{"id":268292,"date":"2025-04-25T06:45:53","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T06:45:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/?post_type=pitt&#038;p=268292"},"modified":"2026-02-17T19:07:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T19:07:33","slug":"how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta","status":"publish","type":"pitt","link":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/","title":{"rendered":"What 15+ Years in Product Has Taught Me About Improving Customer Retention"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Retention is the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ultimate measure<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of product-market fit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In today\u2019s guide, we\u2019re going to cover my hard-won lessons from 15+ years of working on and improving retention. Along the way, I helped:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fortnite increase 30D retention by over 10%.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">thredUP increase CLV by over 40%.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Affirm increase TPU by over 50%.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>How to measure retention correctly<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/cohort-retention-analysis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Measuring retention<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> seems simple, but anyone who\u2019s done it knows that there are lots of intricacies in reality.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I have boiled it down to 3 main steps:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Isolate cohorts.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Determine what counts as an active user.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Decide which time period to measure.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3><strong>Step 1: Isolate cohorts<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every retention measurement starts with isolating cohorts. You need to figure out the bucket of people\u2019s retention you care about.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The most common way is to group new users you acquire each week or month. But you will more often look at things like region, acquisition channel, or device rather than \u201cnew users\u201d as a whole.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The key here is to choose cohorts that make sense for your business. If you&#8217;re a global company, regional cohorts might reveal important differences. If you&#8217;re heavily invested in multiple marketing channels, segmenting by acquisition source could be eye-opening.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!--ARCADE EMBED START--><\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative; padding-bottom: calc(56.8027% + 41px); height: 0px; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/sw11.userpilot.com\/WkWUNQj7WT4QoqhLSQbE?embed&#038;embed_mobile=tab&#038;embed_desktop=inline&#038;show_copy_link=true\" title=\"Churn Prevention\" frameborder=\"0\" loading=\"lazy\" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen allow=\"clipboard-write\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; color-scheme: light;\" ><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><!--ARCADE EMBED END--><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Step 2: Determine what counts as an active user<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The next step is to ask who your active users are. These days, most sophisticated companies identify active users as users who have used and adopted a specific feature.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For instance:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At Fortnite, it would be loading into a game.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At Affirm, viewing a merchant or loan.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At Apollo, having any relevant event in any of our products in addition to a view.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This approach gives you a much more accurate picture of who&#8217;s truly engaging with your product. But it&#8217;s not one-size-fits-all. You need to think critically about what actions truly represent value for your users.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My general guidance here is: the best action touches your most common source of user value.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For instance:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instagram used \u201cviewed 3 or more posts\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Uber chose \u201ccompleted a ride\u201d.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These choices are deliberate. They&#8217;re looking for actions that signify real engagement, not just casual or accidental use.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, here&#8217;s something that might surprise you: someone who is a paid user isn&#8217;t a strong enough signal to indicate them as an active user. It\u2019s much more useful when someone is paying and actively using the product.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s because a company could be paying for your B2B software, but if no one&#8217;s using it, that&#8217;s not true retention. You&#8217;re at risk of <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/solutions\/churn-prevention\/\">churn.<\/a> What you really want is paid accounts where people are actively engaging with your product.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the B2B world, you might have multiple users under one account. Do you care if the account is retained (i.e., keeps paying), or do you care about individual user retention within that account?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Often, it&#8217;s both \u2013 you want the account to stay, and you want users within that account to remain active.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Step 3: Which time period to measure?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now that you&#8217;ve nailed down who you&#8217;re measuring and what counts as an active user, you need to decide on your time frame, which isn&#8217;t as straightforward as it might seem.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Different products have different natural <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/dau-wau-mau\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">usage cycles<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Social media apps might look at daily active users (DAU).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">B2B SaaS products might focus on weekly or monthly active users (WAU or MAU).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seasonal products (like tax software) might look at annual retention.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The key is to choose a period that aligns with your product&#8217;s expected usage patterns.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It&#8217;s also worth considering multiple time frames.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Short-term retention (7-day or 30-day) can give you quick feedback on new features or onboarding changes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Long-term retention (90-day or annual) can provide insights into overall product stickiness and lifetime value.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By looking at both, you can get a complete picture of your retention dynamics.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>How to work with charts once you have the data<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alright, you&#8217;ve worked hard to collect and organize your retention data. But let&#8217;s face it, staring at a data table isn&#8217;t going to win you any friends in the boardroom.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When it comes to retention, you want to visualize the data in a way that tells a story.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let&#8217;s dive into the charts that will make your retention data sing.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>1. New user retention analysis table<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is your ground zero, the foundation of all retention analysis.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/main-elements-of-a-retention-chart.png\" alt=\"main-elements-of-a-retention-chart\" width=\"734\" height=\"452\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What\u2019s happening here?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Left Side<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Month they came from<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">January<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">February<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">March (and so on, marching down the left side of your table)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Right Side<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Which month they came from, so each column is a &#8216;+&#8217;<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Month 0 (always 100%, your starting point)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Month 1 (cue the suspense)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Month 2 (the plot thickens) (continuing across to the right)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This table is your retention story in its rawest form. It&#8217;s not glamorous, but it&#8217;s powerful. You can see at a glance how each cohort performs over time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>2. Cohort retention curves<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now we&#8217;re talking! This is where your data starts to look sexy. Imagine a line graph where:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each line represents a cohort (maybe January is blue, February is red, and so on).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The x-axis shows time (usually in months).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The y-axis shows the retention rate.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/cohorts-retention.png\" alt=\"cohorts-retention\" width=\"655\" height=\"459\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What you&#8217;re looking for here is the shape of those lines.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are they:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dropping off a cliff in the first month? (Yikes, you might want to look at your onboarding). Learn <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/solutions\/user-onboarding-software\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">how to improve your onboarding<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gradually flattening out? (That&#8217;s more like it)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Crossing each other? (Ooh, intrigue! Later cohorts performing better or worse?)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is where you start to see the patterns emerge.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>3. Layer cake graphs<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finally, take your cohort retention curves, but instead of just lines, fill in the area under each line. Voila! You&#8217;ve got a layer cake graph.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why &#8220;layer cake&#8221;? Because each cohort forms a layer, and together they build up like a delicious, data-driven cake.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/monthly-active-customers-cohort.png\" alt=\"monthly-active-customers-cohort\" width=\"1434\" height=\"852\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This graph is a feast for the eyes, showing you:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The total volume of retained users (the height of your cake).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How much each cohort contributes to your current user base (the thickness of each layer).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether newer cohorts are forming thicker layers. (Is your cake getting taller over time? Yum!)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"container-banner-userpilot\" style=\"border: 1px solid #dadada; border-radius: 5px;\">\n<div class=\"wrapper-banner-userpilot\">\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"fav-icon-banner-userpilot\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/usp-fav-dark.png\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Analyze Retention Cohorts Code-Free with Userpilot<\/h3>\n<div class=\"banner-userpilot-button-icon\">\n<p><a class=\"banner-userpilot-button\" href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/userpilot-demo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Get a Demo<\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>14 Day Trial<\/li>\n<li>No Credit Card Required<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"image-banner-userpilot\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/userpilot-features-preview.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is good retention?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So what does &#8220;good&#8221; retention look like?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Generally, you want your retention curve to flatten out. Think of it like a roller coaster &#8211; a steep drop at the beginning is normal (and maybe even fun), but you don&#8217;t want it to keep plummeting forever. You&#8217;re aiming for that nice, gentle glide at the end.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What\u2019s even better?<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>The flat (or rising!) retention<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>:<\/strong> The cohort retentions that are flat and then actually start increasing.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>The improving cohorts<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>:<\/strong> You want to see subsequent cohorts getting better over time, with each new batch of users retaining better than the last.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course, the whole point of this data feast isn&#8217;t just to make pretty charts (though that is a nice side benefit). It&#8217;s to improve your product. So how do you go from &#8220;Ooh, pretty graphs&#8221; to &#8220;Aha! I know what to do&#8221;?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The key is to cut your data into different <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/clearcalcs-case-study\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cohorts<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Don&#8217;t just look at time-based cohorts. Get creative:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acquisition channel (Did those Facebook ads really pay off?)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">User demographics (Are millennials sticking around longer than Gen Z?)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Product version (Did that big redesign help or hurt?)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Feature usage (Are power users who use Feature X retaining better?)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So with those basics covered, let\u2019s move on to my main mental model of moving retention.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>6 Case studies in success<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8216;You can\u2019t actually move retention. If you have low retention, you\u2019re screwed.&#8217;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This might be the <\/span><b>worst advice I have ever heard<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Yet so many people repeat it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s walk through 3 of my own case studies of moving retention, and 3 case studies that companies have generously shared.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Case Study 1: Fortnite<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Let\u2019s start with case studies that were my own.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At Fortnite, we faced a unique challenge: keeping players engaged in a highly competitive gaming environment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our approach went beyond just creating fun gameplay. We kicked off with a focus on daily engagement. Challenges and events gave players reasons to log in regularly. This simple addition created a powerful loop, bringing users back day after day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Habit formation was our next target. We refined our notification strategy, ensuring players knew when friends were online or when special events were happening. These timely nudges became the triggers for regular gameplay sessions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of our most effective moves was counterintuitive: we made dying more fun. In a battle royale, most players lose most of the time. By adding entertaining death animations and quick re-queue options, we turned potential frustration into part of the fun. It&#8217;s a reminder that every aspect of user experience, even the seemingly negative ones, can be optimized for retention.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our retention strategy extended beyond the game itself. We built out the creator and competitive ecosystem, creating a YouTube-powered flywheel that kept players engaged even when they weren&#8217;t in the game. This taught us to look beyond our core product for retention opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finally, we tackled <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/app-user-retention\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mobile retention<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. By improving usability and gameplay on lower-end devices, we ensured a great experience for all players. It was a crucial lesson in not neglecting any segment of your user base.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The result? A 10% increase in 30-day retention. In the hyper-competitive world of gaming, that&#8217;s a massive win.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Case Study 2: Spotify<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Spotify launched in 2008, the music industry was still reeling from piracy issues. Their challenge wasn&#8217;t just getting users to sign up, but keeping them engaged month after month.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Spotify&#8217;s journey to retention mastery is a tale of personalization and social connection:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2015 Spotify introduced Discover Weekly, a personalized playlist updated every Monday which was a game-changer. Within the first year, 40 million users streamed over 5 billion tracks from Discover Weekly playlists.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2017<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Spotify launched its social features, including Friend Activity and Collaborative Playlists that tapped into the fundamental human need for connection. By 2018, 40% of all Spotify listening time came from user-generated playlists.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2019<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news.aakashg.com\/p\/spotify-podcasts-apple\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Spotify made a bold move<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by acquiring Gimlet Media and Anchor for $340 million. By 2021, Spotify had become the most popular podcast platform in the U.S., surpassing Apple Podcasts. Spotify <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/secondmeasure.com\/datapoints\/spotify-paid-subscription-plans-customer-retention\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">achieved<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a 73% retention rate after the first month, significantly outperforming the industry average of 45-55% for music streaming apps.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Case Study 3: thredUP<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At thredUP, we faced the challenge of not just <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-acquisition-strategies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">acquiring customers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but keeping them. Our focus was on increasing customer lifetime value (CLV).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We started by lowering the barrier to entry. Strategic price reductions on key items made it easier for new customers to make their first purchase.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next, we implemented comprehensive lifecycle marketing. We crafted growth marketing email sequences that nurtured customers throughout their journey. This was complemented by strategic promotions and remarketing ads to re-engage customers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/zoezi-case-study\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">User experience improvements <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">played a crucial role. We enhanced our filtering system and introduced saved preferences, reducing friction for return visits. We also introduced an outfits tool, adding value beyond our core offering.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Throughout our efforts, we doubled down on personalization. Improved merchandising algorithms showed customers more of what they were likely to love.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The results were significant. Between 2014 and 2017, we saw a 40% increase in CLV. This wasn&#8217;t just a vanity metric &#8211; it unlocked a whole new phase of growth. It led to higher customer acquisition costs (CAC) balanced by higher LTV, enabling more aggressive marketing and a faster growth rate. Ultimately, this success helped secure our Series D investment.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Case Study 4: Duolingo<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Duolingo entered the market in 2012 with a mission to make language learning free and accessible. Their challenge was keeping users engaged in something as challenging as learning a new language.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Duolingo&#8217;s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/retention-marketing-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">retention strategy<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> revolves around gamification and habit formation:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2013, Duolingo introduced the streak feature, encouraging daily usage. By 2020, over 1.5 million users had a streak of 365 days or more.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2019, Duolingo introduced competitive learning via Leagues that grouped users based on their weekly XP. In the first year after launch, users who joined Leagues completed 72% more lessons on average.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2020, Duolingo launched its podcast (#1 on the US iTunes podcast) and virtual events, creating a more comprehensive language learning environment.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Duolingo&#8217;s retention strategy resulted in a retention rate of 55-60%, far exceeding the EdTech industry average of 30-40%.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Case Study 5: Affirm<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At Affirm, our goal was to increase transactions per user (TPU). We needed to make Affirm an integral part of shopping habits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We started by expanding our merchant network by partnering with Shopify and Amazon to increase usage opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next, we developed a mobile app that served as a hub for Affirm activity and a discovery tool for enabled merchants.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We also introduced the &#8220;Pay in 4&#8221; option with zero interest to lower the barrier for frequent, smaller transactions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Throughout, we maintained a focus on showing value and forming habits after the first use.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/investors.affirm.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">result<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was impressive: a 50% increase in TPU.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Case Study 6: Strava<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Strava, launched in 2009, entered a crowded fitness app market. Their challenge was making people stick to their fitness goals and choose Strava over countless alternatives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Strava&#8217;s retention strategy focused on community building and competitive elements:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2010 Strava introduced Segments, allowing users to compete on specific routes. By 2020, users had created over 180 million Segments worldwide.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2016 a safety feature allowing real-time location sharing added a new dimension to the app. Beacon usage increased by 30% in 2020, highlighting its importance to users.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2020 Strava launched Routes, using AI to suggest personalized routes based on user preferences and community data. Within the first year, over 20 million Routes were created by users.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The result of these efforts was remarkable: Strava achieved an 80% annual retention rate, far outperforming the fitness app industry average of 25-35%.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These case studies demonstrate that while the specifics may vary, successful retention strategies often share common themes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s concretize all the learnings from these case studies into a framework.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>The retention hierarchy of needs<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Too often, teams jump to advanced retention tactics before nailing the basics. If your core product isn&#8217;t delivering value, no amount of clever notifications or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/onboarding-gamification\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">gamification<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will save you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of my go-to concepts for solving a retention problem is starting with a retention hierarchy of needs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This means thinking of retention as a pyramid, where you have to satisfy the lower layers first before tackling the ones above them:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/retention-hierarchy-of-needs.png\" alt=\"retention-hierarchy-of-needs\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1080\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Layer 1: Core Value Delivery (The Foundation)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you can\u2019t build a great product and an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/onboarding-ux-examples\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">excellent onboarding<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to it, you are toasted.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is the bedrock of your product. If you&#8217;re not nailing this, nothing else matters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019ll be surprised. But as companies expand, this area <\/span><b>is<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> often a problem.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The solutions lie in your core product teams, but you can also deploy a growth activation team. These teams often rely on tactics like:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/onboarding-ux-examples\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Improve your UX<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and information <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news.aakashg.com\/p\/how-to-optimize-your-information\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">architecture<\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news.aakashg.com\/p\/ultimate-guide-activation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">activation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> playbook.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news.aakashg.com\/p\/dont-delegate-to-users\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not making users think<\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The metrics that go alongside this are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Time to Value (TTV).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First Value Experience (FVE) completion rate.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Core action completion rate.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is the first layer of the hierarchy of needs &#8211; and going to a later layer is usually not worth your time until it\u2019s nailed.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Layer 2: Engagement (The Building Blocks)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once users get your core value, it&#8217;s time to keep them coming back for more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Engagement turns one-time users into regulars. It&#8217;s the difference between a fling and a long-term relationship.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And it\u2019s measured by tried-and-true metrics like:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Daily Active Users \/ Monthly Active Users (DAU\/MAU).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Session frequency.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Time spent in-app.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re working to move this, you\u2019ll want to do things like:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news.aakashg.com\/p\/the-gaming-playbook-for-growth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gamify key actions<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Create more regular use cases.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Create reasons to keep coming back.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3><strong>Layer 3: Habit Formation (The Keystone)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is where your product becomes part of users&#8217; daily lives. It&#8217;s not just useful; it&#8217;s necessary.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Habits are hard to break. When your product becomes habitual, you&#8217;ve achieved a new level of stickiness.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Working in this layer entails doing things like:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Integration with Daily Routines<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>:<\/strong> Becoming part of existing behaviors.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Creation of New Rituals<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>:<\/strong> Establishing new behaviors centered around your product.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Leveraging Existing Habits<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>:<\/strong> Piggybacking on habits users already have.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The metrics that are relevant here are things like:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Retention curve flattening.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Usage frequency patterns.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Feature adoption rates over time.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When the core product itself doesn\u2019t deliver, adding growth tactics can be very useful:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Implement daily streaks or challenges.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Create time-based triggers (e.g., &#8220;Your daily summary is ready&#8221;).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Offer cross-platform consistency for seamless integration into users&#8217; lives.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3><strong>Layer 4: Churn Prevention (The Fortification)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you&#8217;ve got users hooked, many people stop there. But it\u2019s a mistake. Keeping paying users long-term usually requires active defense against churn.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There\u2019s two types of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/churn-prediction\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">churn prevention<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Voluntary Churn Reduction<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>:<\/strong> Addressing active decisions to leave.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Supported by tactics like:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Implement <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/churn-surveys-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">exit surveys<\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Design thoughtful <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/cancellation-flow-examples\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cancel flows<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Offer timely retention offers.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Involuntary Churn Prevention<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>:<\/strong> Tackling passive user loss (e.g., payment issues).<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Supported by tactics like:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Develop smart payment retry logic.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Create effective dunning campaigns.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Implement in-app payment recovery.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/churn-prevention-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Churn prevention<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> isn&#8217;t just about stopping users from leaving; it&#8217;s about continuously demonstrating your product&#8217;s value.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The metrics that matter here are things like:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overall churn rate.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Voluntary vs. involuntary churn rates.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Winback rate.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>5 Best practices to improve retention<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The overall approach is the product process &#8211; talk to customers, discover problems and obstacles to getting habitual value, and then solve them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, it can be useful to refer to best practices.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>1. Use personalized welcome flows<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tailor the onboarding experience based on user characteristics or stated goals. This isn&#8217;t just about showing different screens &#8211; it&#8217;s about fast-tracking users to their &#8220;Aha&#8221; moment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Implement by <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-segmentation-tools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">segmenting users<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> during sign-up. Ask for key information like job role, main goals, or experience level. Use this data to customize the initial product tour, feature recommendations, and even default settings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/userpilot-welcome-screen.png\" alt=\"userpilot-welcome-screen\" width=\"2916\" height=\"1352\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><strong>2. Use interactive tutorials<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Design <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/best-tools-for-interactive-user-guides\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tutorials<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that require users to complete mini-tasks within your product. Ensure each task teaches a key feature while moving the user toward their goal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/interactive-walkthrough.gif\" alt=\"interactive-walkthrough\" width=\"1000\" height=\"461\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><strong>3. Implement progress bars<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tap into the Zeigarnik effect. Show users how close they are to unlocking full product value. It&#8217;s not just a visual &#8211; it&#8217;s a psychological trigger for completion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Implement a clear, visually appealing <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/progress-bar-ui-ux-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">progress bar<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">during onboarding. Break down the process into 5-7 clear steps. Ensure each step provides value, not just busy work.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>4. Provide a clear roadmap for new users with an onboarding checklist<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It&#8217;s not about hand-holding &#8211; it&#8217;s about empowering users to explore your product purposefully.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/user-onboarding-checklist-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Create a checklist<\/a> of 2-5 key actions new users should take. Make it easily accessible, perhaps pinned to the dashboard. Allow users to dismiss it, but make it easy to retrieve.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/attention-insight-onboarding-checklist-behavior-patterns-ux_018eeffd867ba9c67e5757e4bf7da3cb_800.png\" alt=\"attention-insight-onboarding-checklist-behavior-patterns\" width=\"800\" height=\"380\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><strong>5. Implement contextual help bubbles with tooltips<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don&#8217;t force users to dig through help docs. Bring the information to them when and where they need it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Implement smart, context-aware help bubbles that appear when users hover over or interact with new features. Keep the content concise and actionable.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/overview-tooltip.png\" alt=\"overview-tooltip\" width=\"1358\" height=\"638\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Final Words<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We&#8217;ve covered a lot of ground in this retention masterclass. From the foundations of measuring retention correctly to the advanced tactics of preventing churn, we&#8217;ve explored the entire spectrum of keeping users engaged and coming back for more.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember, retention isn&#8217;t just a metric &#8211; it&#8217;s the lifeblood of your product.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news.aakashg.com\/p\/how-to-improve-retention-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Read the full article here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"cta-container-pitt-speaker\">\n<div class=\"cta-content\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"pitt-logo-cta-speaker\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Product-Growth-logo.svg\" alt=\"ProductGrowth Logo\" \/><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"cta-title\">Don&#8217;t Miss Out on Expert Knowledge That Keeps You Ahead.<\/h3>\n<p><a class=\"btn btn-light\" href=\"https:\/\/www.news.aakashg.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read More From Aakash Gupta<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"speaker-image-pitt\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"cta-image\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/PITT-Aakash-Gupta.png\" alt=\"Speaker Image\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Retention is the ultimate measure of product-market fit. In today\u2019s guide, we\u2019re going to cover my hard-won lessons from 15+ years of working on and improving retention. Along the way, I helped: Fortnite increase 30D retention by over 10%. thredUP increase CLV by over 40%. Affirm increase TPU by over 50%. How to measure retention [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":256396,"template":"","class_list":["post-268292","pitt","type-pitt","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","pitt_type-read-grow"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What 15+ Years in Product Has Taught Me About Improving Customer Retention<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how to improve retention with Aakash Gupta. Learn form 6 business case studies and explore retention best practices.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What 15+ Years in Product Has Taught Me About Improving Customer Retention\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn how to improve retention with Aakash Gupta. Learn form 6 business case studies and explore retention best practices.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Thoughts about Product Adoption, User Onboarding and Good UX | Userpilot Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-17T19:07:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/gupta-pitt.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"380\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"17 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Aakash Gupta\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/cce8e0ea413836afe28bb4c23699df75\"},\"headline\":\"What 15+ Years in Product Has Taught Me About Improving Customer Retention\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-25T06:45:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-17T19:07:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/\"},\"wordCount\":3293,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/gupta-pitt.png\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/\",\"name\":\"What 15+ Years in Product Has Taught Me About Improving Customer Retention\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/gupta-pitt.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-25T06:45:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-17T19:07:33+00:00\",\"description\":\"Learn how to improve retention with Aakash Gupta. Learn form 6 business case studies and explore retention best practices.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/gupta-pitt.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/gupta-pitt.png\",\"width\":300,\"height\":380},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"PITT Articles\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What 15+ Years in Product Has Taught Me About Improving Customer Retention\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Thoughts about Product Adoption, User Onboarding and Good UX | Userpilot Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/cce8e0ea413836afe28bb4c23699df75\",\"name\":\"Aakash Gupta\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/author\/aakashguptauserpilot-io\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What 15+ Years in Product Has Taught Me About Improving Customer Retention","description":"Learn how to improve retention with Aakash Gupta. Learn form 6 business case studies and explore retention best practices.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What 15+ Years in Product Has Taught Me About Improving Customer Retention","og_description":"Learn how to improve retention with Aakash Gupta. Learn form 6 business case studies and explore retention best practices.","og_url":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/","og_site_name":"Thoughts about Product Adoption, User Onboarding and Good UX | Userpilot Blog","article_modified_time":"2026-02-17T19:07:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":300,"height":380,"url":"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/gupta-pitt.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"17 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/"},"author":{"name":"Aakash Gupta","@id":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/cce8e0ea413836afe28bb4c23699df75"},"headline":"What 15+ Years in Product Has Taught Me About Improving Customer Retention","datePublished":"2025-04-25T06:45:53+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-17T19:07:33+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/"},"wordCount":3293,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/gupta-pitt.png","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/","url":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/","name":"What 15+ Years in Product Has Taught Me About Improving Customer Retention","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/gupta-pitt.png","datePublished":"2025-04-25T06:45:53+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-17T19:07:33+00:00","description":"Learn how to improve retention with Aakash Gupta. Learn form 6 business case studies and explore retention best practices.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/gupta-pitt.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/gupta-pitt.png","width":300,"height":380},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/how-to-improve-retention-aakash-gupta\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"PITT Articles","item":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/pitt\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What 15+ Years in Product Has Taught Me About Improving Customer Retention"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/","name":"Thoughts about Product Adoption, User Onboarding and Good UX | Userpilot Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/cce8e0ea413836afe28bb4c23699df75","name":"Aakash Gupta","url":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/author\/aakashguptauserpilot-io\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pitt\/268292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pitt"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/pitt"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/73"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/256396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}