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SubscribeIn a world of ever-increasing competition, building and maintaining a loyal customer base is key to growing your business. In 2025, this is no simple feat, as shifting industry standards and consumer behaviors continue to challenge established strategies.
Within the realm of mobile apps, publishers are using all the tools at their disposal to foster a loyal user community that will regularly engage, drive spend, and grow LTV. Although specific loyalty strategies may differ depending on the industry – from gaming to food service, and beyond – some constants remain as crucial pieces of the puzzle.
In this article, we’ll explore the ins and outs of customer loyalty, types of loyalty companies can foster, and how publishers can utilize customer loyalty strategies to further drive engagement, increase retention, and ultimately boost LTV.
Customer loyalty is a multifaceted concept that refers to a consumer’s regular engagement with a brand or product. For mobile apps, this is achieved by forging a relationship with a user where they will return to your app time and time again amidst a sea of app store competition. Not only does a loyal customer base choose your product even when others are equally available, but they will also often recommend it to others whom they think would be interested – expanding your reach and influence.
💡 Fun fact: Our 2025 Mobile Gaming Loyalty Index found that nearly half (49%) of mobile gaming spenders have referred 3 or more people to their favorite app.
The psychology of loyalty plays a big role in fostering a loyal userbase. Psychological factors may appeal to a user’s desire for completion and achievement, wanting to feel special, or fear of missing out (FOMO). As behavioral economics expert Jessica Boyce1 puts it, “Companies can apply behavioral economic concepts to design more effective rewards and loyalty programmes by understanding and leveraging the psychological factors that influence consumer behavior.”
A customer’s loyalty to a specific brand depends on many other factors – positive reputation, trust in the company, and good customer service, to name a few. Although these factors are present across industries, different sectors must take into account the intricacies of their target audience to ensure that their loyalty strategy hits the mark.
No matter the industry, loyalty is a key metric for measuring successful growth. Adapting your loyalty strategy to suit your customers’ needs can be done in a number of ways, with certain trends being common across various industries.
Here are some examples of how different industry apps approach, foster, and benefit from customer loyalty:
There are many forms of customer loyalty – with some being more sought after than others. Judd Marcello, former EVP & CMO at Conexiom2, identifies three key types of loyalty that businesses should keep a pulse on if they want to build and maintain a dedicated userbase.
This is the lowest form of customer loyalty, in which consumers use a particular product or service simply out of convenience – they have no emotional connection, yet they engage because it is the easiest option for them.
Example: Someone eats regularly at a particular restaurant chain because it is inexpensive and close to home – not because they love the food above all other options.
This is the next step up from habitual loyalty, where consumers keep coming back for certain benefits that they enjoy. Think basic, frequency-based loyalty programs, in which customers can accrue points by engaging with your brand to eventually cash in. This form of loyalty can be beneficial if used properly, but it must be carefully maintained, or else customers may swap to a better option.
Example: A consumer buys breakfast from the same cafe every morning so they can earn a free coffee with every 10 purchases.
This is the most sought after form of loyalty, as it runs much deeper than simple convenience or a transaction-based relationship. Establishing an emotional connection with your customer base through continued support, high product quality, and transparency is the key to building this form of loyalty – one which will keep customers coming back even if other options are equally available.
Through the building of a long-term B2C relationship, some customers may even become brand ambassadors – fuelling word-of-mouth growth by promoting your product, thanks to positive experiences and previous interactions with your brand.
Example: Sports fans will defend their teams through thick and thin – attending all their games, buying merchandise, and even making it part of their identity.
Building a loyal userbase doesn’t happen overnight – it takes time, hard work, and a drive to deliver nothing but the best to your customers. Only by achieving a level of emotional loyalty will you be able to unlock the full range of benefits it has to offer – from increased revenue to brand ambassadorship – ultimately strengthening brand reputation and LTV.
👀 Related reading: How social & community fuels organic growth for mobile games
Although the fundamentals remain the same, building customer loyalty in the digital age requires additional skills beyond those needed for traditional forms of loyalty. With so many companies competing for a share of consumers’ wallets, it is now more important than ever to focus on keeping customers happy – so that they will continue to choose your app over the competition.
With the rise of digital business making the app landscape more crowded, publishers must carefully utilize all the tools in their arsenal to build a winning strategy. From rewarded loyalty programs to email campaigns, companies must find the best way to successfully market their products in a sea of competitors – with the ultimate goal of building long-term relationships founded on trust, mutually beneficial value, and loyalty.
Loyalty marketing is a strategic practice of maintaining and growing your current customer base to prevent rates of churn and encourage repeat engagement (and spend). With acquiring a new user being over five times more expensive3 than keeping existing ones happy, loyalty marketing strategies play an important role in reducing overall costs, ensuring long-term engagement, and ultimately improving LTV.
Loyalty marketing often involves the creation of loyalty programs, designed to reward users for their time, effort, and spend. A robust loyalty program that offers users competitive value over others is a surefire way to build transactional loyalty – a crucial first step to building up your base.
But it’s not just about offering rewards. A top-notch loyalty marketing plan for your app involves understanding your target customer behavior, preferences, and desires in order to craft an unforgettable experience.
With a solid understanding of loyalty marketing and why it’s so important, it’s time to put everything into practice. Here are four key tips and considerations for establishing your comprehensive loyalty marketing plan.
With so many communication channels available today, it can be hard to know which ones to use and when. Finding the right combination of marketing channels is crucial to building a successful loyalty strategy to keep users informed without bombarding them.
While channels like in-app messaging, push notifications, and social media are commonplace in the industry, they’re not the only options. Email and SMS marketing are two artforms that are rarely utilized to their fullest potential in mobile app lifecycle marketing, but create a level of personalization, direct accessibility, and versatility that can’t be beat.
When utilizing multiple channels in your marketing strategies, it’s important to keep the target demographics in mind. Different cohorts may prefer some channels over others, so tailoring your messaging to be channel-specific helps reduce fatigue and disinterest – strengthening your messaging across each individual channel.
👀 Related reading: Lessons in loyalty: Cross-industry insights for mobile game publishers
Transparency is one of the cornerstones of building a business-customer relationship, with it being a key factor in creating a sense of trust with consumers. If your userbase trusts your integrity – as well as their safety – they will be more likely to remain loyal to your brand.
In an age where online data privacy is a big concern, it is important to establish a relationship with consumers in which they feel their privacy is respected. Being transparent about the company policies surrounding data sharing, or using features like two-factor authentication (2FA) go a long way in making consumers feel safe using your product.
💡 Did you know? According to a 2020 study done by Tableau4, 48% of global consumers have stopped buying from a company due to privacy concerns.
First impressions are everything – but they run deeper than superficial charm. Curating an enticing (and digestible) onboarding experience that lays out a new user's journey is crucial for building long-term loyalty. Balancing design, clear progression paths, and strategic IAP offers forges a bond that will outlast initial novelty and keep users engaged for longer.
💡Fun fact: Integrating a seamless and rewarding onboarding experience can increase retention rates by up to 50%5, reducing user churn.
With around 40% of mobile spenders indicating that they would be willing to spend more on personalized offers, this aspect of loyalty marketing is an increasingly important piece of the puzzle. Applications across different industries use personalization to great effect – from custom in-app offers based on prior spending habits, to unique CTAs that encourage repeat user behavior.
These techniques work together to create an exclusive experience, forging an emotional connection between business and consumer. By paying attention to users’ wants and needs, you show them that they matter – making them feel valued and solidifying a strong relationship.
Understanding the ins and outs of loyalty in the app marketplace is crucial for building long-term success. By forging strong business-customer relationships, offering a plethora of valuable incentives, and listening to your audience's needs, you’re well on your way to creating a loyal userbase that’s here to stay.
Are you a mobile game publisher looking to increase your LTV with a loyalty-driven approach? Partnering with Mistplay allows you to leverage our AI-driven UA and engagement platform to reward players for their time and spend.
Check out how publishers like Treeplla have boosted their D30 retention by 70% with the help of Mistplay and contact us today to unlock the true power of loyalty.
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