How to make your product sticky
Learn actionable strategies for making your product 'sticky,' driving user engagement, retention, and loyalty. Discover techniques to build a product users love returning to.
What is product stickiness?
In the context of product development, "stickiness" refers to a product’s ability to retain users, encouraging them to return regularly and engage meaningfully. A sticky product offers value that users find essential, making it a key driver of customer retention, loyalty, and advocacy. Stickiness is crucial in today’s competitive market, where customer retention is as important as acquisition. A report by Bain & Company shows that increasing retention by just 5% can lead to profit increases of 25% to 95%.
Importance of a sticky product
A sticky product is not only cost-effective but also critical for growth. Customer acquisition costs (CAC) have been rising in recent years, making retention more profitable than constantly acquiring new users. Building a sticky product reduces churn, increases user lifetime value, and helps to drive organic growth through word-of-mouth marketing. Sticky products that foster engagement and long-term use are the backbone of successful product-led growth strategies, as they naturally encourage users to remain loyal and engaged.
Understanding your users’ needs
The foundation of a sticky product is understanding your users and solving real problems for them. This involves extensive user research, including surveys, interviews, and behaviour tracking. Companies that actively listen to user feedback improve their stickiness significantly. According to a survey, 70% of customers say that understanding their needs is a major factor in their loyalty to a product. Tools like Proddle help businesses gain insights into user behaviour, enabling them to enhance product stickiness through data-driven decisions.
Enhancing onboarding experiences
Onboarding is often a user's first experience with a product, and first impressions count. An effective onboarding process quickly demonstrates value, guiding users through the product's core features and helping them reach "aha" moments where they see the value it brings to their lives or work. Research from Wyzowl shows that 63% of users consider onboarding a critical factor in product usability and engagement. To create a sticky product, ensure your onboarding process is simple, supportive, and engaging.
Focusing on user engagement
Engaged users are likely to become loyal users. Regular interactions with your product increase familiarity and cement its value. Gamification, personalised recommendations, and frequent product updates are some effective methods to maintain user engagement. For example, personalised content can increase user satisfaction by 20%, as users feel the product is tailored to their needs. When engagement is consistent, users build habits around the product, making it a go-to solution.
Creating value beyond the core product
To make a product truly sticky, create value that extends beyond its core functionality. This could include communities, user resources, exclusive events, or educational content that enriches the overall experience. LinkedIn, for example, has successfully added value with networking opportunities, content sharing, and educational courses, making the platform indispensable for many professionals.
Tracking and optimising user retention metrics
Regularly monitoring user retention metrics helps you understand how sticky your product is and where it can improve. Key retention metrics include daily active users (DAU), weekly active users (WAU), and customer lifetime value (CLV). Retention rate can be a strong indicator of stickiness, with successful products often reporting monthly retention rates of 80% or higher in competitive industries. Using tools like Proddle, you can track and optimise these metrics, allowing you to take timely actions to improve retention.
Encouraging user feedback and continuous improvement
Actively seeking and implementing user feedback ensures the product evolves according to user needs and expectations. Regular surveys, user interviews, and in-app feedback options are some ways to gain valuable insights. This feedback loop helps improve the product and shows users that their voices are heard, further increasing loyalty. A 2022 study found that products incorporating user feedback achieve 10-15% higher retention rates on average, reinforcing the importance of an agile and responsive development approach.
Leveraging habit-forming techniques
Implementing habit-forming techniques, such as trigger-action-reward loops, can make your product an integral part of users' routines. For example, notifications reminding users of valuable features or rewards for completing specific actions can create a habit of regular engagement. Nir Eyal’s “Hooked” model emphasises the power of these techniques to make products both useful and addictive, making them essential for product stickiness.
Conclusion
Creating a sticky product involves understanding user needs, providing a smooth onboarding experience, maintaining high engagement, and continuously improving based on user feedback. Sticky products are not only effective in retaining users but also foster organic growth by creating loyal advocates. For a comprehensive approach to improving your product's stickiness and monitoring key retention metrics, explore Proddle’s tools, which provide insights into user behaviour and help optimise the entire user journey.
Frequently asked questions
What does it mean for a product to be "sticky"?
A "sticky" product is one that retains users by encouraging them to return and engage regularly. It offers consistent value, creating a sense of necessity for the user, which helps increase retention, loyalty, and advocacy.
Why is product stickiness important for business growth?
Product stickiness is essential because it leads to higher customer retention, which is often more cost-effective than acquiring new users. Sticky products also help drive organic growth through word-of-mouth, as satisfied users become advocates. A report shows that increasing customer retention by just 5% can lead to profit increases of up to 95%.
How can I make my product more engaging for users?
Engagement can be improved by offering personalised recommendations, gamifying features, and consistently updating the product. High engagement fosters habits around the product, making users more likely to keep returning. Personalised experiences, in particular, have been shown to increase user satisfaction by around 20%.
What role does onboarding play in product stickiness?
Onboarding is a critical part of product stickiness, as it introduces new users to the product's core features and value. A well-designed onboarding process can increase user retention by helping users see the value quickly, making them more likely to engage with the product long-term.
What are some key metrics to track product stickiness?
Important metrics for assessing stickiness include daily active users (DAU), weekly active users (WAU), customer lifetime value (CLV), and retention rates. High retention rates, often 80% or higher, are indicators of a sticky product. Tracking these metrics helps identify areas for improvement to boost user engagement and retention.
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