How can you track user retention for your mobile app?

1 Define your retention goals

Before you start tracking user retention, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your app. What are the main objectives and benefits of your app for your users? How do you want your users to interact with your app? How often do you expect your users to return to your app? How long do you want your users to stay with your app? These questions can help you define your retention goals and align them with your business goals and user needs.

2 Choose your retention metrics

Once you have your retention goals, you need to choose the appropriate metrics to measure them. There are various retention metrics that can capture different aspects of user behavior and engagement. Retention rate is the percentage of users who return to your app within a specific time period after their first visit. Cohort retention is the retention rate of a group of users who started using your app at the same time. Churn rate is the opposite of retention rate, the percentage of users who stop using your app within a specific time period. Stickiness is the ratio of daily active users (DAU) to monthly active users (MAU). Depending on your goals, you may choose one or more of these metrics to track user retention. Additionally, you may want to segment your users and compare their retention metrics across different segments.

3 Set up your analytics tools

To track your retention metrics, you need to use analytics tools that can collect, store, and visualize your app data. There are many analytics tools available for mobile apps, such as Google Analytics, Firebase, Mixpanel, Amplitude, and others. You need to choose the tool that best suits your needs, budget, and technical capabilities. You also need to integrate the tool with your app, and set up the events, parameters, and dimensions that you want to track. For example, you may want to track events such as app install, app launch, app session, app purchase, app rating, and so on. You may also want to track parameters such as user ID, device type, app version, location, and so on. These data can help you calculate and analyze your retention metrics.

4 Analyze your retention data

After setting up analytics tools and collecting app data, analyzing retention data is essential to draw insights. Various methods and techniques can be used to analyze retention data, such as retention curves, tables, funnels, and drivers. Retention curves are graphical representations of how the retention rate changes over time for different cohorts of users. Retention tables are numerical representations of how the retention rate changes over time for different cohorts of users. Retention funnels are visualizations of how many users complete a series of actions or steps within an app. Retention drivers are factors that influence user retention, such as app features, user feedback, user satisfaction, and user value. Through analyzing retention data, it is possible to understand user behavior and engagement with an app, identify strengths and weaknesses of an app, and uncover opportunities and challenges for improving user retention.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?