BATTLE OF
THE STIMULI

COLUMN /
Mike van der hulst

It’s a busy world, we all know that. Just count the number of times you are interrupted during the reading of this small piece of text. In terms of the number of stimuli, the difference between the year 1553 and 2018 is gigantic. Take a lifetime of stimuli during the middle ages. It only takes 3 months nowadays to reach that same level. It’s only logical that retailers are trying almost everything for just a brief moment of attention, but how much really sticks as 90% of all stimuli is generally filtered out? 

Let’s take apps as an example. Did you know that after installing an app, only 10% of these apps are still used after three months? Even worse, roughly 75% of users never use an app again 72 hours after installing it. Take your own smartphone, for example, I am sure that you have used less than 30% of the installed apps recently. 

That said, what does the total number of downloads say about the success of an app? For me, in this year and age, it’s all about making every moment count. I want people to keep coming back, I want fans, not downloads. 

At Kega we have several apps and we take a lot of time measuring the usage. I take great pride in the fact that on average 75% of the users use our apps on a daily basis. One of the key principles we use to achieve that is to incorporate the app into the daily habit loop (Charles Duhigg) of its users. Is there a reason to come back daily to the app? No? Why have an app at all? 

Trust me, creating and launching an app is easy, making sure that app is still relevant after three months and preferably even more relevant at that time is hard. Unfortunately, stories of retailers shelving solutions within 6 months seem to surface more frequently. When did this become the new standard? 

In a world full of stimuli, you do not want your message to be filtered out. We need to transform the fishing mentality, that basically means adding more and more stimuli and hope for the best, towards a 

hunter mentality trying to make every moment count. Yes, that’s not easy, it takes time and a lot of trial and error. It’s essentially an art worth taking the time to learn. 

And... How many times were you interrupted? 

Retail Bites · Kega
Retail Bites · Kega
11 July, 2016

from megastore to city concept the fast growth is normal innovation on staff nike house of innovation in line for your f...

Column | Where is the line between privacy and stalking? · Kega
Column | Where is the line between privacy and stalking? · Kega
11 July, 2016

WHERE IS THE LINE BETWEEN SERVICE AND STALKING? COLUMN / Evelien schrijver Privacy is hot! The rules are getting stricte...

Unboxing experience · Kega
Unboxing experience · Kega
11 July, 2016

Make your unboxing experience magic! COLUMN / Rene spaanderman Recently, after ages of searching, comparing, toing and f...