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Ask HN: What methods and tools can I use to decrease my app churn?

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Re: Ask HN: What methods and tools can I use to decrease my app churn?

#31

Post by mrhappyunhappy »

alanz1223 wrote: post #12
TACIXAT wrote: post #7

Doesn't this statement: >I have a high churn rate (install/uninstall ratio) of about 70-80% Contradict this statement: >I know its an app with a viable market, and has potential. Other suggestions: >I am getting 3-5 free 3 day trial signups You are giving it away for free, charge people up front, then you will know if it really solves a problem they are willing to pay for. That is when you will know you have product…

Well I think I have a retention/engagement problem that I don't know how to troubleshoot. Most of the users who sign up for the free trial stick around and pay. So it's not like I am not seeing any sign ups.

Why not make installation part of the free trial?

Re: Ask HN: What methods and tools can I use to decrease my app churn?

#32

Post by shimms »

alanz1223 wrote: post #20
DougN7 wrote: post #10

During uninstall take them to a page where you very simply and sincerely ask them for feedback. Promise that you will read it and respond to it. Don’t require an email on that form though so they can answer anonymously if they want to.

Great suggestion but from what I've read there really isn't a way to detect uninstall events on Android.

Can you infer uninstalls from heuristics? If you're collecting activity metrics for app interactions and you get a complete dropoff for a given user, could you assume they have uninstalled? Even if they havent, checking in on decreased engagement might be an opportunity to get them before they uninstall.

Not sure what the timeframe is between a user trying it out and subsequently uninstalling, but if there is a bit of a time gap, the decreased interaction analytics could be a used as a leading indicator of pending uninstallation and used to trigger a win-back attempt?

Re: Ask HN: What methods and tools can I use to decrease my app churn?

#33

Post by newscracker »

aantix wrote: post #26

https://lesschurn.io/

Something’s wrong with this site. I used Firefox Focus and tapped on the Pricing link at the bottom, but it kept going back to the homepage. I finally typed “/pricing” after the domain in the URL to get to the pricing page.

Re: Ask HN: What methods and tools can I use to decrease my app churn?

#34

Post by vecplane »

ransom1538 wrote: post #19

1) Create the conversion funnel. EG: clicked ad -> installed app -> registered -> engaged with new user flow -> used product part a -> purchased product part b. What parts should they see and use all broken down. As they progress in the funnel they are more engaged. 2) Fill in all the stats of the conversion funnels. This will give you a baseline to answer: Did my modifications help or make it worse . EG: clicked ad…

This is actually a very insightful comment. I don't have experience with the VC part at the end, but tight iteration and measurement loops are key, especially early on.

Re: Ask HN: What methods and tools can I use to decrease my app churn?

#35

Post by jonex »

> I have two keywords which I am targeting and have a very nice 50% conversion rate but mostly all of my installs come from keywords that are not listed and get placed in the "other" category.

Maybe your app simply did not do what the user wanted, as they found it with an irrelevant keyword? So basically they are just adding noise to your data as they aren't your target market.

Re: Ask HN: What methods and tools can I use to decrease my app churn?

#38

Post by sologoub »

A lot of great advice here, mixed with some sales pitches and some questionable advice.

App reviews seem to have gone unmentioned - are you getting any negative reviews?

If you are, see if they contain anything actionable or even a hint of what the problem might be.

If not, the uninstalls may or may not be a problem - for a paid app that’s free to install, you could be getting a lot of window shopping. Once people realize there is no free lunch, they move on. If this is the version of events playing out, then these were never your target market to begin with - they were not willing to pay and could have been just trying to get something for free.

Only way to know for sure is, like many other comments stated, talk to them - forums, support sites/emails, even reddit could be a good source. Try to figure out who your customers are and look for the place where they communicate.

Re: Ask HN: What methods and tools can I use to decrease my app churn?

#39

Post by jgtrosh »

ransom1538 wrote: post #19

1) Create the conversion funnel. EG: clicked ad -> installed app -> registered -> engaged with new user flow -> used product part a -> purchased product part b. What parts should they see and use all broken down. As they progress in the funnel they are more engaged. 2) Fill in all the stats of the conversion funnels. This will give you a baseline to answer: Did my modifications help or make it worse . EG: clicked ad…

5) seems scary to me. Isn't that something you would need the user to opt in to? Or does EDPR not apply to apps?

Re: Ask HN: What methods and tools can I use to decrease my app churn?

#40

Post by Rjevski »

stevewilhelm wrote: post #37

In addition to GA and/or Mixpanel, I recommend fullstory.com for web based apps to see individual user sessions in very high fidelity.

Don’t be creepy. Users don’t expect you to be able to watch how they interact with your app (and what data they enter in it) so don’t.
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