1APP Attracts New App Users to Retail Brands' Mobile Experiences

MENLO PARK, Calif., May 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- 1APP, the company providing instant access to mobile apps without any download or install, today announced InstantScan, which lets brands and developers provide a full app experience via a simple scan of a QR code, without ever asking a consumer to download an app. The newest distribution option in 1APP's OneOS cloud-based mobile operating system, InstantScan exposes apps to new users giving them frictionless, on-demand mobile content, in context, when it is most relevant to them. There is no change needed to the original mobile app to enable this instant experience on OneOS.

1APP's InstantScan allows customers visiting a physical store to take a picture of a QR code through Snapchat and instantly run a fully-functional mobile app without first going through an app store to download and install the app. Apps may be directly opened from deep links to specific sections of the app such as promotions, coupons and product information, providing a more contextual and useful experience to the consumer. With the recently announced support for Snapcodes – a deep linked QR code inside the Snapchat app – most U.S. consumers now have access to a QR code reader, giving them the opportunity to experience apps instantly from Snapchat.  

A recent trial at local Starbucks stores showed the power of bringing relevant apps instantly to customers visiting a physical location. Customers were offered the opportunity to use the Starbucks app instantly by taking a picture of a QR code through Snapchat. Twenty-seven percent of people who walked into the stores experienced the Starbucks app instantly for the first time without having to install it on their phones. Overall, 60 percent of store visitors with Snapchat chose to try out the Starbucks app through InstantScan.

"It's amazing to see the impact on app discovery and usage for even as popular an app as Starbucks when you make it available instantly through 1APP," said 1APP CEO and co-founder Raheel Hasan. "Imagine what it could do for brick-and-mortar retailers that struggle to find new mobile users who generally have little incentive to give retail apps any real estate on their phones. Through this new distribution model, retailers can engage customers that have never been compelled to download their app before, and consumers receive instant gratification by using the app when they need it most."

In addition to featuring promotional content, such as coupons and sales, InstantScan will also allow retailers to merge offline and online inventory. An in-store customer can use InstantScan to scan a QR code on an item's price tag and through deep links will immediately be taken to the item on the store's app, accessing both online and offline inventory simultaneously. The customer could then buy the item from within the 1APP experience and have the item shipped directly, without ever having to download the store's mobile app.

Retailers in today's app ecosystem face a lot of resistance in getting their app downloaded due to app fatigue and the friction consumers feel when downloading through app stores. A report from Market Force shows that 64 percent of U.S. consumers don't even know if their favorite fashion retailer has a mobile app. InstantScan removes these app download and discovery barriers for businesses by making apps available in context where users expect to find and use them.

Previously launched distribution modes include InstantShare, which uses social channels such as Facebook and Messenger for app discovery and use, and InstantClick, which allows apps to be shared through a simple weblink embedded in mobile ads, emails and SMS. 1APP's newest offering, InstantScan can be used with Snapchat or any other app with QR capabilities and merges the digital and physical shopping experience to get retail apps discovered and instantly used. InstantScan and the entire OneOS suite continually provides companies with new ways to deliver apps instantly through any channel.

For more information on InstantScan, please visit: https://www.1app.com/products/instantscan/.

About 1APP

1APP is completely changing the way mobile apps are discovered and used. Through its proprietary cloud-based mobile operating system OneOS, 1APP makes apps instantly usable on any connected device. Now anyone with an audience has the power to instantly deliver full-featured native apps directly to their customers, leapfrogging the challenges of discovering and downloading from the app store. Through 1APP, apps can be instantly accessed, embedded, or shared anywhere through a simple weblink. Founded in 2012 by veteran cloud developers, 1APP is a privately held company based in Menlo Park, California. For more information about 1APP, please visit https://www.1app.com/.

SOURCE 1APP

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