tools.

Studies show that people are spending more and more time with their mobile devices, which are being used for over half of all Internet usage. And the way consumers shop has changed dramatically in the last year. At least 60 percent or more of the buying cycle is now done by the customer in apps on their mobile device before they ever consider contacting a salesperson.[1] Yet 54 percent of businesses don’t use analytics and they are missing opportunities to monetize and engage customers (See Nate Smith’s Summit Session S308). One UK retailer I recently spoke with told me over 70% of their black Friday sales were mobile devices, yes, over 70%!

Users all over the globe are coming to expect real-time and just-in-time encounters and they want their apps to understand and even to anticipate their needs in a secure environment. They are becoming less and less tolerant of simple, static apps and lackluster mobile versions of websites and as a result, more than ever before, businesses need a dynamic, flexible, and up-to-date digital presence that is responsive to the changing needs of the mobile consumer. To develop, monitor, and maintain such apps and to have a flexible, targeted marketing campaign around them, a robust analytics program is necessary. Adobe Mobile App Analytics gives you just that.

Four years ago, less than 10 percent of Adobe Analytics transactions came from mobile devices. In contrast today, over 40 percent are now from mobile devices. As more of your customers change their shopping habits, your analytics strategy needs to reflect this shift (See Nathan Sperry’s Summit Session S316 for more about this).

Adobe mobile analytics stands out because we don’t just give you the means to record mountains of data and let you export it, but we give you a “PLAY” button as well to put those analytics to use and put you in touch with and engage your users. Let me explain by showing you the ecosystem for our mobile analytics. If you can, come see me talk about it in my Summit Session S908 – “Everything you need to know about getting an end-to-end mobile app strategy.” There are new features and functions coming your way.

There are four parts to the mobile analytics app ecosystem as it applies to marketing:

Develop Apps
We provide tools to help companies design, develop, test and deploy their consumer and enterprise mobile applications, such as Adobe Experience Manager for Apps with visual prototyping, cross platform development, and more.

Acquire users.
We help you drive user acquisition and downloads across app marketplaces—You can create tracking links for Apple App Store and Google Play downloads, embed links in paid, owned, and earned media, analyze campaigns to determine the most effective media, and optimize the app experience for campaign audiences. Check out this three-minute video demo. We help you manage ads served and dollars spent in order to drive traffic and brand awareness. Also focused on driving app downloads and user tracking.

Analyze Data

Mobile analytics provides brands an in-depth look into the way users are interacting with their app to monitor the use and value of the app. This year, we are adding some exciting new features:

1. Custom Cohort Report – You have been able to get a Retention Report where you find out how many people you acquired in a given time period and how many came back. Now you can create a report of a group of people that did something in a certain time frame – a cohort – and what they did upon return. For example, if you acquired someone through a paid channel, did they come back and buy something, upgrade their subscription, or do something else. Then you can determine what prompted them to do what they did and do more of that!
2. Funnel Report with Segment Compare – Now you can set steps of your funnel and compare it to multiple segments. For example, you can compare IOS vs. Android, phone vs. tablet, logged in vs. non-logged in and more. Then you can see your funnel to conversion and easily compare it by segment.

Engage

Today, you must engage your customers, provide real-time, contextually relevant experiences, and present offers or re-marketing in and out of the app. Mobile Analytics now takes you beyond the what of Analytics and who of CRM to actual engagement with your users.

For example, last year we gave you in-app messaging which allows marketers to promote real-time content (e.g., new video, breaking news) or cross-promote apps, products, or services to people who are actively using their app. Messages, such as full-screen communications, alerts, and local notifications, can be triggered by analytics data, including user behavior, lifecycle metrics, or location (GPS or iBeacons) that is collected with the Mobile Services SDK. In-app messaging can be deployed without the need for app development or a new app update in the app store.

We’re announcing at summit, push messaging based off analytics segments and will be available soon. If you are interested in early access and beta access, please let me know. Stay tuned for more on the release date and for ways to monetize your analytic investments.

Geolocation support is becoming more and more important and you will see more and more support for that in the coming months (See Hands on Summit Session L711 about location-aware services). Mobile Analytics supports many location services, including GPS, geofencing, beacons, and more. You can measure and respond to user engagement in mobile apps connected to beacons in sports stadiums, retail stores, and other points of interest. Marketers can also easily deliver “local” notifications and promotions based on proximity to a beacon. In addition, companies can tie app interactions to all other app engagement data in Adobe Analytics.

As before, our tools are easy to implement**.** For example, one line of code in your app using our mobile SDK gets you a host of mobile app lifecycle metrics, including usage, retention, device, time spent, and crash data. GPS location data app acquisition tracking and events that influence customer lifetime value, such as purchases and social sharing, are also easily enabled within five minutes.

The future is bright for mobile analytics and I will continue to share exciting developments. If you are at the Summit, please come by my session and say hi!

[1] Adobe – “2013 Digital Publishing Report: Retail Apps & Buying Habits”

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