Here at InnerTrends we believe that breaking things down into smaller parts gives us a much easier way to tackle the challenges we face.
This is the step-by-step framework we use to fix issues related to user retention. We’ll show you how to make use of this framework by running through the most common retention scenarios.
Step #1: Check how many users are returning
First things first: Check your analytics and see how many users are currently returning to the app.
You will find yourself looking at one of the following graphs:
1. Take Off Retention Curve
This is how the graph looks for apps where people love to come back (except Facebook. We’ll get to that graph in a moment.)
You’ll lose some in the first week, maybe they found a competitor’s product that they decided to try. You’ll lose some more in the second and third weeks as some people who didn’t really need your app drop off but it stabilizes after that.
Great growth can come from this retention curve.
2. Cliff Falling Retention Curve
If you happen to come across this situation, you might notice that only a small amount of users are returning during the first week, but those that do will stick around for a long time.
Could this be related to habit formation? Are you selling an aspirin or a vitamin?
How often are you making users experience the core value of your product?
3. Highway to Zero Retention Curve
In this scenari