A recent report by Pure Oxygen Labs shows that despite the continuing increase in app usage - specifically social apps - a large number of mobile consumers fail to open the most popular social apps as a result of broken links. These are links that send the consumer to a login wall on the mobile web instead of inside the destination app where consumers expect to be taken.
The chart shown here reflects findings across a representative subset of U.S. retail sites for mobile consumers who click deeplinks and have the app installed on their smartphone. The frequency with which some of the most popular social apps are present on a mobile device introduces a new challenge and opportunity for companies who want to drive engagement and conversion.
As the report shows, an increasing number of links sent around the web are social in nature. Intelligent deeplinks – those that can detect whether an app is installed on the mobile device and open it vs. sending the clicker to a mobile login screen – are becoming more prevalent to drive activity on mobile social apps.
Most mobile users who click social links have that app installed (66% – 75% of the time) and will expect an in-app experience, not a web login form. The key to engaging these users is to provide mobile-optimized links.
To solve the problem, companies like Pure Oxygen Labs, URX and others are providing platforms to help developers and marketers create deep links to engage app users. More information on Pure Oxygen Labs report on how broken links affect user engagement is available on the company’s blog.