Designing for Growth: How Exceptional Mobile UX Drives Revenue and Engagement in Southeast Asia

With over 565 million internet users (and counting), Southeast Asia is one of the most exciting digital playgrounds in the world. But here’s the twist: while mobile usage is soaring, most companies still don’t get mobile UX quite right.

That’s where the real opportunity lies.

To help companies close that gap, Anna Potanina, founder of Call to Action Digital, and Bhavna Luhra, founder of DGTLY, both former Google UX leaders, hosted a live webinar packed with real-world strategies for turning mobile design into a serious growth driver.

If you’re in marketing, product, or UX, and you're building for e-commerce, fintech, health tech, travel, or anything in between, great mobile experiences aren’t a “nice to have.” They’re what separates apps that get deleted in a week from the ones people come back to daily.

So, how do you get there? We’ve rounded up five smart, proven strategies that’ll help you drive conversions, boost retention, and turn your mobile experience into a serious growth machine.

1. Turn web visitors into loyal app users (the right way)

“A web-to-app funnel is a strategy for getting users to start engaging with your app by first guiding them through a web-based onboarding process, instead of directing them straight to the app.”

Let’s face it: App stores are crowded, expensive, and hard to control. That’s why web-to-app funnels are such a game changer.

Here’s what works:

• Send users from a highly targeted mobile ad to a sleek, fast-loading landing page.
• Use a short, interactive quiz or story to build interest (“Do you want better sleep? More energy? A smarter budget?”).
• Show a paywall right there on the mobile web - no app download needed yet.
• After payment, send them to the app, and automatically link their info so they’re not starting over.

2. Keep your users around 

60% of apps are uninstalled within the first week. That statistic alone should spark urgency. Retention begins the moment a user opens your app, and every detail matters.

Focus on:

• First impressions: Keep onboarding minimal. Only ask for what’s necessary (e.g., KYC in finance). Use inline guidance instead of walkthroughs.
• Emotional connection: Implement progress dashboards, streak trackers, and visual cues that help users understand their journey.
• Push notifications: Use timely, contextual nudges, not generic alerts. Example: “You haven’t meditated today, want to try a 5-minute wind-down?”

Give users the ability to start with a clear simple step and proceed with a simple daily activity that will become their daily routine and later will become their daily habit.

Add community features too: forums, team goals, leaderboards, anything that makes users feel they belong.

And don't forget: simple tweaks like putting key buttons at the bottom of the screen (hello, thumb-friendly design!) can seriously improve usability and conversion.

3. Nail your app store game

App/Play Store Optimization (ASO) is critical because it helps your app get discovered, downloaded, and retained - driving organic growth, lowering acquisition costs, and turning visibility into long-term value.

A great product means nothing if no one finds it.

That’s where App Store Optimization (ASO) comes in:

• Keep your ratings high by asking for reviews when users are happy.
• Make sure your icon pops. It should be clear, bright, and easy to spot in a sea of apps.
• Localize everything - not just the language, but pricing, visuals, and even tone.
• Track performance like a hawk: crash rates, battery drain, loading speed - all of it matters for visibility.

4. Use personalization, localization & performance as growth levers

If mobile is king, personal relevance is the crown. People want fast, frictionless experiences tailored to who they are and what they need, right now.

Tips that make a difference:

• Performance is not just a dev concern, it’s a business KPI. Every 0.1 second shaved off load time reduces bounce rate and boosts revenue.
• Above-the-fold UX matters. Prioritize one main CTA and a strong value proposition in the first screen.
• High-impact visuals work better than text alone. Make sure images support your message, not distract from it.

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Smart brands also personalize deeply: Headspace, for instance, offers calming meditations up front, no sign-up needed, then invites users into the full experience.

The Nike app sends running shoe suggestions only when users hit training milestones.

5. Learn from real examples and best practices in mobile UX

Sometimes, the best way to understand great UX is to see it in action. The following examples show how top brands use mobile-first design to unlock growth:

• Tenius (Italy): Replaced dropdown menus with tappable stories on the homepage, boosting conversions by 7%.
• Canva: Continuously A/B tests homepage layouts, onboarding flows, and pricing screens per region to optimize for engagement.
• Headspace: Builds trust through transparency, including early reminders about trial expiration, reducing subscription-related churn.
• Zomato: Maintains strict Android Vital targets to ensure speed and stability, which directly impact visibility in app stores.
• Sephora: Boosted conversion by repositioning navigation to the bottom for better ergonomic reach on mobile.

The big takeaway? Design with real users in mind, test constantly, and build trust at every step.

In Southeast Asia’s mobile-first economy, UX is no longer a support function, it’s a growth engine. The brands winning today are those that understand their users deeply, test relentlessly, and build for speed, clarity, and trust.

From web-to-app funnels to retention-friendly design, each improvement stacks toward a better product and better business outcomes. If your mobile experience isn’t driving growth yet, it’s not too late to rethink the basics, borrow from the best, and start iterating.

Need a push to get started? Call to Action Digital offers exactly the kind of support that helps turn insight into action. From UX audits and design sprints to user labs and conversion reviews, we help teams like yours tackle real UX challenges, whether you're redesigning an onboarding flow, prototyping a quiz funnel, or improving your mobile paywall.

Learn more at www.ctad.io and explore how better UX can unlock your next stage of growth.