Understanding the Problem: More than 25% of Users Abandon Apps After Just One Use

The onboarding experience is an opportunity for Publishers to ensure every user benefits from their product. Therefore, the goal is to activate users — helping them achieve the value promised as they move through the user journey.

There is no room for assumptions during this onboarding experience. Publishers must take into consideration that users may or may not have a clue as to how the product works. This unfamiliarity means the user won’t know how to engage properly and usually aren’t necessarily invested in learning.

Architecting the Solution: Understand What Makes Uses Sticky

Each app or business should utilize a data-based approach to identify what constitutes an active or loyal user. There are metrics for each business that will help identify when users become Sticky. For Facebook in the early days, it was “7 friends in 10 days” and the growth team did everything they could to ensure this behavior for new users. Similarly, its imperative to develop an understanding of what metric or metrics define this for each individual app or site.  For example, it could be passing level 7 for a game, making an in-app purchase for a utility app, reading 5 articles for a content app, or sharing 3 photos for a photo editing app.

Solution: Nudge Users Towards Activation With Onboarding Tips

Users need an immediate sense of value when taking their first glance at an app or website.  Through over a dozen built-in and custom trigger-based activation campaigns, Pyze allows publishers to automate onboarding messages on tips and tricks for the first few days of using their product to educate users as well as encourage them to re-engage.  These campaigns also provide an understanding of which activation metrics are relevant for each business.

Users may not be aware of specific features or the best ways to accomplish things in the app.  By providing them with notifications that detail ‘how to’s’, they are more likely to have a positive experience.

Some examples include:

• “You can filter search results by tapping on the filter icon located under search.”
• “Did you know you can swipe right to reveal items collected?”
• “Check out local specials by selecting the $ icon under the ‘For Me’ tab.”

Re-engage users with daily tips to increase overall retention. Sending daily tips on the first,  second, and third day keeps the product at the top of users’ minds giving them a reason to engage.

Activations can also be a great way to get user feedback and extend the virality. For instance, the following activations can be used to start getting loyal and activated users working for the business:

• 3 Consecutive Days of Use: “Refer us to a friend and get this awesome benefit”
• 5 Consecutive Days of Use: “Enjoying the app? Help spread the word with a review”
• 7 Consecutive Days of Use: “Sign up for our user group in your city and make new friends”

Let Pyze Work for You

In addition to Activation campaigns, user activation can be improved through sophisticated trigger campaigns based on specific actions to engage users during timely moments.  Each message can guide the user further toward completion of the onboarding process. Upon completion, they can automatically be added to another campaign to enable them to achieve the next milestone desired by the Publisher.