Apple is known for the matchless experience it offers to customers all around the globe.
App Clips are one such feature that enables users to get access to little slices of apps and take quick actions.
It saves users from the strain of forced downloads and gives them immediate access to specific features of the app.
From making payments at restaurants to buying tickets for events, app clips can make anything easier and faster for the users.
Let us dive right in and find out more!
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What are App Clips by Apple?
App clips are iOS applications that are a part of a full-fledged app, but offer a specific set of features to users on a light weight version.
This could be any task like scanning a document, making a payment, booking an event ticket, or more.
Here, customers are neither forced to visit a website nor to download a full-fledged application of a brand just to avail a part of its benefits.
From ordering take-out from a food joint, to renting a scooter, or setting up a new smart device with a digital infrastructure, users can accomplish it all within seconds.
As per Apple, “App Clips are a great way for users to quickly access and experience what an app has to offer. It is a small part of an app that’s discoverable at the moment it’s needed. App Clips are fast and lightweight so a user can open them quickly.”
This sums up the outstanding nature of App Clips that makes them absolutely desirable. Since users always have the option of downloading the full app, the clips can act like teasers and draw users towards your actual app without being too intrusive.
Technically, you can market your actual app to users without actually advertising it, and offering immediate assistance to them instead.
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How do App Clips work?
Developers can create app clips with Xcode. As per Apple, “with Xcode, one can add an App Clip target to their app’s project, share code and assets between the App Clip and the full app, and build, run, and debug their App Clip.
Sounds too technical?
Then leave this part to developers, and read to know how app clips function in the real world.
Brands or app publishers can choose how they want the app clips to get triggered. This can be done in a variety of ways.
This includes:
- Scanning a QR code that will prompt users to open a clip
- Searching for restaurants or other services in Google Maps
- Sending and receiving app clips through iMessage
- Sharing an app clip URL on social media
In addition to this, app clips may also come with ‘App Clip Codes’, that are special QR codes containing graphic images and NFC (Near Field Communication) tag. Users can just bring the phone close to the codes or point the gadget’s camera at the code to open the app clips.
Usually, the app clips open in the bottom half of the phone screen. Some instructions appear on the screen, telling users what and how to do.
When users initiate engagement, the full screen apps appear and allow users to complete specific actions without necessarily downloading the full app.
App Clips support Apple Pay and Apple ID that enables users to instantly pay for products and services. In fact, several app clips can be developed for one app, for different use cases.
If users choose to download the full app after using the app clip, the data can get transferred. Users can choose to download the full-fledged app or delete the app clips later from their App Library.
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Popular applications and uses of App Clips
App clips offer the desired app features to your users as and when they need them.
This frees them from the cognitive burden of downloading the full app and makes access more convenient and quicker.
While most people think that app clips are only limited to scanning codes and making payments for products and services, the utility of such mini-app versions goes far beyond that.
App clips can provide quick service or show instructions while helping users perform a desired task. This can include the following or more:
- Ordering & paying for food or drinks
- Availing on-demand taxi services
- Renting a car or a bike
- Paying for parking or fuel
- Shopping from grocery stores
- Booking tickets for events
There are many brands that are already leveraging this feature to the fullest. Let us walk you through some very popular examples that you can derive inspiration from:
- Elloveo: It is a Science and games app that has an app clip to enable users to try before buying.
- ParkWhiz: The app helps users find and pay for parking spots all across the United States. The app clip enables users to make quick payments for parking spots.
- Panera Bread: It is a popular food & beverage app, and the app clip displays the menu for a local outlet and allows users to order directly from within the Apple Maps.
You can get many more examples of popular iOS apps that have app clips designed to fulfil immediate needs of their targeted customers.
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Benefits of offering App Clips to your consumers
Now that you know so much about app clips, let us also discover the benefits of offering app clips to users. We have listed some of the obvious ones below:
1: Offer ease of usage
The first and foremost benefit is that it offers immense ease and convenience to users.
You can engage with your potential customers without forcing them to download the app and offer the features and advantages of your app with a few clicks.
It makes your brand available for users as and when they need it, thereby amplifying your prospects of success.
2: Engage & attract
App clips can catch quick attention of potential customers.
For instance, a customer that is scrolling the web and catches your advertisement for an event, can easily pause and book tickets at that very instance.
Thus, unlike apps where convincing users to download and install is a challenge, app clips can help you engage with them instantly and quickly.
3: Close deals quickly
Many customers usually abandon a brand when they are forced to download an app or look for one particular feature amidst a web of others on the website.
On the other hand, app clips can let customers access those features anywhere, anytime without any hassle, and motivate customers to finish transactions and purchases.
This enables you to acquire more leads and qualify them without friction.
4: Instill trust & confidence
App clips are as secure as any app. Besides, users generally remain skeptical about downloading an entire app and sharing their data at first.
However, offering small versions of the app can help your users test the waters, and instill confidence and trust in them.
Once they have tried and tested the small version, it will not take much convincing to get them to download the full app.
5: Increased traffic and conversions
All the benefits listed above boil down to the fact that app clips can help you offer immediate services and benefits to your users and hence, increase your profit.
Once the users are content and satisfied, you can push the idea of downloading your entire app without being too intrusive.
Increase your traffic and conversions organically, and build a base of dedicated customers that find value in your products and services and remain a fan of it in the long run.
Wrapping up!
That was all about App Clips!
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