This document discusses product management practices and mobile growth strategies. It emphasizes that growth requires both increasing downloads through user acquisition as well as improving retention of existing users. It identifies key metrics like installs, daily/monthly active users, engagement, and retention that should be measured. Factors that influence initial downloads include app store discovery through ranking, ratings and reviews, featuring, and search optimization. Improving the first-time user experience and using push notifications and rewards can help with retention. An effective growth strategy addresses both acquiring new users and keeping existing users engaged over time.

1. Product Management Practices & Mobile Growth Strategies
JOHN MATHEW - SENIOR PRODUCT MANAGER, ZYNGA

2. Understanding Growth
Mobile growth is most often equated to this
Ad Spend
Which in turn translates to this
625 1250 2500 10000 30000 20000 40000 80000
160000
320000
640000
1280000
Downloads

3. Understanding Growth
A Growth strategy solely based on downloads will look like this:

4. Understanding Growth
A sound growth strategy would be based on addressing both downloads and retention
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GROWTH STRATEGY

5. Defining Key Metrics*
Installs/Downloads: Number of users who downloaded the App (weekly average)
DAU: Number of unique users who have used your app on a given day
MAU: Number of unique users who have used your app in a given month
Engagement: Measure of how often users come back to your app, typically DAU/MAU
Retention: Dn retention is % of installs who come back ‘n’ days after install date (n=1,2,3..)
Average Session Length
Sessions / User
App Specific Actions
*If the app is on multiple platforms, devices, locales, etc. metrics need to be broken down based on these

6. Why does a user Download/Install an app?
App Store Discovery
◦ Ranking
◦ App Ratings and Reviews
◦ Featuring
◦ Keyword/Search Optimization
Virality / Word of Mouth
◦ Social Features (e.g. Instagram)
◦ Messaging Channels / Ability to Share (e.g. Facebook integration)
◦ In-App Advertisements
◦ Mentions in Media - Print, online, television, etc.
◦ Brand Recall

7. App Store Discovery

8. App Store Discovery: Ranking
• High Installs
• 4+ Star Ratings and high number of ratings
• Multiple Daily User Sessions or High Session Times
• Large Active user base
What is common to these apps?
Typically observed in Apps with
higher engagement/retention

9. App Store Discovery: Ratings and Reviews
Reduce Low Ratings by fixing:
◦ High load times
◦ App freezes and crashes
◦ Inability to use the app
Surface rating pop-up after a positive user experience
◦ User gets a reward / discount
◦ User finishes a difficult task
◦ Avoid surfacing this pop-up during negative experiences
Monitor reviews to know what your users are saying

10. App Store Discovery: Featuring
Platform Specific Features or Content
◦ Use of Apple’s latest APIs
◦ Exclusive Sale on Google
◦ Implementation of Google+ Sign In
◦ Offer Paid App for Free
New updates with interesting features
◦ New features on popular apps
Align UI styles with Platform
◦ Align to the most relevant platform
User Ratings and Feedback
◦ High rated apps stand to get featured more often

11. App Store Discovery: Keyword/ Search
Meaningful / Clear App Name
◦ Known Brand Names
◦ Convey functionality
Relevant and Popular Keywords
◦ Likely to be associated with app
◦ Use 3rd Party services like Sensor Tower
Clear Descriptions and Screenshots

12. Retention: Impact on Active Users
• Most of the users drop off during the first few days post download
• D1 retention is key and has a large impact on all subsequent retention values
• Apps have observed doubling of their user base by making small improvements to retention
Installs/Downloads – 1000 users
D1 – 500 users
D2 – 300 users
D3 – 210 users
D4 – 170 users
D5 – 150
D6 - 140
D7

13. Retention: Impact on Active Users
Poor Retention Good Retention
D0
D1
D2
D3
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Dn

14. Retention Building: First Time User Experience
Minimal Load Time
◦ High drop offs b/w download and opening
Seamless Login
◦ Simple
◦ Quick
Tutorial
◦ Guide the users through key features
Sample in first session
◦ User should know what the app is about

15. Retention Building: PN Strategy
Frequency Relevant to your App
◦ e.g. Messaging Apps can have very frequent PNs
Social Action based PNs have higher CTRs
◦ Users respond more often to social notifications
Personalize
◦ Refrain from sending the same PN to all users
◦ Time the PNs based on player activity, location
Add Value
◦ Location based offers
◦ Expiry or deadline notification
*http://urbanairship.com/good-push-index

16. Retention Building: Aspirational Rewards
Loyalty Programs/ Subscriptions
◦ Helps Build retention when options of switching are high
◦ Proven mechanism of payer retention
◦ Might be difficult to implement with IAPs
Achievements
◦ Helps to define clear targets for retention
◦ Useful on apps with inherent low long term retention
◦ Social Profiles

17. Summary
Growth should be based on an Install and Retention Strategy
Installs can be sourced through multiple non-paid and inorganic sources
Spend on growth should be decided after exploring all options of user acquisition
Before investing on installs, ensure that major retentions issues are solved

18. Thank You