Preview - Final part - 2021 mobile consumer tips - 12 mobile consumer insights or apps worth reading about 📲
Preview final part - insights from key experts every week
Hey, Gilles and the Clind team here!
Our past week's issue was a blast 💥 It seems our readers really enjoyed getting takeaways from our selection of mobile experts.
This week, we will publish the follow-up episode of our special edition of the past week. Again, we are sharing some of the best insights we found about building a mobile consumer app. As you may know, the newsletter you are reading now, The Timestamp is made using key takeaways that are being shared every day in the Clind app (App Store and Android Play). Clind is a consumer app, meaning it is built to be used by individuals like you and me.
As a reminder, going through this list of 12 items, we will share the key takeaways from the last 6 items of the list we shared previously:
why habit-forming is key to becoming a category-leading app like Curio,
how Calm became the app that monetized doing nothing,
Next Sunday for subscribers only - how to increase conversion solving a customer complaint with Blinkist,
Next Sunday for subscribers only - what Eric Seufert thinks as an expert in User Acquisition and mobile ads
about Apple, Facebook, and mobile advertising
about growth loops
about app installs, is this really the end?
Here we go with a preview! Subscribe for free if you are interested to get the full post !
#1 Why habit-forming is key in a consumer app?
Zero to category-leading: how habit formation can fast-forward subscription growth in an uncharted genre - with Govind Balakrishnan, CEO and cofounder of Curio Labs published on April 6th 2021 on The Mobile User Acquisition Show.
CEO of Curio app explains how to become a category-leading app, Curio 🎧
Curio is an app where the average duration of a session is 45min. This is 10x to 20x more than people usually spend reading newspapers or magazines.
He figured that some people are more in a need of inspiration rather than getting hot news.
Usage habits in an app can be measured looking at how many contents are being consumed but there are also some less obvious signals. For example, ‘subscribing to a channel’ or ‘following somebody in the app’ can also be a good indicator of user engagement.
Before a user gets committed to some future routine behavior with your app, new users are first building a habit with a less obvious behavior. Later, these users returning to your app may decide to pay for it.
When suggesting content to a user, Curio figured that there is a sweet spot when considering user perception of choice; suggesting 8 to 10 options to choose from is good whereas below this range, users will tell you do not propose enough content. Above 8 to 10, they will tell you it is too much content.
Final word, Govind suggests to any app developer to identify (with your data points) every activation point that is part of forming a habit with your app 👉 consuming, saving, liking, following, creating.
#2 Calm, the app that monetized doing nothing
The app that monetized doing nothing published on June 4th 2021 on The Atlantic.
Calm is one of the most popular consumer apps at present. It counts 100m users and is now the most popular mindfulness app.
In 2020, the app had even stronger downloads in the early days of the pandemic.
Calm’s value proposition is clear
☑️ be more present
☑️ less distracted at work
☑️ be more consistent with habit forming > thinking more clearly and working harder
Calm proved to be a reference in pricing consumer subscriptions. Pricing for Calm starts at $15 monthly; it costs $70 yearly or $400 for lifetime service.
In 2021, Calm’s company valuation just hit a $2bn. The next step for Calm is to build a wellness empire, books, films, series, consumer products, and developing partnerships (airlines, hotels, spas etc).
Mindfulness, as defined by Buddhists, is the ability to separate yourself from your ideas and emotions. Meditation has an impact on the brain, body and soul. Meditation oldest records date from 1500 BC in India. Now Wellness is estimated to be a business worth $120bn per year.
Calm was founded by 2 student roommates in London. First, they launched as a website in 2012; they became an app in 2013. The core value proposition is audio-based. According to the CDC, the % of Americans who meditate grew 3x in 5 years.
To be continued 👇
If you enjoyed reading the beginning of this newsletter, you may want to access the full content that covers 10 more insights you cannot miss if you have an interest in mobile consumer apps. Get your own subscription to The Timestamp (it can start for free > just leave your email address) and receive the full newsletter this Sunday.
See you next Sunday!