When Trust Takes the Lead: Why App Downloads Alone No Longer Drive Digital Growth

At a closed-door roundtable hosted by Exchange4Media in association with Apptrove, India’s leading digital growth, product and marketing executives tackled a pressing challenge: how to convert casual web visitors into loyal app users — and why downloads alone no longer cut it. 

Moderated by Ruhail Amin, Senior Editor at BW Business World and Exchange4Media, the discussion moved beyond click-based metrics to examine trust, habit formation, behavioural design and long-term value as the real drivers of loyalty — not just installs.

The roundtable revealed a consensus among leaders that the traditional download-focused funnel is increasingly ineffective. “We’re living in a world of continuity,” Amin explained, noting that getting users to download an app is only the beginning — keeping them coming back is the real test.

Digital executives highlighted several key themes:

• Community over conversion: For Cosmofeed’s Vivek Yadav, community behaviours — including micro-celebrations and organic sharing — are far more powerful than paid install campaigns in driving growth.

• Multi-platform ecosystems: ABP News’s product team shared that loyalty is built across platforms — from mobile to connected TV and even car apps — not solely through an app install. 

• Gen Z and frictionless value: Internshala’s growth leadership stressed that reducing onboarding friction and delivering clear, immediate value matters more to young users than traditional install prompts.

• Intent-based quality over volume: Credit Saison’s product director argued that app strategy should prioritise right-fit users and intent signals rather than mass downloads. 

• Trust as a metric: Across sectors — from BFSI to consumer goods — speakers emphasised that trust and reputation are now growth metrics. One bad experience can instantly ripple through social platforms, especially with Gen Z audiences

Legacy brands still wrestle with the core question: Why should a consumer download your app at all? Many acknowledged that without differentiated value — whether through services, content, or emotional relevance — downloads remain superficial.

Closing the discussion, Amin noted that brands must move past install counts as success indicators, instead designing belief systems that drive ongoing engagement. The outcome was unmistakable: trust, habit, community and emotional relevance now outweigh mere download numbers — and brands that master these intangibles stand to win in the evolving digital landscape.