Don't Scare Your Customers With These Mobile App Strategies On Halloween

Many marketers struggle to improve customer engagement and gain new customers during Halloween. But mobile applications can help them gain a head start over their competitors. This article discusses a few strategies for using the festival and mobile apps to improve customer engagement during these spooky times.

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.

Customized App User Experience (UX)

User experience (UX) plays a vital role in the retention of customers and 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.

Smarter App Notifications

According to a recent OneSignal studyOpens a new window , 61% of marketers use mobile push notifications to increase customer engagement. 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 make sure 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 SeasonÂ

App Store Optimization

As a marketer, you have often heard the term â€œkeyword.â€ 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.Â

While making changes in the app store, one key consideration marketers need to 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.

Engaging Reward Programs

Dunkin Opens a new window 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 Dukin’s brand image.Â

It showed the importance of reward points and why marketers need to use them as a tool to draw more engagement. And 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.Â

Harnessing Innovative Technology

Snapchat recently announcedOpens a new window 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. 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 BK App. With the rise of Metaverse, AR or even VR, marketers can use various technologies to engage customers.Â Â Â

See more: 6 Reasons Why Augmented Reality Should Be Part of Your Holiday Marketing Strategy

Gamification Potential Unlocked

ReportsOpens a new window show over 2.2 billion active mobile gamers worldwide as of 2022. 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.Â Â

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 FacebookOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , and LinkedInOpens a new window .

Image Source: Shutterstock

Don’t Scare Your Customers With These Mobile App Strategies On Halloween