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Reviewing Afterpay's App Store Strategy

November 11th, 2024

Reviewing Afterpay's App Store Strategy
David Quinn

by David Quinn

VP of Strategy & Partnerships at Gummicube, Inc.

As the holiday season approaches, many shoppers are seeking flexible ways to manage the costs of gifts for friends and family. Afterpay has quickly become a popular choice in the Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) market, providing users with convenient, interest-free payment options at a wide range of retailers. By breaking down purchases into manageable installments, Afterpay offers a stress-free way to spread out holiday shopping expenses without compromising the joy of giving. As competition heats up in the app store this holiday season, it’s essential for BNPL to capture user attention and stand out through effective App Store Optimization (ASO). 

Despite its success, Afterpay’s app store presence still offers room for improvement, especially regarding its metadata and creative assets. Although it ranks well for key search terms, optimizing these elements can enhance both visibility and user engagement. In this critique, we’ll explore Afterpay's app store listing on iOS, pinpointing areas for optimization that could improve conversion rates and organic visibility.

SEARCH RESULT VIEW

Upon performing searches on iOS for high-volume terms like “buy now pay later” or “installments,” Afterpay consistently ranks at the top of the results. Users are first greeted with its title, “Afterpay – Buy Now, Pay Later,” and subtitle, “Shop fashion, beauty, and tech.” These elements immediately clarify the app’s core functionality, emphasizing its service offering of allowing users to make purchases and pay in installments.

What stands out in Afterpay’s iOS search result presentation is its use of static screenshots. Although the app does not utilize a feature video, the screenshots play a critical role in conveying the app’s value. These images showcase Afterpay’s core features and its partnerships with popular retailers, highlighting the ease of use and flexibility of its payment options.

Though Afterpay is doing some things well with their metadata, there is still room for improvement. To further engage users, Afterpay could consider experimenting with different creative assets in the screenshots, such as adding text overlays that reinforce its key benefits—like “Interest-free payments” or “Buy now pay later.” This could help communicate its value proposition more directly to users without requiring them to open the app. Their screenshots also could use a design refresh. The photos that they include within their screenshots are meant to show users what their experience would look like within the app, which can be helpful. In this case, though, it makes the screenshots bland and hard to truly grasp what is important about choosing this app over another “buy now, pay later” app.

While Afterpay’s search result is strong on iOS, the lack of a video could place it at a disadvantage when compared to other financial apps that do have that initial video before the screenshots appear. The Empower: Cash Advance & Credit app utilizes a video which could be eye-catching to someone scrolling through a “Buy Now Pay Later” search in the apple app store. In a saturated category page, incorporating a video could be a powerful way to capture user attention, highlight the app’s value, and ultimately drive more downloads from your target audience. For Afterpay, adding a video or refreshing its static visuals with bolder text and shopping-focused designs could significantly enhance its visibility and draw in users. These subtle changes could help them stand out in search results.

METADATA CRITIQUE

Afterpay’s iOS metadata is solid but could benefit from a few refinements to enhance its discoverability and improve alignment with high-traffic search terms. Here’s a closer look at what's working, what could be improved, and how Afterpay can optimize its metadata for better performance.

Title: Afterpay’s title, "Afterpay – Buy Now, Pay Later," is great at mentioning big key terms they would like to rank for. It directly incorporates the key phrase "Buy Now, Pay Later," which is highly relevant for search queries related to the BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) market. This is an essential keyword for visibility in search results, and Afterpay's use of it is a strong point for its ASO strategy. This title is clear, concise, and aligns well with user intent, as most users searching for BNPL solutions will likely use this phrase.

Subtitle: Afterpay's subtitle, "Shop fashion, beauty and tech," while accurate, misses an opportunity to integrate additional high-volume keywords that would boost its search visibility tied to BNPL searches and/or its direct target audience. The subtitle currently emphasizes the categories in which Afterpay is applicable, but adding a keyword like “online shopping” would clarify its core functionality and can be used in the context of how Afterpay could be complimentary to “online shopping”.. Revisions in this area would help users immediately recognize the value proposition of Afterpay, making it clearer that the app offers a "buy now, pay later" service.

Afterpay can explore releasing different subtitles through ongoing, consistent updates to see which phrasing resonates best with users. Testing variations like ‘Shop now, pay later’ versus ‘Buy now, pay later’ can help determine which terms attract more engagement.

CREATIVE CRITIQUE

Currently, the screenshots are somewhat generic and do not convey the unique aspects of Afterpay’s user experience as clearly as they could. For example, screenshots should showcase the easy steps involved in using Afterpay, such as selecting a product, choosing payment terms, and viewing the payment schedule. Highlighting these features will allow potential users to immediately grasp how the app works.

In addition, the copy on the screenshots could benefit from incorporating some of the keywords discussed earlier. Text such as:

  • “Pay over time”
  • “Flexible payment options”

Including these high-traffic terms in the screenshots would not only reinforce the app’s key benefits but also directly align with what users are searching for. It’s important to remember that keywords in creative elements help users immediately correlate what they’re seeing with their search query, making it easier for them to connect with the app’s value proposition.

The layout of the screenshots is also crucial. In the Apple App Store, apps can utilize up to 10 screenshots if they wish. Adding screenshots to their display and simplifying the design could be beneficial to their app’s conversion rate. Modifying their app in these areas could ensure that each image clearly conveys the value users will get from the app will enhance their impact. Screenshots that demonstrate how easy it is to split payments, check the balance, and shop with partnered retailers will improve the user experience and help drive conversions.

COMPETITOR CRITIQUE: SHOP PAY

While Shop Pay ranks highly in the App Store (#7 in the Shopping category as of November 11, 2024), there are still opportunities to refine its metadata and creative assets to attract even more users. However, it’s clear that Shop Pay has implemented some effective strategies that Afterpay could learn from.

Metadata Strategy: Clarity & Broader Appeal

  • Clear Messaging Right from the Start: Shop Pay's first screenshot succinctly communicates its value with just four impactful words: “shop, earn, track, repeat.” This approach immediately highlights the app’s core functionalities, grabbing users' attention within seconds. In contrast, Afterpay's initial screenshot only states “Shop now, pay overtime,” which may not be as engaging or informative at first glance.
  • Stitched Screenshots for Enhanced Scrolling Engagement: Shop Pay uses stitched screenshots—a seamless flow from one image to the next—which encourages users to keep scrolling through the app's gallery. This visual strategy not only draws users in but also provides a cohesive story of what the app offers. Afterpay, however, presents its screenshots as standalone slides, which may not generate the same level of engagement or encourage users to explore further.

Visual Design: More Impactful & User-Centric

  • Highlighting Features with Focused Imagery: Shop Pay excels in showcasing its app interface. By gradually zooming in on specific features, Shop Pay demonstrates the app’s shopping, purchasing, and tracking functionalities in a way that feels intuitive and user-centric. This clear progression helps potential users visualize what using the app would be like, making it easier to understand its benefits.
  • Afterpay's Screenshots Lack Visual Differentiation: In contrast, Afterpay's creative assets tend to blend together. The screenshots feature in-app images displayed on an iPhone screen, but they lack distinct visual cues that differentiate each slide. This makes it harder for users to quickly grasp the different functionalities of the app without taking a closer look.

Key Takeaways for Afterpay:

  • Revamp Screenshots for Better Engagement: Afterpay could benefit from implementing stitched screenshots to create a more engaging experience and provide a clearer journey through the app’s features.
  • Simplify Messaging: A straightforward tagline similar to Shop Pay's “shop, earn, track, repeat” could be more effective in communicating its core value proposition quickly.

By adopting some of these visual and metadata strategies, Afterpay could enhance its app store presence, driving higher conversions and downloads during the busy holiday season.

CONCLUSION

Afterpay’s iOS app performs well in terms of visibility and engagement currently. However, there are several key areas where Afterpay can improve its metadata and creative assets to further boost search rankings and user conversion.

By optimizing its subtitle with targeted, high-traffic keywords like “interest-free payments” and “split payments over time,” Afterpay can improve its relevance for users actively searching for BNPL services. Adding to their screenshot display and revising the screenshots to feature clearer messaging is key. Also, the incorporation of high-volume keywords could improve their effectiveness in driving engagement.

Incorporating these changes into the app store listing could increase Afterpay’s chances of standing out in a highly competitive market, ultimately improving its ability to convert users and drive higher download rates.

LET’S CHAT!

Optimizing your app store presence is key to increasing visibility and driving user engagement. At Gummicube, we specialize in app store optimization strategies that can help your app rise above the competition. Whether you’re looking to refine your metadata, improve your creative assets, or enhance your overall ASO strategy, our team has the expertise to guide you.

Contact us and let’s explore how we can help your app achieve its full potential.

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