How to Improve Customer Retention by Customer Feedback - Proven Tips Inside

Retention, keeping customers coming back, is one of the most powerful levers you have as an online business owner. Acquiring new customers is expensive. Making sure the ones you already have stay happy, come back, and buy again is much more cost-effective.

If you use an app like Native Mobile App Builder, your goal isn’t just to build a slick mobile app. It’s to make that app valued by your customers so they keep using it, keep buying, and maybe even tell their friends. One of the best ways to do that? Listen to your customers. Their feedback, suggestions, and complaints, they are gold.

In this blog, I’ll share why customer voice matters, how to collect honest feedback, what to do with it, plus actionable ideas you can use today. By the end, you’ll have a clear roadmap to improve retention for your Shopify store + app combo.

Why “Hearing from Customers” Makes Retention Work

Before we get into how to collect feedback, let’s talk about why it’s so important. Some studies & eCommerce experts show that brands with higher retention are the ones with strong customer feedback loops. Other findings say:

• Retention costs far less than acquiring new customers.
• If people feel heard — their complaints addressed, suggestions implemented, they develop loyalty. (Few businesses use this, so doing it well gives you an edge.)

When customers feel your app actually changes because of their feedback, they feel more invested. That turns into repeat purchases, fewer churns, and often, free word-of-mouth advertising.

What Kinds of Things Customers Usually Complain About

To hear well, first you should know what to listen for. Some common themes customers often mention:

• App bugs or glitches: something doesn’t work as expected. Maybe notifications are late, or the app doesn’t sync properly.
• Confusing interface: they don’t know how to do something, or it takes many steps to reach something simple.
• Slow performance: delay in loading, lag when scrolling or switching screens.
• Less transparency: when users don’t know when new features will be updated, or when the pricing is unclear.
• Poor customer support: slow response or unhelpful responses.

How to Collect Honest Feedback

Collecting feedback isn't hard, but doing it right matters alot. Here are methods that tend to give you honest, useful responses for the Mobile App Builder or any app-store + Shopify combo.

1. In-app surveys

After a user completes an important action (makes a purchase, uses a feature, cancels subscription), show a simple survey: “How was your experience?” Keep it 1-2 questions.

2.Follow-up emails

Send an email a few days after purchase: “How did you find using the app?” or “Any suggestions for how we can improve?”

3. Feedback button/support chat inside the app

Let users report issues or suggestions easily. Don’t make them search for support pages.

4. Behavior tracking

Watch how users behave: where they drop off, what features they love, what actions are rarely used. That helps you detect unsaid issue points.

5. Public reviews & social media

Monitor reviews in the app store, Shopify forums, or social media. Sometimes people are more candid there.

What to Do After You Hear Feedback

Collecting feedback is only half the job. What you do with the feedback decides whether the retention goes up or stays flat.

• Analyze and prioritize accordingly

  Not every request can be done immediately. Group feedback by importance: what annoys many users, what’s blocking core usage, what’s nice-to-have.

• Implement small changes fast

  If users say something repeatedly like “notifications are slow,” work on improving that. Even small wins matter.

• Communicate with your users

  Tell users: “We heard you, notifications are now faster,” or, “We fixed the loading issue on the home screen.” When customers see you act, trust increases.

• Test the new changes

  Before releasing any new changes, test with a small group of users. Does the solution solve the issue or just shift it somewhere else?

• Measure the outcome

  After you apply the changes, track the retention: how many customers return after 1 week / 1 month, and app usage frequency.

How Webplanex- Mobile App Builder Can Help You

The following features can make getting feedback from customers and acting on it easier:

• Push Notifications: You can send updates to users about new changes or improvements, bug fixes, or just ask for feedback.
• Analytics: See which screens are used most often, where users drop off. This helps you spot friction.
• Feature Updates Sync Automatically: Because changes you make in WebPlanex get live in the mobile app without manual work, you can quickly roll out fixes.
• Feedback Makeover: Have feedback options inside the app or support link so users can reach out without leaving.

Because everything’s in sync and easier to update, you can iterate quickly. Quick fixes matter a lot to retention.

Strategies & Ideas You Can Use Today

Here are concrete ideas that many businesses (especially those using mobile apps + Shopify stores) have used, which you can apply now.

1. Welcome / Onboarding Series

First time someone installs your app or joins, send a sequence: “Thanks for installing → here’s how to use key features → here’s how to get the most value.” Good onboarding reduces churn.

2. VIP / Loyalty Program for App Users

Let people who buy via the app often get perks: early access, small discounts, and extra free content.

3. Personalized Push Notifications

Use behavior data: if someone looked at a product but didn’t buy, remind them. If someone hasn’t opened the app in a while, send a “we miss you” offer.

4. Ask for Feedback After Big Events

After a major feature release or after a sale, ask customers how they liked the experience. “Did our new update help?” Questions like that.

5. Give Rewards for Repeat Purchases

Think of app-only deals, small discount codes, or future credits. These boost repeat buying.

6. Improving App Performance & UX After Feedback

If many users say one screen is slow or confusing, fix it. Try rearranging the layout or reducing steps.

7. Use rewarding Surveys

For those who give feedback, reward them slightly, maybe a discount or free in-app perk. Makes more people answer honestly.

8. Transparency & Setting Expectations

If something is being worked on (bug, new feature), tell users. “We’re fixing this, expected ETA is this.” People appreciate honesty and feel more forgiving.

Measure Retention & Success

You’ll want to track certain numbers so you know whether your retention efforts are working. Using Mobile App Builder by WebPlanex + Shopify analytics, consider tracking:

• Repeat purchase rate (how many customers buy again in a given time)
• App open frequency (how often people open your app)
• Drop off point (where users stop using)
• Customer satisfaction
• Feedback volume vs resolution time (how many feedbacks are resolved and how fast)

Conclusion

Retention isn’t magic. It’s work. But work that pays off. Your customers know what they like, what they don’t. If you build listening into how you run your app + store, collecting feedback, solving issues, communicating changes, you’ll not only keep more customers but make them advocates.

With Shopify Mobile App Builder by WebPlanex, you have tools that make feedback, updates, and changes simpler. Use those tools. Listen. Fix. Tell. Repeat. Your retention will improve. Your store will become stronger. And your customers will stay, because they feel heard.