Don’t Scare Your Customers With These Mobile App Strategies On Halloween
Learn how marketers can increase customer engagement using mobile applications during Halloween.
It is that time of the year again to bring out your spookiness, tell scary tales, carve out a Jack-o’-lantern, and play trick or treat. It is time for Halloween. But Halloween is not just a festival to dress up as your favorite scary character. It could also be the time to wow your customers, earn some brownie points, and improve sales, especially if you are a marketing professional. But the question is, how? The answer is a simple mobile app and a new-age way to improve customer engagement. So here are a few innovative Halloween strategies marketing leaders can leverage to boost business using mobile applications.
1. Customized App User Experience (UX)
User experience (UX) plays a vital role in retaining customers and improving overall customer experience (CX). And there is no better time than a festival like Halloween for marketing leaders. Customizing the app using autumn leaves, pumpkins, scarecrows, bats, etc., will surely attract customers and increase app engagement. However, while the UX design plays an important role, marketers also need to be aware of the app’s speed and should know if the app takes significant time to open. Customers will quickly switch to a competitor’s app if an app is slow to open. So marketers should ensure that during Halloween, not only the app theme is customized, but the app’s speed is also improved.
Speaking exclusively to Spiceworks News and Insights, Khurram Moiz, lead principal customers success manager of BlueConic, adds, “For most kids, Halloween means free candy. But it represents millions of dollars of opportunity for many retail and consumer goods companies. Those who are able to stand out and drive success before, during, and after this critical shopping event share one critical commonality: they prioritize the collection and use of privacy-compliant first-party customer data. When unified into individual consumer profiles for easy access by marketing, customer experience, e-commerce, and other growth-focused teams, it presents a win-win for companies and consumers alike. Companies can deliver highly targeted and personalized marketing campaigns that drive customer engagement and sales, while consumers enjoy more relevant and convenient shopping experiences that save them time and money — ensuring a mutually beneficial relationship that extends far beyond the Halloween season.”
2. Smarter App Notifications
According to a recent Braze report, there is a 191% Increase in customer engagement associated with sending push notifications compared to customers who receive no messages. And Halloween gives marketers just the right kind of platform to use push notifications. Personalized push notifications ensure you target the right users at the right time with the optimal creative.
While customizing the UX of the mobile app, marketers also need to prepare and customize other digital channels. With the increase in mobile engagement, marketers should take this opportunity to optimize other channels like social media platforms, email on mobile, and text messaging. This will ensure that customers get an overwhelming experience. Therefore, marketers need to ensure that any link that opens through the mobile app related to their website is customized per the Halloween theme.
See more: 5 New Rules To Reel-In Shoppers This Holiday Season
3. App Store Optimization
As a marketer, you have often heard the term “keyword.” Keywords play a vital role, especially during festive times. As customers search for Halloween-themed apps during this time, optimizing the app store using keywords related to Halloween would come in handy. Doing this will ensure that your app is ranked higher than other apps, possibly leading to increased app downloads. Besides using keywords, marketers can also change the feel and look of the app icon and make it more Halloween-centric.
When making changes in the app store, one key consideration marketers should consider is local targeting. Halloween might have gained popularity over the years and is celebrated in many parts of the world. But there are a few regions where Halloween is not celebrated. As a marketer, one needs to identify and target only those regions.
4. Engaging Reward Programs
Dunkin recently found itself in controversy after changing its loyalty program. Customers were reportedly unhappy with the new loyalty program, though the news might not have harmed Dunkin’s brand image. It showed the importance of reward points and why marketers need to use them as a tool to draw more engagement. Halloween is a great time for marketers to use an in-app loyalty program to keep customers engaged, gain new customers, and retain older ones. Marketers can take advantage of this opportunity with special Halloween discounts at checkout. Give some freebies by adding money to the customer’s wallet, and give the special Halloween codes, which can be used during the purchase.
Echoing her thoughts on how loyalty programs can be leveraged by marketers, Carolyn Bao, VP of marketing of Appsflyer, adds, “Halloween is a prime time for mobile app marketers to acquire, engage, and retain users – and boost monetization – especially as the golden quarter gets into full swing. By leveraging in-app notifications, app marketers can remind users of Halloween promotions and share last-minute discounts to create a frictionless, feel-good experience. Halloween is also the perfect time to reap the rewards of a loyalty program. Outline who should be invited to the program and the perks they can enjoy, then launch it with spooky fanfare. Meanwhile, encourage already loyal customers to stay engaged with seasonally relevant messaging.”
5. Harnessing Innovative Technology
Snapchat recently announced that it allows customers to try Halloween costumes in augmented reality (AR). The app’s users could also later buy the same outfit. Like Snapchat, many other companies are turning to technology to engage customers through their mobile apps. A similar use of technology was made by Burger King, which engaged customers and encouraged them to become Ghost Hunters this fall. In its press release, Burger King stated they had added an electromagnetic field ghost detector to the BK App. With the rise of Generative AI, Metaverse, AR or even VR, marketers can make the best use of immersive technologies to engage customers; this can be through interactive advertising or using Generative AI to come up with innovative interactive content.
Sharing his thoughts on the use of immersive technology Ken Harlan, Founder and CEO of MobileFuse, adds, “Your messaging needs to correlate with the desired outcomes and campaign goals directly. The creative should really be interactive in nature. According to Outgrow, 81% of marketers agree interactive content is much more effective at securing attention when compared to static content. Therefore, marketers must leverage some trending generative AI tools to speed up A/B testing and find what works best for their audiences.”
See more: 6 Reasons Why Augmented Reality Should Be Part of Your Holiday Marketing Strategy
6. Gamification Potential Unlocked
2023 Gaming Spotlight Report by data.ai’s and IDC reveals that consumer spending on mobile games is set to reach $108 billion in 2023. Therefore, gamifying your app is one key strategy to engage customers during Halloween. Marketers can come up with various fun games like quizzes, spin the wheel, scratch the Pumpkin etc., for the customers related to Halloween as the gamer moves forward to gain rewards to see his achievements on the scoreboard. As a result, a gamer will want to interact more or be more active on the app, thus increasing their engagement.
Conclusion
With Halloween just a few days away, customers are getting ready to spend, and brands and marketers are already experimenting with various tactics to attract these customers. That said, you should not be left behind or scared of your competitor’s tactics. Stay creative and leverage the mobile app marketing strategies explained above to attract customers and boost your sales this Halloween.
What strategies are you using to improve customer engagement this Halloween? Share with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
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