We rely on our mobile phones more than we did even a few years ago. We use smartphones to make calls, text, manage our schedules, and check our emails. Today, there’s an app for almost everything we do.
According to Business Of Apps, the number of apps ready to download from app stores has vastly multiplied. The iOS App Store started with only 500 apps in 2008. Now, around 1.85 million apps are available for download. Google’s Play Store holds about 2.56 million downloadable apps.
It’s important to note that aside from depending more on mobile apps, users have also developed new behaviors in the past few years. Consumers are gradually becoming more selective and concerned about how different brands handle their information.
What is Driving This New Behavior Among Consumers?
According to the latest report from Airship, a mobile app experience company, around 70% of consumers from the UK used shopping apps to find products from different industries before and during the coronavirus pandemic. This trend is an opportunity that should not be overlooked by marketers to create behaviors and website designs that use positive feedback to bring better products and services from brands to consumers.
The latest technology makes it possible for a plethora of brands to connect with customers no matter where they are located. Meanwhile, consumers who use apps also benefit from revealing their product and service preferences to create more customized services. In this way, consumers still have some control over what type of data they share and can mostly avoid brands that don’t work with their preferences and needs.
Why Consumers Allow Brands Communications
Around 40% of respondents located around the world will continue to get recommendations and communications from different brands if they have control over the channel, purpose, and frequency of communications.
Also included in the report published by Airship are the main reasons why UK consumers allow communications from different brands. These were the possibility of getting discounts or rewards, for confirming their orders, access to events such as a sale or offer, and shipping or delivery information with “click and collect” messages.
The report also presents the least likely reasons why consumers allow brand communications. Consumers may be interested in offers that are specific to their areas and thus opt for mobile brand messages. Consumers decide to unsubscribe from mobile brand communications if they think the offer is not relevant to their needs.
What Consumer Information is Shared Online?
If an offer is really hard to pass up, many UK consumers willingly provide their personal information just to take advantage of these deals. Brands that provide relevant offers and have offers similar to those found on their official website can expect better consumer engagement
The Airship report explains what kinds of information UK consumers are willing to share online just to qualify for an offer or special deal. Just 34% of consumers are enthusiastic about sharing the information found in their social media accounts with different brands. The report presented 15 kinds of personal information that consumers frequently share online. The most commonly shared personal information includes social values such as those regarding moral, environmental, religious, and political opinions.
The study also cites a high percentage of UK consumers who delete emails coming from brands they have frequently followed or subscribed to. Consumers belonging to the younger generations of shoppers rarely monitor their emails for discounts or deals.
The report also states that slightly half of the consumers willingly provide their mobile numbers to receive text messages. Less than 40% of consumers will share their numbers to get calls about special offers.
How to Keep Safe While Using Apps?
Custom-made software gives businesses a higher advantage compared to commercially-available applications. New and exciting applications are constantly available that change how we do our businesses, live and enjoy our lives.
Since we use different kinds of apps, we must do all we can to keep our data secure and enhance device security. CNET recommends the following to ensure mobile app security.
Accessing Public Wi-Fi? Use a VPN First
Most attacks happen when users access public Wi-Fi services. To avoid attacks, use a VPN or a virtual private network to avoid data snooping. A VPN will keep your data safe and mask all your transmissions.
Make sure to use a trustworthy VPN service. Free VPN apps are available online but be careful, some may not be reliable. Always read your VPN service agreement to learn what types of data are collected and how this information will be stored and used.
Always Update Your Smartphone OS
Updating your smartphone’s OS will keep your data safe and secure. These updates help users stay ahead of cybercriminals and their plans to hack your device and steal personal information. Experts recommend setting up automatic updates so you won’t forget.
Get To Know the Company Who Developed the App
It’s best to do a quick research about the company that developed the app or software you wish to install. A good way to find any negative posts, reviews, or information about an app is to add the phrase “scam” after the name of the app or the words “data scandal.” If you find any results, the company you’re trying to check out has recently experienced data breaches, leaks, or privacy attacks.
If your research shows that the company has encountered these many times and they haven’t done anything to address these issues then there’s no reason to download the app.
Review Apps Asking for Permissions
If you encounter an application asking for data access and you think this action is unnecessary, don’t allow access. Any irrelevant data access could be a red flag. Also, be mindful of permissions you provide to any app and check how your smartphone behaves or works after the download completes.
Be watchful for signs that your smartphone has been hacked after downloading an app. If your phone is running slower than usual, is freezing up or hanging, or battery life becomes questionable then the app you recently downloaded may be corrupted.
Take Advantage of Password Manager Apps
Use password manager apps that can generate strong passwords to keep your accounts safe. This app also keeps all passwords in an encrypted and secure application so you won’t have to worry about sharing your passwords with anyone. Also, avoid using similar passwords for different accounts.
Use Only Apps from Apple Store and Play Store
Download apps only from trusted sites such as the Apple Store and Google Play Store. Apps here are vetted to make sure they meet the highest quality of security. Getting apps from unofficial websites will make you more vulnerable to attacks like malware, ransomware, viruses, and spyware. In some rare cases, a hacker may not just take your data or personal information. He may even take complete control of your smartphone or network!
Before you download apps from these sites, check reviews and ratings. Be mindful of fraudulent, paid reviews used to boost the app’s ratings. Always choose reputable apps to keep your device safe and secure.
Final Words
Cybercriminals are always looking for the right time, the right moment to launch an attack. If you’re not ready or if you’re caught off guard, you can lose precious data or lose control of your device. Avoid these situations by always being mindful of the apps you download and to which you allow permissions on your device. Keep your smartphone software updated and download apps only from reliable sources.
Author Bio
Pranjal Bora works as Head of Product Development at Digital Authority Partners.
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