How Apple’s peer group benchmarks will help us build better apps

Think of Peer Group Benchmarks as your app’s performance report card. Apple has grouped apps based on shared traits like category, business model, and download volume, letting you compare your app’s performance against its closest competitors.

With these benchmarks, you can measure your app across key metrics, including:

• Conversion rate - How often do people download your app after seeing it on the App Store?
• Retention rates - Are users sticking around on day 1, day 7, or day 28?
• Crash rate - Is your app as stable as others in your peer group?
• Proceeds per paying user - Are you maximising revenue from your paying customers?

And don’t worry about privacy - Apple uses techniques like differential privacy to ensure individual user data remains secure. These benchmarks offer actionable insights without compromising trust.

Let’s face it: app development is a competitive arena. Knowing where you stand can be the difference between good and great. Peer Group Benchmarks give you:

1. Relevant comparisons: Apple groups apps by shared characteristics, ensuring you’re comparing apples to apples (pun intended).
2. Targeted insights: Whether it’s a conversion rate that’s lagging or a crash rate that’s too high, these benchmarks point you to the areas that need attention.
3. A complete picture: From the first download to long-term retention, you can see how your app performs at every stage of the customer journey.

At The Distance, we live for insights like these. Here’s how they help us create standout apps:

• Data-driven decisions - Whether it’s tweaking app design for better conversion or optimising backend stability to reduce crashes, benchmarks guide our improvements.

• Tailored strategies - Peer Group Benchmarks give us the context we need to help apps perform better within their unique categories.
• Staying competitive - By continuously monitoring how apps compare to their peers, we keep our clients’ apps ahead of the curve.

For example, if an app’s crash rate is higher than its peers, we’ll investigate the root cause and address it -before it becomes a dealbreaker for users. If retention rates are below average, we might refine the onboarding flow or introduce in-app events to boost engagement.

Peer Group Benchmarks aren’t just for developers; they’re for businesses looking to make their apps exceptional. By focusing on the numbers that matter most, you can:

• Pinpoint problem areas without the guesswork.
• Make smarter decisions about pricing, marketing, and user experience.
• Improve performance across the entire customer journey.

At The Distance, we’ve always championed the idea that apps should be more than just functional - they should be an experience and deliver results. Peer Group Benchmarks help us bring that vision to life.

Apple has highlighted several ways to act on these insights, and we’re big fans of their practical approach. For instance:

• Boosting conversion rates: Use tools like product page optimisation and custom product pages to find out what resonates most with potential users.
• Improving retention: Tweak your onboarding experience or introduce in-app events to keep users coming back.
• Maximising revenue: Reassess pricing strategies or focus on your best-performing acquisition channels to get more value from paying users.
• Reducing crashes: Use tools like TestFlight to identify issues before they reach users.

By taking action on these benchmarks, you’re not just improving your app; you’re creating a better experience for your users.

Peer Group Benchmarks are like having a map when navigating the wild terrain of app development. They don’t just tell you where you are; they show you where you can go. For us at The Distance, it’s another tool in our kit to ensure the apps we build aren’t just competitive - they’re exceptional.

Ready to take your app to the next level? Let’s make it an experience.