Finding ways to engage users is crucial for any cinema mobile app's success.
Luckily, there are proven techniques like loyalty programs, personalized recommendations, and social sharing that can dramatically boost engagement.
In this post, we'll explore actionable strategies to implement these features to increase monthly active users, average session length, and overall engagement for your cinema app.
Introduction to Cinema Mobile Apps
Cinema mobile apps provide a convenient way for moviegoers to browse showtimes, purchase tickets, and access special offers directly from their smartphones. As movie theaters look to improve customer engagement, mobile apps offer features that can encourage visits and increase loyalty.
Defining Cinema Mobile Apps
Cinema mobile apps are software applications developed specifically for movie theaters and cinema chains. Key features include:
- Browse movie showtimes and synopses
- Securely purchase tickets on mobile device
- Store payment information for faster checkout
- Access loyalty programs and special offers
- Receive customized movie recommendations
- Share movie trailers and reviews on social media
By consolidating these features into an easy-to-use mobile platform, cinemas can improve convenience and accessibility for smartphone-savvy customers.
Benefits of Cinema Mobile Apps
There are several key benefits cinema mobile apps can provide:
- Increased ticket sales - Allowing online ticket purchases directly through the app eliminates barriers in the checkout process. Stored payment info also enables express checkout.
- Improved customer loyalty - Loyalty programs and special offers reward customers and incentivize repeat visits.
- Enhanced engagement - Features like trailers, reviews, and recommendations keep customers engaged with the cinema outside of movie visits.
- Valuable customer data - Analytics provide insight into customer behavior to inform business and marketing decisions.
As more customers rely on their smartphones daily, cinema mobile apps allow movie theaters to continually engage this audience and provide a convenient way to browse movies, purchase tickets, and access rewards.
Can I watch movies that are in theaters at home?
While major theater releases are typically exclusive to cinemas upon initial release, there are a few legal options to watch recent theatrical movies at home:
- Fandango's "Fandango At Home": This section of the Vudu streaming service allows you to rent or purchase major movie releases that are currently playing in theaters. Rental periods are typically 48 hours.
- Simultaneous theater/streaming releases: Some studios like Disney and Warner Bros. have experimented with releasing certain movies both theatrically and on streaming services simultaneously. For example, Disney released films like Black Widow and Jungle Cruise on Disney+ Premier Access the same day they hit theaters.
- Wait for streaming release: Most major studio films that have a theatrical run will be available on streaming and VOD services 90-120 days after theater release. So if you can wait 2-4 months after a movie hits theaters, you can typically watch it legally online.
- Torrents/piracy: There are illegal methods like torrents to download and stream movies currently in theaters. However, we advise against piracy, as it harms the film industry.
The availability of simultaneous streaming/theater releases is still limited, so services like Fandango At Home or waiting for the post-theater streaming release are the best legal options for impatient movie fans. Major streaming services like HBO Max have committed to shortening the theatrical-to-streaming window as well.
What is the best app for finding movie theaters?
Fandango is considered one of the best movie ticket apps for finding theaters and showtimes. Here are some of the key reasons why:
- Huge theater database: Fandango has listings for over 40,000 screens across hundreds of theaters in the US and Canada. You can easily find movies playing near you.
- Up-to-date showtimes: Fandango's showtime information is updated in real-time, so you'll always get the latest timings. This helps avoid going to a sold-out show.
- Ticket purchasing: You can directly buy movie tickets from the Fandango app and skip lines at the theater. This makes the moviegoing process quick and convenient.
- Ratings and reviews: See Rotten Tomatoes ratings and read user reviews before deciding what movie to watch. This helps pick something you'll likely enjoy.
- Spotlight curated content: Fandango editors highlight upcoming and limited release movies you may have otherwise missed. This allows discovering new films to watch.
In summary, Fandango should be on every movie buff's phone for its unmatched theaters database, up-to-date showtimes, easy ticket buying, helpful reviews, and curated recommendations. It takes the guesswork out of picking a film and theater.
What is the point of fandango?
Fandango provides a convenient online and mobile platform for customers to access up-to-date movie showtimes, theater information, and easy ticket purchasing.
Some key benefits Fandango offers include:
- Access to showtimes and theater information across the United States
- Mobile ticketing - purchase movie tickets directly through the Fandango app and website
- Reviews and ratings from verified audience members to help customers select a film
- Special deals and promotions only available through Fandango
By centralizing showtime and ticketing information in one platform, Fandango makes the moviegoing process smooth and simple for customers. Offering mobile ticketing and a streamlined checkout process allows moviegoers to skip lines at the theater.
Overall, Fandango aims to improve the moviegoing experience through convenience and ease of access. Providing this service for free encourages more customers to use Fandango to plan their next trip to the movies.
Is the Fandango app free?
Yes, the Fandango movie ticket app is free to download and use. Users can access many helpful features without paying anything, including:
- Browse movie showtimes and purchase tickets at over 30,000 screens nationwide
- View Rotten Tomatoes ratings and reviews from both critics and fans
- Watch movie trailers, clips, and behind-the-scenes videos
- Save favorite theaters and get notifications about new movies and events
- Earn rewards points for ticket purchases that can be redeemed for movie-related perks
There is also a premium Fandango VIP option that provides some additional benefits for a monthly or yearly subscription fee. However, the base Fandango app remains completely free and provides a full-featured moviegoing experience.
So whether you're an occasional or avid moviegoer, the Fandango app makes it simple to find films and buy tickets without any upfront costs. The convenience and ease of use has made it one of the most popular ticket purchasing apps with over 55 million downloads to date.
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Using Loyalty Programs to Increase Engagement
Loyalty programs integrated into cinema mobile apps give customers incentives to keep using the app and visiting the theater, driving increased engagement.
Reward Points and Status Tiers
Implementing a rewards program in your cinema mobile app allows you to incentivize customers to engage more frequently. Here are some best practices:
- Offer reward points for actions like checking into movies, writing reviews, referring friends. More points = greater rewards.
- Create membership tiers (Gold, Platinum) with additional perks to motivate users to actively earn more points.
- Personalize rewards based on movie preferences and habits. This makes the program more valuable to each user.
Rewarding your loyal customers will encourage them to keep opening and interacting with your app.
Exclusive Promotions
Giving your VIP members exclusive perks makes the loyalty program more worthwhile:
- Early access to ticket sales and special screenings
- Discounts on concessions
- Free upgrades like popcorn and drinks
Promoting these special offers directly through push notifications on your app builds excitement and gives members reasons to keep checking back.
Personalizing promotions based on movie taste gives customers more relevant offers, increasing the chances they'll take advantage of the deals. Segment your users and tailor exclusive perks to encourage loyalty across all your audience groups.
Personalized Recommendations
Using customer data to provide personalized recommendations for new and relevant movies via the cinema app keeps customers engaged with customized content.
Preferences and Viewing History
The cinema mobile app can track the types of movies a customer watches and likes based on their viewing history and engagement with content in the app. This allows the app to build a user profile to understand the specific movie genres, actors, directors, and themes that resonate most with each individual user.
With this understanding of a user's preferences, the app can then provide personalized recommendations for upcoming movie releases that align with the user's unique tastes. As new movies are added to the theater's listings, the app can match the details of each movie to users who are likely to enjoy that content.
For example, if a user frequently watches and gives high ratings to Marvel superhero movies, the app can recommend new Marvel releases as soon as they are added. This tailored matching keeps customers engaged by providing suggestions for content they are highly likely to watch and enjoy.
Notifications for Recommended Titles
Enabled notifications allow the cinema mobile app to proactively reach out to users with timely alerts about recommended movies coming soon to the theater. These notifications keep both the app and the movie theater top of mind for users by reminding them to check the app for movies aligned to their preferences.
For example, when a new action movie is added that matches a user's viewing history, the app can send them a notification highlighting that new release and prompting them to check the app for more details and showtimes. This drives re-engagement with minimal effort for the user.
Keeping customers updated on relevant new movies ensures they will open the app to check out personalized recommendations as part of their movie discovery process. Ongoing notifications make it easy for users to stay on top of upcoming releases they will likely be most interested in watching.
Integrating Social Sharing
By incorporating social sharing tools into the cinema mobile app, customers can easily promote the theater and movies to friends which furthers organic reach and engagement.
Share Showtimes on Social Media
Allowing customers to share showtimes for movies on their social media feeds spreads awareness and can drive group ticket sales. Here are some tips:
- Build a "Share" button into the app that lets users easily post showtimes from the movie details page or their personalized watchlist. Integrate with popular platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.
- When a user shares a showtime, include compelling images like the movie poster, trailer screenshots, or even customized graphics with the theater name. This makes the posts more eye-catching.
- Allow users to tag the theater and movie studio accounts in their posts for further reach. Many movie fans follow major studio accounts.
- Incentivize sharing by providing loyalty points, free snacks, or ticket discounts to users who share showtimes. This encourages more users to promote your theater.
Movie Rating and Reviews
Letting app users rate films and share written reviews to their social networks allows friends to see opinions on movies. Consider:
- Build a 5-star rating component for each movie details page. Allow users to leave a rating + short text review.
- Allow linking reviews to Twitter, Facebook. Friends and followers see opinions.
- Aggregate ratings from your audience to show average local community ratings. This provides more relevant insight than generic Rotten Tomatoes scores.
- Reward active reviewers with loyalty perks. This incentivizes quality contributions.
- Moderating poor reviews maintains a constructive environment.
Integrated social sharing unlocks free word-of-mouth marketing. With thoughtful features that reward engagement, cinemas can leverage customers to promote their brand and movies.
Measuring Mobile App Engagement
Key metrics like monthly active users, session length, and conversion rate should be tracked to optimize the app experience and loyalty program for higher engagement.
Monthly and Daily Active Users
Comparing monthly and daily active users over time indicates whether engagement efforts like recommendations and promotions are working to drive adoption.
- Track both monthly active users (MAU) and daily active users (DAU) in the cinema mobile app analytics to measure engagement over time
- Compare month-over-month and week-over-week MAU and DAU trends to see if users are returning regularly
- MAU indicates reach and adoption - is your user base growing?
- DAU shows depth of engagement - are users engaged day to day?
- If MAU is increasing but DAU is flat, your user acquisition efforts are working but more should be done to drive habitual use
- DAU/MAU ratio is a key metric - benchmark against industry standards
- Alerts and notifications can be optimized to improve DAU based on these trends
Average Session Length
Monitoring the average session length shows whether the app experience is compelling or needs improvement to keep users' attention.
- Track average session length per user over time as an engagement metric
- Compare it to industry benchmarks - is your cinema app above or below?
- Longer session lengths signal an engaging experience worth returning to
- Short lengths may indicate UX issues or lack of compelling features
- Try A/B testing UX changes and monitor effects on session length
- Personalized recommendations, social features, and exclusive content can all help drive longer sessions
By closely tracking key engagement metrics like monthly and daily active users and average session length, cinema owners can optimize their mobile apps to be more engaging and useful for moviegoers. This leads to better adoption, retention, and ultimately higher customer lifetime value.
Best Practices for Cinema App Engagement
Following UX design best practices, offering exclusive rewards, and integrating with social platforms are key strategies to boost engagement.
Intuitive and Seamless UX Design
An intuitive user experience is critical for driving engagement with a cinema mobile app. Here are some best practices to follow:
- Ensure key actions like finding movies, buying tickets, and managing accounts are simple and seamless. Reduce the number of taps needed to complete tasks.
- Personalize the experience by allowing users to save favorite theaters, movies, and more. Provide recommendations based on preferences.
- Implement swipe gestures, infinite scroll, and responsive design for an app that feels natural on any device.
- Streamline checkout with autofill and touch ID to expedite ticket purchases.
- Use animations and microinteractions to delight users and reinforce actions.
By focusing on crafting an effortless user experience, a cinema app becomes a pleasure for moviegoers to use anytime. This drives habit-forming engagement.
Targeted Push Notifications
Push notifications allow a cinema app to strategically re-engage users by delivering timely, relevant messages. Best practices include:
- Segment users and only send genre-specific notifications based on movie preferences. Avoid spamming everyone with every update.
- Promote new movie trailers and releases based on watchlists and previously expressed interest.
- Offer exclusive discounts or loyalty rewards to incentivize ticket purchases directly within push notifications.
- Send notifications promoting re-engagement only a few times per week at most to avoid oversaturation.
- Allow easy opt-out while prominently highlighting benefits of notifications.
By personalizing push notification content and cadence based on user behaviors, a cinema app can effectively prompt engagement without being intrusive.
Conclusion
Implementing features like loyalty programs, personalized recommendations, and social sharing in a custom-built cinema mobile app can drive higher customer engagement and app usage. Here are some key takeaways:
- Loyalty programs reward frequent customers, incentivizing them to keep using the app to earn points, redeem rewards, and level up their status. This drives habitual usage.
- Personalized recommendations serve customers content that matches their interests and preferences, keeping them engaged with relevant offers and suggestions. This leads to higher conversion rates.
- Social sharing integration allows customers to share their movie opinions, ratings, and theater visits with friends. This virality gets more users active in the app.
Tracking key engagement KPIs in analytics provides insight to further optimize the mobile experience. Metrics to monitor include:
- Daily/monthly active users
- Pages/content viewed per session
- Average session duration
- Loyalty program enrollment and tier progression
- Purchase conversions driven by recommendations
- Social sharing frequency
Continuously improving these metrics indicates that your cinema mobile app is effectively engaging customers, supporting business growth objectives.
