Understanding When to Use Web2App and How to Do It Well — Thomas Petit, Independent App Consultant

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Aug 21, 2024

Thomas Petit, an independent app consultant specializing in web to app strategies, shares his insights on the complexities of transitioning from web to app. He emphasizes that avoiding app store fees isn’t the main benefit of web2app. Instead, advantages include improved user journeys, better targeting through dual campaigns, and effective B2B billing solutions. Petit also discusses the importance of understanding user intent and leveraging various payment options, ensuring a tailored approach for different audiences.

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ADVICE

Simple Web-to-App

Web-to-app doesn't require a full web app; start with a simple landing page.
This allows you to collect attribution data and craft specific messaging.

INSIGHT

Context Matters

Web-to-app success depends heavily on context, including app type and user journey.
Consider how users discover your app and tailor experiences accordingly.

ANECDOTE

Blinkist's Approach

Blinkist pioneered web-to-app, tailoring landing pages to match the ad's context.
They created article-like pages for ads placed alongside news content.

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On the podcast: How to find success with web2app, the value (and challenges) of “owning the transaction”, and why avoiding app store fees isn’t a great reason to experiment with web2app, but might work out anyway.

Key Takeaways:

💰 There’s much more to web2app than avoiding app store fees - In fact, looking at app store fees alone disregards the benefits of going via the app store, such as a substantially better conversion rate. Even if web acquisition is cheaper, those users are not worth the same to your business.

🔍 Better advantages of web2app to focus on include… Greater flexibility with attribution, access to new audiences (via organic and paid), and support for B2B use cases, among others.

💼 Use web2app for B2B billing - IAPs lack an elegant solution for B2B billing, whether it’s making it easy for individuals to expense purchases or offering teams a simple way to manage group billing.

🎯 Web2App allows for greater customization of user journeys - To fully capitalize on web funnels, tailor user journeys based on their entry point — for instance, a user coming from a branded Google search shouldn’t see the same journey as one coming from TikTok.

📈 Web2App is crucial for scaling up advertising - When ad campaigns plateau, running both web and app campaigns in parallel helps reach new audiences and convert users who might not engage with app install ads alone. This approach allows for better targeting and expands your overall reach.

About Guest:

👨‍💻Independent subscription app growth consultant.

💸Thomas has worked with hundreds of clients and helped manage tens of millions of dollars in ad spend.

👋LinkedIn

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Episode Highlights:

[1:48] Web2App: The advantages of capturing users on the web before sending them to your app.

[6:51] One size doesn’t fit all: To reap the benefits of web2app, don’t just create one user experience on the web.

[11:30] Catch-22: The trade-offs of owning your customer transactions on the web versus paying app store fees.

[27:21] Learn by example: Who’s doing web2app well — and why it works for them.

[37:45] To B2B or not to B2B: How web2app helps B2B apps overcome the team billing and expensing challenges of in-app purchases.

[41:55] Owning it: Owning your transactions on the web can be a great way to reduce churn.

[44:34] World wide(er) web: Break through marketing plateaus by running both web and app ad campaigns in parallel.

[53:52] Cross-platformer: A web2app flow can help you go beyond the App Store and Google Play (to Roku, Apple TV, or the Amazon Appstore) to reach a wider audience.