Even after the advent of mobile devices, it took a
while for them to offer advanced access to the internet. iPhone was the mobile
device that broke this ice and initiated more web interaction through mobile.
Mobile websites can be tracked in a way similar to
how regular websites are tracked. Some of the data collection options are
Log-based
solutions: The website’s web server files contain
information that might help identify mobile traffic in their headers and the
URL string.
Packet-sniffing based solution: Here
incoming and outgoing packets are sniffed to read important visitor
information.
Tag-based
solution: are of two types, Java Script or image. [1]Java
Script runs data collection scripts which analyses user requests to the
servers. In the latter an image tag is used to collect data.
These do have
some drawbacks like if a phone does not have JavaScript enabled, we will be
missing several information about our traffic. Some solutions also need cookies
enabled and some of the phones might not even have even cookies enabled, which
again causes some loss of data.
There have been severe challenges in tracking the
analytics for mobile apps because of their nature. Once an app has been
downloaded there was no way to track how the app was being used, unless the
user provided some feedback. There was no explicit way of tracking the intended
user behavior. As Avinash Kaushik puts it, many analysts stop at analyzing the
devices used and the browsers. Though these do give us some information about
the users, it does not represent any info related to customer satisfaction of
using the apps, how they navigate from one screen to the other, are they using
the app as intended, are they able to complete the tasks easily, how often are
the apps used, etc.
How to Track Mobile App Analytics:
The solution to this was to apply a strategy similar to the the basic Event Tracking model. A simple database can be used to track the offline activities/events happening on the app and these can be forwarded to the Analytics tool when connected to the net. Thus we can track the user pattern and understand about customer behavior beyond the device used. The big players in the digital analytics field, which also offers mobile app tracking, are Google Universal Analytics and Adobe Site Catalyst. We have several others focusing on the vertical like Bango, Mobilytics, Flurry, etc.
“To err is human” hold true even here and there are
some facts that we have to understand to glean maximum benefits from mobile app
analytics. Here are some tips from [2]Mashable to avoid common mistakes.
1. [3]Start
using app analytics even before your app is in the store
If
you are waiting to start using analytics after your app is added to the store
then you are very late, as there is already much information relevant to the
app out there.
2. Users
won’t use the app the way you expect them to
App
makers might be biased about how the product should be used and hence will be
in for surprises, when checking how others users use it. Hence it is better to
test the app with different users and account for all the different scenarios
that might arise.
3. Pick
KPIs that is relevant for your target audience
There
is no universal KPI for all the apps. Apps can be of different types like content
publishing, social networking, utilities, commerce and gaming. Hence the ideal
KPI should be picked based on what is attempted to be achieved.
4. Choose
Analytics Provider based on the Type of App
Again,
we have different Analytics provider focusing on different verticals of the app
based on its type. Ex: if we are developing a mobile game Playtomic might be an
ideal fit, and if it is a content delivery app Localytics or Flurry would be
better.
5. Install
the Analytics Platform Correctly
Follow proper installation protocol to ensure
that it does not affect the speed of the app and also that accurate data is
being collected.
6. Analyze
Market Data to Avoid Mistakes Competitors Have Already Made
Check
for apps developed by your competitors so that you can learn from their
mistakes and have a better understanding of the market.
7. Pick
a Provider You Can Grow With
Choose
a provider who can meet the requirements as you scale. Ex: if you are using iOS
now and later want an Android app as well, if you intend to monetize through
ads, then the provider should cover that as well.
8. Mobile
App Analytics Shouldn’t End With Your Mobile App
Mobile
app analytics should not be considered as silo. Integrating data from all of
the areas where your brand is collecting data will give a comprehensive
understanding of your app’s position in the marketplace. Ex: Analyzing social
media with respect to the app can point us to the general sentiment toward the
product, as well as identify flaws that customers are talking about.
Here is a little video from appMobi on Moble App analytics.
Concluding Statements:
Mobile app analytics is indeed an emerging field. [4]Nearly
40% of internet time is spent on mobile and [5]it
is predicted that for the next five years the usage is going to increase by 66%
per year. Also, [6]“the
number of people regularly using mobile apps is now approximately
equal to the number of people who use desktop or laptop computers to connect to
the Internet, one analytics firm reported on Thursday”. With these numbers we
can affirm that the future of the Mobile app analaytics field is bright and
is something we should allocate resources to and learn in more detail. Inferior
knowledge in the field and not being able to track analytics for mobile sites
and app might not be favorable.
To learn more about this refer to
1. Web Analytics 2.0, chapter on Emerging Analytics
2. The links provided below
Please share your thoughts in the comments and share it if you think it was a good article.
To learn more about this refer to
1. Web Analytics 2.0, chapter on Emerging Analytics
2. The links provided below
Please share your thoughts in the comments and share it if you think it was a good article.
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