Difference between Mobile App Analytics and Web Analytics

As the internet-savvy generation molds its ways to unlimited access, the need to access their usage patterns through metrics becomes persistent. Mobile/Web app analytics can thus help businesses in providing invaluable insights and actionable data to improve the overall user experience for customers.

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It’s important to note the structural differences between the two types of analytics. 

Web Analytics

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Before the widespread popularity of mobile phones and the advent of big data analysis, data was generated mainly by desktop web application users. At that time, web analytics focused on metrics like page views primarily. 

On the other hand, modern web analytics includes the following traits.

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• An assessment of behavior-related metrics like repeat, unique, and new users. 
• Web analytical solutions analyze based on patterns generated by user cohorts to reduce churn and increase conversions.
• They are more likely to have longer app sessions while they use a desktop or laptop computer. 
• However, they may not access it as frequently as compared to a mobile phone. 
• User interaction with ads is the primary source of revenue for most businesses. 

There are many pain points of analyzing websites. Internet users do not need to download or install any software, which makes it harder for web developers to track individual users. Users also tend to install ad-blockers on web applications to disable advertisements. They also ignore the ads and avoid clicking them due to the larger screen sizes. Hence, they need to have a very different form of analyzing and tracking parameters.

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Mobile App Analytics

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With the increase in the adoption of mobile technologies, there is a consistent increase in the amount of data that is generated. Advanced mobile app analytics tools use various data analytic strategies to understand the motive behind the actions of a user.

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• The user’s location serves as a unique asset and differentiator from web analytics.
• The revenue generated is comparatively higher and also the system is drastically different. Mobile e-commerce app has proven to have 3 times higher conversion rate compared to their counterpart Web e-commerce site.
• Using mobile phones, users download and install apps through a dedicated app store by signing in. Sign-ins make it easy for developers to track users, segment them using different metrics. 
• Mobile app users do not keep an app open for long durations, but they tend to interact with it more often for shorter periods. 
• Mobile analytics thus focuses on finding out the actual engagement time of a user with the app.
• While ad-blockers play a major role in consumer navigation on web applications, it becomes harder for app users to block ads on mobile devices as ads come ingrained in mobile apps.

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A mobile phone user is always on the move, using different apps, multitasking his/her way through life. Mobile apps are the next big thing. They need robust analytical tools to generate the right observation. Mobile app developers are constantly on their feet to examine client data in order to gain insights and boost their profits. 

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Conclusion

Although web analytics and mobile app analytics are inherently different, they find themselves converging, as mobile devices, tablets, and home computers continue to evolve in terms of design and functionalities. 

A decade ago, businesses were content with an online presence in the form of a website designed for desktop/laptop use. Still, the modern mobile-first generation demands a mobile app to enhance their online shopping experience. 

Thus, there is a need to leverage both mobile app analytics and web analytics to ensure customer satisfaction on all platforms. To know more, reach out to us here.