User retention

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Table of Contents

What is user retention?

User retention refers to the ability of a product or service to retain its users over time. It is a measure of the percentage of users who continue to use the product or service on a regular basis, and is an important metric for businesses to track. High user retention indicates that the product or service is providing value to its users and that they are satisfied with it. On the other hand, low user retention can be a sign that the product or service is not meeting the needs of its users, and that improvements are needed.

User retention is important for businesses because it is a key driver of long-term revenue and growth. If a product or service is able to retain its users, it can generate recurring revenue from those users, and can also benefit from the positive word-of-mouth and referrals that satisfied users are likely to generate. On the other hand, if a product or service has low user retention, it may struggle to generate revenue and grow, and may ultimately fail. Therefore, tracking and improving user retention is an important aspect of product management and business strategy.

What is a good customer retention rate?

The definition of a “good” customer retention rate will vary depending on the specific industry and business. In general, however, a customer retention rate that is higher than the average for the industry is considered good. For example, if the average customer retention rate for a particular industry is 80%, then a business with a retention rate of 85% or higher would be considered to have a good customer retention rate.

It is important to note that customer retention rates can vary greatly depending on the specific product or service, as well as the target customer base. For example, businesses that offer highly specialized or niche products may have lower retention rates than businesses that offer more mainstream or widely-used products. As a result, it is important to consider the specific context and circumstances of a business when evaluating its customer retention rate.

What are some of user retention strategies?

User retention refers to the ability of a product or service to retain its users over time. It is a measure of the percentage of users who continue to use the product or service on a regular basis, and is an important metric for businesses to track. There are several strategies that businesses can use to improve user retention, including:

  1. Provide value: One of the key drivers of user retention is the value that the product or service provides to the user. To improve user retention, businesses need to ensure that their product or service is providing value to the user, and that it is meeting their needs and expectations. This can involve conducting user research, analyzing user behavior, and regularly updating and improving the product or service to provide value to the user.
  2. Create a positive user experience: Another important factor in user retention is the user experience. To improve user retention, businesses need to ensure that their product or service provides a positive and enjoyable experience for the user. This can involve designing a user-friendly and intuitive interface, providing clear and concise instructions and guidance, and offering support and resources to help users get the most out of the product or service.
  3. Foster customer loyalty: Customer loyalty is another key driver of user retention. To improve user retention, businesses need to foster loyalty among their users by providing excellent customer service, responding to customer feedback, and offering rewards and incentives to loyal users. This can help to build trust and foster a long-term relationship with the user, which can increase their chances of continuing to use the product or service.
  4. Provide regular updates and improvements: Finally, user retention can be improved by providing regular updates and improvements to the product or service. This can involve releasing new features and functionality, fixing bugs and issues, and providing regular updates to the user. By regularly updating and improving the product or service, businesses can show that they value their users and are committed to providing a high-quality product, which can increase user retention.

How is user retention calculated?

Here is an example of how to calculate user retention:

  1. Define the time period: Let’s say that we want to calculate the user retention for a product or service over a one-month period.
  2. Identify the total number of users: During the one-month period, the product or service had 500 users who registered or signed up.
  3. Identify the number of retained users: At the end of the one-month period, 300 of the original 500 users continued to use the product or service.
  4. Calculate the user retention rate: To calculate the user retention rate, we divide the number of retained users (300) by the total number of users (500), and multiply by 100. This gives us a user retention rate of 60%.

Therefore, in this example, the user retention rate for the product or service over the one-month period was 60%. This indicates that 60% of the users who were active during the period continued to use the product or service.

What is Net Promoter Score (NPS)?

Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a metric used to measure customer loyalty and satisfaction.

NPS is commonly used by businesses as a way to measure the customer experience and to identify areas for improvement. A high NPS can indicate that a business is providing a high-quality product or service that customers are satisfied with and likely to recommend to others. A low NPS, on the other hand, can indicate that there are problems with the customer experience that need to be addressed.

How is NPS calculated?

It is calculated by asking customers to rate their likelihood to recommend a product or service to a friend or colleague on a scale of 0 to 10. Customers who give a rating of 9 or 10 are considered “promoters” of the product, and are likely to be loyal and engaged users. Customers who give a rating of 0 to 6 are considered “detractors,” and are less likely to be satisfied or loyal. The Net Promoter Score is calculated by subtracting the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters.

What is user churn?

User churn refers to the loss of users over time. It is a measure of the percentage of users who stop using a product or service, and is an important metric for businesses to track. User churn can be a significant problem for businesses, as it can lead to a decrease in revenue, an increase in customer acquisition costs, and damage to the business’s reputation. Therefore, it is important for businesses to understand the factors that contribute to user churn, and to implement strategies to reduce it.

How is user churn calculated?

User churn can be calculated by dividing the number of users who stop using the product or service over a given time period by the total number of users at the start of the period, and multiplying by 100. This will give the user churn rate as a percentage. For example, if a product or service had 100 users at the start of a one-month period, and 20 of those users stopped using the product or service during the period, the user churn rate would be 20%.

In a business, whose job is it to measure and increase retention?

In a business, it is typically the responsibility of the marketing or customer success teams to measure and increase customer retention. These teams are responsible for understanding the customer experience and identifying ways to improve it, which can help to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.

This can include activities such as conducting customer surveys, analyzing customer data, and implementing strategies to improve the customer experience. In some cases, the CEO or other senior leaders may also be involved in setting retention goals and overseeing the efforts to increase retention.

Is it more profitable to acquire new customers or retain existing ones?

It is generally more profitable to retain existing customers than to acquire new ones. This is because the cost of acquiring new customers is typically higher than the cost of retaining existing ones. For example, it can be expensive to run advertising campaigns or offer discounts to attract new customers, whereas retaining existing customers often requires less investment. In addition, existing customers are more likely to make repeat purchases and to spend more money over time, which can generate more revenue for the business. As a result, businesses often focus on retaining their existing customers and providing them with a high-quality experience in order to drive profitability.