You've poured your heart and soul into building your mobile app with Shopney. But how do you tell if that hard work has truly paid off?
How can you measure if your app is driving sales as you expected and if it’s worth putting more money into your ad budget or spend that on improving it instead?
Let’s illustrate with an example. Imagine this: a potential customer is furiously scrolling on Instagram, and they suddenly see your ad.
It’s a new limited-edition sneaker.
You’ve captured their attention. They want to see more. They’re considering if it’s worth buying it and if the product is as they’re expecting after looking at the ad.
But when they click on the ad, instead of landing on the exact sneaker page within your app, they see your home screen.
Your potential customer is going to feel immediate confusion and irritation instead of reassured.
Do they have to manually search for the product now?
Many users will drop off. And you’ve lost a sale.
This is where deep links and attribution come in.
What are app deep links?
Deep links are essentially URLs that direct users to a specific page within your Shopify mobile app, instead of just launching the app and forcing them to manually figure out where that product or page is located within your app.
In simpler terms, think of it as a VIP pass or a digital shortcut that bypasses your app's homepage and navigates users directly to specific content within the app, increasing user experience and engagement and reducing drop-offs.
Types of deep links supported on Shopney
Shopney’s Shopify mobile app builder supports two types of deep links:
1. Default deep links
These URLs are direct shortcuts to a specific page or content within a mobile app, for example, taking a user to a specific product page in a shopping app. When they click on this link, one of two things can happen:
- If the App is Installed: The app opens immediately and takes you directly to that page. It's quick and seamless.
- If the App is Not Installed: This is where default deep links have a limitation. If you don't have the app installed, the link usually just opens the app's page in the app store or does nothing at all. It doesn't remember that you were interested in those shoes if you installed it and launched the app.
2. Deferred deep links
Deferred deep links are more advanced and user-friendly and solve the limitation we mentioned above. By using them, either of the two below actions can happen:
- If the App is Installed: Just like with default deep links, the app opens and takes you straight to the shoes.
- If the App is Not Installed: If you don't have the app, the link will take you to the app store to download the app first. After you install and open it, it remembers to take you directly to the product you are interested in. This ensures potential customers don't lose track of those shoes even if they have to go through the extra step of installing the app.
How to create deep links in Shopney?
Here's a step-by-step guide to creating deep links for your Shopify mobile app in your Shopney dashboard:
- Log into your Shopney dashboard and navigate to the 'Deep Link' tab.
- Inside the tab, you'll find two sections: 'Products' and 'Collections.' Decide whether you want to create a link for an individual product or for a collection. (You can easily switch between these two options as needed.)
- If you're in the 'Product' section, use the search bar to find a specific product. Alternatively, you can filter products by collections to narrow down your choices.
- Click on the product or collection for which you want to create a deep link. Shopney will automatically generate a unique link for it.
- Once your deep link is created, either copy the URL directly or download a QR Code that links to the same destination.
8 ways to use deep links in your Shopify store mobile app marketing strategy
Deep links can increase conversions for your Shopify mobile app. Here are ten ways you can include them in your next campaign:
1. Email campaigns
For e.g., you need to send a promotional email about a new product line.
Instead of directing customers to your website or your app’s home page, you embed a deep link in your email and send them straight to the product in your app.
This immediate access:
- reduces friction and potential distractions
- increases conversions and
- streamlines the customer journey from the inbox to the checkout
It also helps in accurate tracking of user engagement with your app; for eg, you can check:
- how many users clicked on the deep link
- how many proceeded to make a purchase, and
- identify which emailer is leading to high app engagement.
This data can help you refine your email marketing strategy, ensuring that each campaign is more targeted and effective than the last.
2. Social media marketing
When you’re running ads on Instagram or Facebook, a deep link can transport any interested users directly to the showcased product page.
Not only does this enhance user experience, but it also significantly shortens the customer journey from discovery to purchase. Similar to what we explained above, you can gather insights into what ads resonate better with your audience and are driving app traffic and conversions.
3. SMS marketing
Maybe you need to send a text message about a limited-time offer. Instead of a generic sms that will make users manually navigate through your app to find the deal, a deep link can take them straight to the offer page within your app.
This direct approach will increase immediate engagement and conversion and help track related metrics.
4. QR codes
QR codes with deep links are an interactive way to bring in your app to the physical world.
By embedding deep links into QR Codes in creatives like in-store displays, packaging, and flyers, you save customers the effort of having to remember that product or collection and manually look for it once they can (for example, a stable internet connection) and instead send customers to specific areas within your Shopify store's mobile app.
QR Codes with deep links are great for driving app downloads at events, pop-up shops, or even within traditional retail environments.
Additionally, you can also track which offline marketing activity is earning the most ROI by looking at scan rates and subsequent in-app behavior.
5. Push notifications
Push notifications have the advantage of reaching your high-intent users in seconds and bringing them to your app.
With the ability to send personalized alerts, you can send product recommendations or, say, a notification about a sale and land them on the right page, reducing the steps to checkout.
This ensures that each message is relevant and adds value to the user's experience.
6. Affiliate marketing
Besides your brand using deep links, you can also share them with influencers or business partners and help create a streamlined path for potential customers from their target audience.
Affiliates, whether they are bloggers, influencers, or review sites, can use these deep links in their content, like social media posts or even email newsletters.
When a potential customer reads a review or a post about a product and clicks on the deep link, they are taken straight to the product page in your app.
7. Content marketing
By adding deep links to your blog posts, how-to guides, or informative articles, you can ensure that readers can directly access and purchase any mentioned products or features in your app.
Customers can go from passive reading into active engagement, which shortens the customer journey from discovery to purchase.
8. Retargeting campaigns
Retargeting campaigns are far more effective when they repeatedly take an interested customer right back to the exact product they are interested in, increasing the chances of a conversion.
It’s a targeted approach that reminds the user of their initial interest and provides them with a frictionless route back to the product.
Implement deep links with Shopney
Deep links not only help you zero into attribution, helping you find exactly which campaigns, ads, or channels are driving traffic and sales but they also create a seamless experience for your customers.
They bridge the gap between your marketing efforts and your app, ensuring every click converts.
Want to learn more about how Shopney can help you leverage deep links for success?
