The app market is a highly competitive space. As smartphones have become ubiquitous and mobile usage continues to grow, apps have become an integral part of daily life. For small brands, an app can be an exciting new venture—an opportunity to engage with users, expand their reach, and improve their bottom line. But a poorly executed app launch can do more harm than good, leading to lost time, wasted resources, and even reputational damage.
For small brands, who often have limited budgets and resources, the stakes are even higher. Unlike larger companies with established customer bases, small brands are launching their apps into a market where gaining traction is challenging. In this landscape, even the slightest misstep can have lasting consequences. A flawed app launch can hinder growth, confuse potential users, and waste marketing investments.
This op-ed examines the most common mistakes small brands make during an app launch and how these errors can ultimately lead to failure. While launching an app might seem like a straightforward task, there’s a complex set of considerations that need to be addressed to ensure success. When done wrong, the results can be disappointing and counterproductive.
1. Lack of Market Research: Misunderstanding Your Audience
Before even starting development on an app, small brands must conduct thorough market research. Launching an app without a clear understanding of who the app is for, what it needs to deliver, and how it will stand out in the market is one of the most common—and most damaging—mistakes small brands make.
The Pitfall: Assuming Demand
One major mistake is assuming there’s a demand for the app without validating it. Small brands often develop an app based on the assumption that their existing customer base or target demographic will be interested, without actually engaging them first to gauge interest. The failure to properly assess demand means launching an app that no one actually wants or needs.
In this digital age, with thousands of apps vying for users’ attention, the idea that customers will automatically flock to your app simply because it exists is a dangerous one. Research is needed to understand customer pain points, desires, and whether your app can offer a solution that doesn’t already exist. Without this crucial step, your app could fall into the abyss of forgotten downloads.
The Fix: Market Validation and User Feedback
Small brands should conduct surveys, focus groups, or pilot testing to validate demand before investing heavily in development. They should engage with their target audience through social media or email lists to gauge interest, refine the app’s features, and even get early feedback on the app’s user experience (UX). This will provide insight into whether the app addresses a real need and whether it has the potential to attract a loyal user base.
2. Poor App Store Optimization (ASO): Overlooking Visibility
After the app is developed, the next critical step is ensuring that potential users can easily discover it. App Store Optimization (ASO) is the process of improving the app’s visibility in the app stores—Google Play and the Apple App Store. Small brands often neglect ASO, resulting in their app being buried beneath the sea of other applications.
The Pitfall: Failing to Optimize for Search
Small brands frequently underestimate the power of ASO and simply upload their apps without considering how they’ll appear in search results. Without an optimized title, keywords, description, and visuals, the app may never make it into users’ search results, making discovery incredibly difficult.
Moreover, small brands often skip the process of researching which keywords are most relevant for their target market. Keywords are critical for ensuring the app ranks higher in search results and is more likely to be discovered by potential users. Without the right combination of keywords, your app could be competing against thousands of similar apps and might never be seen by the right audience.
The Fix: Invest Time in ASO
ASO requires careful attention to detail. The app name and description should clearly convey its value proposition while integrating relevant keywords that users are likely to search for. Additionally, high-quality visuals such as app screenshots and videos are essential for attracting users’ attention. Small brands should consider hiring an ASO expert or working with app marketing professionals to improve their app’s visibility in the stores.
Regularly updating app listings with new keywords, user testimonials, and feature changes can also improve rankings over time. Testing various versions of your app’s description and visuals, using A/B testing methods, can reveal which elements resonate most with your audience.
3. Ignoring User Experience (UX): A Complicated or Buggy App
One of the biggest deterrents to app success is a poor user experience (UX). This is especially detrimental for small brands trying to build a loyal following. If the app is confusing to use, slow to load, or filled with bugs, users are likely to abandon it quickly—and they won’t be coming back.
The Pitfall: Launching a Buggy or Complicated App
Small brands often rush to launch their app, skipping critical testing phases, or they get caught up in adding flashy features without focusing on the core functionality. As a result, users may encounter technical glitches, crashes, or navigation problems. A poor first impression can turn users off immediately, and in the app space, first impressions are everything.
Moreover, small brands may fail to optimize the app for performance across a range of devices and operating systems, leading to issues with app compatibility that frustrate users. If the app doesn’t work properly or if it’s difficult to use, users won’t hesitate to delete it, and negative reviews will quickly snowball.
The Fix: Prioritize User Experience and Testing
User experience is critical to the success of any app, and small brands should prioritize it from the start. The app must have a clear, intuitive design and a simple, user-friendly interface. Developers should conduct rigorous testing before launch, including usability tests and bug fixes, to ensure the app works smoothly across all devices. It’s also essential to make sure the app’s load times are fast and that any interactive features, like in-app purchases or notifications, work properly.
UX should not stop after launch, either. Continuous improvement based on user feedback is vital. Brands should track user behavior and feedback after launch and regularly update the app to fix bugs, improve functionality, and streamline the user experience.
4. Underestimating Marketing Efforts: No Buzz or Pre-Launch Strategy
Another mistake small brands make during an app launch is neglecting the marketing efforts required to create buzz around the app. Simply putting the app on the app store and hoping users will find it is a fatal error.
The Pitfall: Launching Without a Marketing Plan
Small brands often underestimate the importance of a pre-launch app digital marketing campaign. They may focus on building the app itself but fail to create excitement or anticipation ahead of the launch. This lack of preparation means that the app’s launch doesn’t have the momentum it needs to gain traction quickly.
Additionally, without a proper marketing plan, small brands may not know how to effectively target their desired audience or how to use digital marketing channels (e.g., social media, email marketing, influencer marketing) to get the word out. The app may go unnoticed, or even worse, users may download it only to quickly abandon it due to the app’s lack of functionality, poor performance, or unmet expectations.
The Fix: Create a Strategic Marketing Plan
An app launch needs a comprehensive, multi-channel marketing strategy that includes awareness-building efforts well before the app is available for download. Small brands should leverage social media, email lists, and influencer partnerships to generate buzz and create anticipation. Offering early access or exclusive features to a small group of users (beta testing) can also help build momentum.
Building an email list or having an online community where you can communicate with potential users prior to launch is a great way to get early feedback and create an engaged audience before the app is even available. After launch, continuing marketing efforts such as social media ads, retargeting, and collaborations can help maintain user interest.
5. Overlooking App Analytics: Failing to Measure Success
For small brands, tracking the performance of the app post-launch is critical. Without the right tools to measure user engagement, behavior, and app performance, it’s impossible to make informed decisions about improvements or changes.
The Pitfall: No Data or Analytics Strategy
Many small brands launch an app and neglect to implement tracking or analytics tools. They may rely on surface-level data like download numbers or reviews but miss out on a deeper understanding of how users are actually interacting with the app. Without this data, it’s difficult to gauge success or identify areas for improvement. Additionally, small brands might not track key metrics like user retention, lifetime value, or conversion rates, which can make it harder to measure ROI on their marketing efforts.
The Fix: Implement Analytics and Act on Data
Small brands should implement analytics tools—like Google Analytics for apps, Mixpanel, or Firebase—to track user behavior, identify trends, and measure the app’s success. Metrics to track include user engagement, session length, feature usage, retention rates, and in-app purchases. With this data, brands can identify friction points in the user experience, monitor user retention, and adjust their marketing strategies accordingly.
Regular data analysis enables brands to respond to user behavior and improve the app experience over time. This also helps brands to pivot or make changes to the app if it’s not meeting user needs.
Conclusion: Launching Smart, Not Fast
For small brands, an app launch is not a race to see who can get their product on the market first. It’s a strategic process that requires time, planning, and resources to do right. The common mistakes outlined in this piece—such as neglecting market research, ignoring UX, failing to optimize for discoverability, and underestimating the importance of marketing—are all avoidable with proper planning and execution.
By understanding their target audience, conducting thorough testing, implementing ASO, and using data to inform decisions, small brands can significantly increase their chances of a successful app launch. It’s a competitive space, and small brands need to be smart about how they approach the market. With careful preparation and a focus on quality, even small brands can launch successful apps that resonate with users and drive long-term growth.
The bottom line: App launches aren’t easy, but they don’t have to go wrong. It’s all about getting the details right, testing your assumptions, and making sure that once you launch, you’re ready to build, improve, and scale your way to success.