đ Win back more users with re-onboarding
Welcome users back into your product
3 ways to win back more users with re-onboarding
How do you treat someone returning to your app? Is it business as usual? Or do you welcome them back?
If you havenât seen a friend in a year, do you act like you saw them yesterday? No, you acknowledge itâs been a while and catch up with them.
Do the same for your users.
You onboard users when they first try your product. Do you expect them to remember everything if they havenât used it in a while?
Here are 3 levels for âre-onboardingâ flows:
Level one:
Show an in-app message that says âWelcomes back!â if they havenât used your app in 20-30+ days
You can trigger an email on the app open event as well
Make sure to do this for reinstalls too
This approach should be fast and easy to get live if you have a decent CRM tool.
Level two:
Maintain a welcome-back message that highlights new features or triggers tooltips to show users whatâs new in the app
This is helpful for your users but also conveys value since it shows youâre constantly improving
Itâs a higher lift since you have to update it with your new features
Level two and a half:*
Trigger a more comprehensive video that plays for users showing them new features
Duolingo did this after a redesign. They have so many returning users that it creates a better experience so people arenât confused which in turn helps retention
Combining a âwelcome backâ with educational messages can pique curiosity and get users to explore.
Level three:
Create a full returning user flow that asks questions about their goals and experience similar to onboarding
Contextualize it for a returning user, but use the same tactics you would during onboarding
Do you have any features that lead to better retention? Bring them to that experience
Or ask your users what theyâre interested in, and then show them that!
Fabulous Habit Tracker has one of the best âre-onboardingâ flows Iâve seen
Welcome back with a unique message âYour story isnât finishedâŠâ
Asks why they stopped their habit
Asks questions to understand how to best help
Recommends a specific feature based on the responses
This is about having empathy for your users.
Theyâre giving you a strong positive signal that theyâre interested in coming back and have an unmet need.
Be grateful for this second chance and show your users you care about them by giving them a helping hand.
See the full Fabulous onboarding, winback, and habit selection flows here.
* Yes, Iâm somewhat conflating âWelcome backâ messages with âWhatâs Newâ messages. Whatâs New messages can be helpful for all user types, but they are also helpful to bring lapsed or inactive users back into the fold.