·4 min read
MVP Retention Basics
Acquiring a new user costs 5x more than keeping one. Retention is where MVPs survive or die.
Retention Basics
- •Day 1 retention: Did they come back the next day?
- •Week 1 retention: Did they use it in the first week?
- •Month 1 retention: Still active after 30 days?
- •Good MVP retention varies by product type
Retention Benchmarks
| Product Type | Day 1 | Week 1 | Month 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SaaS tool | 40-60% | 20-40% | 10-25% |
| Mobile app | 25-40% | 10-20% | 5-10% |
| Marketplace | 30-50% | 15-30% | 10-20% |
Quick Retention Wins
- •Improve time-to-value in onboarding
- •Send reminder emails for inactive users
- •Create habits with notifications (carefully)
- •Add progress indicators and streaks
- •Make core action faster and easier
Why Users Leave
- •They never got to the value (onboarding problem)
- •They forgot about you (engagement problem)
- •They found something better (product problem)
- •They no longer have the problem (natural churn)
Retention Emails That Work
- •Day 1: Tips to get more value
- •Day 3: Check in, offer help
- •Day 7: Highlight feature they have not tried
- •Day 14: Ask for feedback if inactive
If users are not coming back, do not spend on acquisition. Fix retention first or you are filling a leaky bucket.