20 per cent apps installed on mobile devices are subsequently forgotten about, according to a survey carried out by Ipsos on behalf of Google.

Of the three verticals covered by the study, travel apps are by far the most likely to be forgotten (33 per cent), compared to retail (18 per cent) and restaurant and takeaway apps (17 per cent).

The study also looked into why people download apps in each vertical. Restaurant app downloads are most commonly driven by discounts or rewards, and travel by recommendations from friends. Retail is possibly the most interesting cases, with its apps mostly downloaded by people who regularly interact with the brand.

“A great app encourages brand interaction, is easy to navigate and is quick to load. But as our research shows, this won’t necessarily guarantee that customers will keep coming back,” said Google UK agency head Max Macintosh. “For successful ongoing app engagement, businesses can use push notifications, ensure apps appear in organic search results and link search ads and results to relevant pages in apps.

“Of course, an app is a complement to, and not a substitute for, an optimised mobile site. When users want to compare options, gather information or go into greater depth, a mobile website comes into its own and should remain a top priority.”

According to the study, 47 per cent of people use an app when they want information quickly, compared to 17 per cent for a mobile site.

Mobile sites proved popular for more in-depth information (49 per cent), but apps still win out for simplicity of navigation (50 per cent), speed of loading (46 per cent) and ease of use (51 per cent).