Have a business idea? There probably already is an app for that. “Mobile first” has become a ubiquitous catch phrase used from web design to building a brand’s digital presence. It’s easy to understand why, as 90% of users access the internet via a mobile device, representing approximately 4.32 billion people going online via a smartphone or tablet worldwide – a trend that is projected to increase further in the coming years. The pandemic has accelerated digitalization and thereby forced big and small companies to reconsider their online presence. In many cases, this included creating a mobile app. 

The success of a brand in today’s digital reality not only depends on the company’s product and team, but is also directly related to the opinion generated by its customers and users. In addition to innovating through technology, companies must engage their users and, above all, know what they think of them. Online reviews have a powerful effect on consumer behavior and, consequently, on brand value.

According to a Big Commerce study, positive customer reviews can help generate approximately 62% more revenue – from every customer, every time they visit your brand. Furthermore, the study states that 92% of consumers read online reviews and recommendations when considering a purchase.

Most app developers are busy trying to fix bugs or improve the user experience, and are not prepared to turn user reviews into business insights. How can companies extract the most value from them? Entrepreneurs Anatoly Sharifulin, Eugene Kruglov and Pavel Vlasov decided to tackle this issue at a 2014 hackathon. One problem they were facing as developers was the need to track the performance of dozens of applications at the same time: that’s why they began to build a simple app review management tool, aimed at helping developers boost app growth by increasing customer loyalty and user retention. These young innovators, specialized in mobile app development, asked themselves: “How can we make everyday routines easier for an app development team?” To answer this question, they developed a technology that could positively impact the industry at a larger scale: thus, AppFollow was born.

A single platform with infinite tools and possibilities

Two factors must be met for an app to achieve a high ranking: it must have many users and be quickly found in app stores. User acquisition is tied to app visibility and organic growth, which can be achieved through App Store Optimization (ASO). By collecting the data from multiple app stores, AppFollow analyzes the market and builds a semantic core for any language and country. “When you understand what users are talking about, you can set up different templates and the system starts replying to reviews automatically,” mentions co-founder and COO Eugene Kruglov. He explains, “this can cover up to 50% of all the reviews you are receiving, which is especially important for big companies that receive thousands.”

AppFollow’s ASO Analytics tool helps clients analyze traffic channels, find out why downloads bounced, and calculate the conversion rate for every channel. It also compares and analyzes visibility and the most important metrics for apps in both the App Store and Google Play – all in one place. In addition, AppFollow builds custom reports to help clients analyze data and focus on which teams need to meet their KPIs.

The built-in platform is more than just a data collector. It integrates automated customer support, user feedback evaluation, app performance monitoring, competitor benchmarking and trend research. This wide gamut of features allows AppFollow users to detect and overcome any flaws that they might run into with their app, in order to optimize the product for best results.

Becoming the world’s leading app review management platform

“Developing a mobile product was one of my dreams, and I knew Anatoly and Pavel were the perfect colleagues to make it come true,” claims Kruglov. “We were thinking of something really small, maybe working in Europe, and never thought we could end up working with a big global company,” he adds.

In less than five years, the team has grown from 3 to 89 people across 12 countries, all working remotely. Right now, AppFollow is the world’s leading app review management platform and helps over 70,000 companies – including Amazon, Google and McDonald’s – manage apps.

Despite the Covid-19 crisis, in the past few months AppFollow has kept innovation alive through digitalization and by providing clients with a safer and more automated service. Kruglov remembers, “At first, we didn’t notice much change because we were already used to working remotely; but the entire world was homebound, and the use of mobile applications grew more than ever. Then, a lot of companies started to think about certain things they had not focused on that much before, such as the needs that our service covers.” 

A collaboration for the future of app optimization

A brilliant idea is essential to start a business, but it is also important to know when and how to redefine your company’s direction. For AppFollow, the collaboration with Enel was crucial to understanding this. “When we started as a company, we were mostly focusing on mobile-first businesses. In time, we learnt that there are many more customers that we can reach,” acknowledges Kruglov. Specifically, “working with companies like Enel is challenging because you have to help them with the mobile application, but you also have to understand their global business model and think about how the mobile part can influence the entire corporation,” he adds.

For example, as Kruglov explains, “Enel is mostly focused on review management and on replying to its customers in the app store. A lot of attention is directed to analyzing feedback and getting an overview of what matters most to them.” Working hand-in-hand with a big client helps companies understand business needs: as the collaboration grows, learning and expertise increase as well.

Apps have become synonymous with digitalization, with more than 800 apps debuting on the App Store every day. AppFollow allows app creators and developers to manage reviews and optimize their product in a single integrated interface. With infinite possibilities and the growing need for different applications, AppFollow has proven to be the perfect one-stop management platform.