Co-op App Store Optimisation

Driving downloads and visibility for the Co-op Membership App

ProductCo-op App

HQManchester, UK

SectorRetail

Size5 million members

Client Since2017

Services

Retail

App optimisation and conversion

Loyalty

Customer acquisition and retention

Key achievements

App impressions increased by +297% on iOS YoY and 238% on Android YoY
In 2023, the app was downloaded over 2.3 million times, a 78% YoY growth on iOS
Co-op app featured in relevant App Store collections, increasing impressions by +27% and downloads by +26% MoM
Community Fridges In-App Event drove just under 1 million impressions and 1000s of app downloads

What you need to know

Building an exceptional, purpose-lead digital product is one thing, persuading customers to download and use it is something else - this is where Apadmi’s App Optimisation team step in to unlock value.

As one of the world’s largest consumer Co-operatives and the fifth biggest grocer in the UK, the Co-op leads the way in food retail. Having pioneered its innovative member-owned approach more than 100 years ago, creating a seamless digital version was an obvious next step.

In 2020, Apadmi and Co-op launched the new Co-op app, digitising membership complete with a bundle of exclusive features, including weekly personalised offers, the ability to donate balances to local causes and Apple and Google Wallet integration to store digital membership cards.

An ongoing goal for the business has been to increase active Members, year on year, by re-engaging inactive Co-op Members and acquiring new ones. This is where Apadmi’s App Store Optimisation service has performed brilliantly.

We’d been doing a bit of ASO on the side but we wanted to bring it into the strategic marketing mix. Apadmi presented us with a brilliant ASO strategy, and there’s been some fantastic work done over the years. We’ve had huge increases year on year for new members and huge increases year on year for app downloads. I really can’t advocate the team enough and the general specialism that’s been brought into our business with Apadmi.

Dominic Adams Ecommerce and Membership Marketing Manager, Co-op

How we moved the market

The last two years has seen Apadmi’s App Store experts and community management team not just meet, but help exceed Co-op’s member acquisition goals and take member benefits to a larger audience.

Prospective members were wooed with a calendar of In-App Events throughout the year, highlighting the many ways Co-op gives back to both its members and their communities. The Apadmi App Store Marketing team also found opportunities to update product page assets, carry out A/B testing on product page screenshots, optimise keywords and identify promotional collections to drive member acquisition.

Highlighting the Community Fridges campaign (social spaces where anyone can share surplus food from supermarkets and local businesses) piqued the interest of Apple's editorial team, leading to an exclusive promotion in the App Store. Apadmi produced specific artwork for the feature which was live for two weeks boosting Co-op impressions by +133% and driving several thousand app downloads.

Seasonal campaigns were also used to promote relevant member offers. The ‘Enjoy Summer with Co-op’ promotion provided exclusive member deals, access to BBQ recipes and showed how shopping at Co-op helped support local communities. The App Store editorial team featured the campaign on the ‘Get Your Groceries’ collection on the main App Store Today page, boosting visibility of the Co-op app to new audiences. Impressions increased by +27% and downloads by +26% MoM.

Apadmi’s specialists also used ASO methods such as Custom Product Pages to promote new Member Prices within the app stores, which was a £240 million investment across five years, saving Co-op Members up to £300 a year on their shopping.