How to Protect Your 5-Star App Store Reviews

Story by: Brian C Reed

In today’s mobile economy, consumers depend on mobile apps for everything. Mobile apps are essential in how we live, shop, pay, play, date, eat, travel, manage our health and more. The global mobile app economy is expected to generate over $2.5 trillion in ecommerce transactions in 2024 alone, a testament to the growing reliance on mobile technology.?

Consumers consistently report that mobile apps and devices offer superior convenience, speed, and ease of use compared to traditional methods. In fact, according to Appdome’s 2024 Global Consumer Expectations of Mobile App Security Report, consumers prefer using mobile apps over web apps by a factor of more than 2 to 1.??

Consequently, it is imperative for every mobile brand to prioritise innovation while optimising their mobile experiences to stay competitive. The success or failure of mobile apps hinges largely on the user experience they deliver. Mobile brands and app developers recognise this, striving to achieve 5-star reviews that not only drive millions of app downloads but also contribute to significant economic activity, including millions or even billions of dollars in purchases.

One of the most interesting findings from the report is that brands can use a better mobile app security experience to increase brand loyalty and gain more brand advocates. Here are some of the key findings that should interest every marketing and product leader.

• Over 57% of consumers globally say that it is the responsibility of the brand/app maker to protect them from cyber-attacks, fraud, malware, privacy leakage, etc.
• Around 84% of consumers prefer brands to preemptively stop fraud from happening vs reimbursing them after fraud happens.
• Over 90% of consumers say that security is equally or more important than features.
• Fraud and Hacking top the list of consumer concerns at 58.7% and 50.8% respectively.
• Over 73% of consumers said they would abandon an app that was breached, and they would tell their friends as well.
• And for the good news; 94.6% of consumers will advocate for brands that actively protect them.

The conclusion for mobile marketing teams is that their mobile customers have increasingly high expectations when it comes to their experience with apps. They demand a seamless, user-friendly experience that is also secure and free from fraud. While many mobile app developers excel at creating innovative apps that captivate users, they often lack the time and expertise to build apps that are completely secure and fraud-proof.?

As a result, these developers frequently turn to third-party solutions to address security, privacy, and anti-fraud concerns that create bad user experiences when attacks, fraud or malware happen. The typical enforcement is to crash the app and provide little to no explanation why, which leads to user frustration, negative reviews, and a decline in app store rankings.?

For mobile marketing teams, this can have a detrimental impact on a mobile app’s success, as lower visibility in app store searches results in higher acquisition costs. Bad user experiences lead to higher churn and lost revenue. In this scenario, security and user experience collide in the worst possible way. There is a pressing need for a solution that can seamlessly integrate both high-quality user experience and robust cybersecurity measures.

Appdome addresses this challenge by focusing equally on both cyber defence and user experience. It offers a “crashless” experience, detecting mobile threats or attacks and providing a seamless, user-friendly response without causing the app to crash. With the optimised experience approach, mobile app users benefit from a perfect balance of security and usability. With over 340 mobile app defences available, Its-protected mobile apps automatically detect and neutralise threats while ensuring that the user enjoys a high-quality, secure, and fraud-free experience.?

When an attack or threat is detected, the protected mobile app presents easy-to-understand information about the detected threat or attack and the app will securely close, not crash. App developers have the option to write specific rules on how to handle the threat response such as offering instructions on what to do next or, in the case of severe threats, gracefully unloading the app to protect both the user and the mobile brand.?

As mobile apps continue to dominate the digital landscape, delivering a secure and seamless user experience has become more critical than ever. Consumers’ expectations are clear: they want innovative, easy-to-use apps that also offer robust protection against all cyber threats and fraud. Brands that prioritise both user experience and security will thrive, gaining the loyalty and advocacy of their users.?

Conversely, those that fail to meet these expectations may find themselves losing relevance. Ultimately, the future success of any mobile app depends on its ability to protect users without compromising the overall app experience. By adopting mobile app defence platforms that also create delightful digital user experiences, marketing and product leaders at mobile brands can successfully use mobile app security to protect their 5-star app store ratings.