15 Million Apps in Apple Store, another 15 Million Apps in Google Play!!?

- a good app won't ever be enough

How to be unique in such crowded market? Some may call it new SEO, I'd prefer calling it ASO (App Store Optimization). The main goal for marketers nowadays is focusing on how to support user goal acquisition.

Kobi Glick said "Store Listing", I'd say "A/B Testing"

"But, oh what? What did I just read?"
Don't you worry! The confusion is no more.

Brief about "Store Listing"

Kobi Glick, a Google play team representative popularized the term "Store Listing Experiment" but really, what is it? "Store listing" is one feature on Google App Store (Google Play) which allows App developer to basically list the App they build to be exposed to consumers.

But what does the "Experiment" stands for?

Based on the previous video, the experiment occurs where developers are allowed to have "trial" on their app icon and stuff like their screenshot of the app. "Trial" is so important, because:

1. App icon, in this case is one marketing attributes which also is a main drive to attract consumer's attention. A good App icon can do more, rather than just being "an icon".
2. "A main drive" Is one serious matter, in which, developer can't really rely on their intuition on deciding what's a good App icon, and what's not - consumer perception matters. Each consumer who surf Google Play has different perspectives. Some consumer might perceive the logo as interesting while some of them might see there is nothing special about the logo.
3. The question of concern is, why use intuition while developers have the chance to rely on numbers/ data to optimize their store listing?

"Trial" brings the idea of seeing what could and could not work for an App, and take any corrective action when needed.

The process of "trial" itself, is basically relying on what we called as "A/B testing"

A/B Testing

"The process of comparing two variations of a single element to determine which performs best in order to help improve marketing efforts"

The process of comparing two variations of a single element

• In other words, A/B testing is basically developing 2/more different ways in obtaining one goal.
  

• This is also known as 'split-test'
• Google Play implement this by allowing developer to edit their graphic and text to their App listing, and compare

To determine which performs best

• After being able to compare the advantages, developer will then choose which way actually bring more advantage to them and make it as their best option.
• The Kongregate, famous for creating the game Epic Skater, decide to did trial on their App icon and see if the icon they've always had is the best. They did new design for the icon. Apparently it turned out that, one of the new App icon design is 39% better than the old one.

The old Epic Skater AppIcon

The New Epic Skater App Icon

In order to help improve marketing efforts

• The new Epic Skater App icon is 39% "better", the betterment includes:
• increment of conversion rate
• better resonance of their audience
• increased return on investment
• Other than personally gaining more profits, the use of A/B testing a.k.a Store Listing Experiments bring more benefits to the developer such as:
• improving traffic from all sources
• amplifies organic users acquisition on Google Play
• gathering consumer insight
• with proposing various of ideas on App icon design, developer will be able to find out, the design consumers like more as well as their taste and preferences
• Knowing these lead to the  betterment of targeting market. Developer can be more specific to target their products.
• Example, the "Me" appp

The developer of me app propose 2 hypotheses,

1. Does the app icon need to be colorful?
2. Does the word "ME" need to be attached?

Store listing experiments has allowed them to test both icons, and as an end result, the new design app with more colorful colour and no "me" is more attractive to users, improving user rate by more than 33%.

Some tips to go, use A/B testing, make a difference!