Maximising Mobile App Engagement in 2025

Marketers spend a hefty amount of their budgets on their mobile apps. In fact, according to research, the mobile app is one of the primary customer acquisition, engagement, or retention channels for 82% of marketers. However, it is disappointing that this application remains underutilised and fails to reach its full potential.

How can one identify if their business is completely utilising their mobile’s app functionality? A quick browsing of expert literature on the topic will tell you that the way to do this is by ensuring that it is meeting the customers’ needs. This can be evaluated by analysing customer data, reviewing customer feedback, studying insights from customer support, and assessing for further need for personalisation.

More and more businesses are realising the significance of running a well-oiled mobile app that acts as the perfect medium between the business and its customers. However, as marketers juggle between the varied aspects of a mobile app, they often lose track of many crucial elements.

A study conducted by Branch and Martechvibe revealed that there are three stages of the app marketing cycle that if run the right way, can ensure seamless utilisation of the mobile app.

The State of Mobile App Marketing 2025 (Southeast Asia) defines the three A’s of mobile app marketing journey as follows;

Awareness

Amplifying awareness is the first stage where you create a “buzz” about your business through your app. It is when users find out about your app and your brand visibility and recognition come into play.

This stage is a crucial foundation for success in the competitive app landscape. According to the Branch report, 47% of marketers use their business’ mobile app to increase visibility and brand recognition.

Awareness is also the first stage of the user journey. As customers start to gain knowledge of the brand’s existence, it is crucial not to lose sight of what is key.

“A successful app experience is built on understanding the customer’s journey, whether they are in the discovery or consideration phase. Continuous relevance in product displays and easy navigation between pages are key factors in maintaining user engagement,” says Dipti Khalate, Head of Growth at Zalora Group.

Acquisition

In the second stage, the focus is on accelerating acquisition. Once customers have shown an interest in the brand during the first phase of awareness, the aim is to convert that interest into app downloads and add active users to the brand’s audience.

“The primary challenge in transitioning web users to adopt a dedicated app lies in demonstrating the added value and benefits of the app experience,” says Krisna Parahita, Vice President of Products and Analytics at LinkAja. When driving users to the app, it is imperative to use effective acquisition channels for building a solid user base. The report on mobile app marketing found that 77% of marketers ranked the importance of mobile apps as a channel for customer acquisition.

in their overall strategy as more than 5, on a scale of 1 to 10. As per the report, here is how businesses are currently acquiring new app users:

“Web users may perceive downloading and using an app as an extra step. Addressing app permissions, data privacy, and security concerns is crucial to gaining user trust and overcoming hesitations. Offering exclusive features, enhanced personalisation, and a seamless user interface within the app can incentivise web users to make the switch. Additionally, effective communication highlighting the app’s advantages, such as real-time notifications, personalised recommendations, and faster transactions, can encourage web users to embrace app adoption,” adds Parahita.

Activation

The third stage centres around achieving activation through engagement. Here, the focus shifts to engaging users through exceptional experiences, encouraging frequent usage, and driving meaningful interactions within the app. Success in this stage leads to increased user retention and long-term loyalty.

When it comes to app adoption, marketers must strive to offer a sticky app experience, for which, both pre- and post-purchase phases are equally important, explains Khalate.

“Engagement is key. Many platforms now offer interactive content like games, allowing users to earn loyalty or cashback points, which can be used in future transactions. These strategies all contribute to improving app stickiness,” she adds.

Research shows that app adoption still hasn’t reached its maximum for many brands. According to the Branch report, only 12% of businesses have successfully reached the critical stage where 75-100% of their customer base are active users.

Customer engagement continues to be a challenge for 61% of marketers. “Today’s consumers have so many choices that the time spent on a particular app is very limited. One key challenge is how do we ensure consumers keep coming back to your app.

Doing so requires understanding your users better,” says Niharika Gupta, Head of Consumer and Loyalty Marketing at Adidas Southeast Asia. Gupta suggests asking yourself these four questions about your customers:

What are they browsing?
What are the pages/areas where they spend more time?
Where do the consumers typically leave/drop from their consumer journey?
What aspects of the brand are they exploring?

Re-Engagement Strategy

For ultimate app success, marketers must implement a strategy that only acquires new users but re-activates idle customers with re-engagement. Branch’s State of Mobile App Marketing 2025 (Southeast Asia) suggests the following shifts to guide dormant users back with a necessary pivot:

From manual login to auto-login & contextual personalisation
From straightforward points system to gamification
From static notifications to dynamic, personalised push messages
From basic updates to highlighting new features and benefits
From transactional interactions to context-aware suggestions

“The landscape of mobile app marketing is evolving rapidly, driven by a dynamic interplay of technology, user behaviour, and regulatory considerations. As brands navigate these complexities, the role of data and technology in shaping app growth and marketing strategies has never been more critical,” says Vidhur Bhagat, Regional Vice President – APAC at Branch

“As you look to the future, embracing data-driven strategies and leveraging advanced technologies will be key to achieving sustained growth and success,” he adds.

The State of Mobile App Marketing 2025 (Southeast Asia) report offers an insider’s view into outlooks, actions, and readiness for mobile app growth success. Read the full report here.

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