App Recommendations mean much more when coming from a friend

App Recommendations mean much more when coming from a friend
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A study suggests that 52% of people trust recommendations from their friends and family. This makes such recommendations very valuable for app developers as a way of spreading the word about their app.

Google’s new feature “App Invites” provides an easy way for developers to let users share the apps they like, or share specific content from an app. The feature also makes it easy for the recipient of such a share to install the app or view the content.

Google’s developer video on the subject goes into further detail.

Their example case is a babysitter app. If, as a developer, I can identify when the user really likes the app – in this case, when the user pays for a babysitter – the app can prompt the user to share with their friends.
This share action shows a custom widget which suggests contacts who are close to the user. The invite can be sent by email or SMS, along with a personalised message, and the app can even embed a discount code for the recipient to use if they install the app (this is another way to boost conversions)
The share comes with a link to easily install the app and will offer the discount on the sign-up screen when the app is launched

Another example use is to share specific content – e.g. a paella recipe from a recipe app. A user can share a specific piece of content with friend, and this will enable that friend to easily install the app when they click the link.
If the recipient already has the app installed, it will seamlessly open that specific content in the app.

This system works on both iOS and Android so a user with an Android phone can share content with a friend who has an iPhone.

The code is integrated with Google Analytics so the app owner can track conversions and monitor their success.

This is a much more direct, personal way to share an app you like, and should enable good apps to prosper. Google’s documentation is available from their app developers site.

Want to know how this feature can work with your app? Simply email us and we’ll get onto to it.