Tracking daily active users (DAUs) has long been a key metric for apps and website marketers as it provides insight into the level of engagement and retention of customers. Along with monthly active users (MAUs), downloads, and impressions, DAU numbers can look great on investor slides and marketing dashboards. But here’s the sobering truth: they’re often smoke and mirrors.
You can pump up your DAUs with push notifications, retargeting ads, and paid installs as much as you like. None of it will matter if users abandon or ghost your website or app (the average mobile app loses 71% of users one day after they download and close to 90% of users after a month). Growth that doesn’t stick isn’t really growth — it’s noise.
Vanity metrics are easy to manipulate
DAUs and MAUs tell you how many people showed up on your app or website, but they don’t tell you why, or if they’ll ever come back. Worse, they can be dangerously, even illegally misleading if they mask churn, low engagement, or a poor product-market fit.
With enough ad spend and clever tricks, you can make any app or website look successful on paper. But the market eventually sees through the façade. Investors, partners, and — most importantly — customers want something deeper and more meaningful: a product people return to because they actually care.
Retention is the real growth catalyst
What if you flipped the script. Instead of obsessing over how many people show up on your app or website, you focus on how many users stick around? Because here’s the kicker: retention compounds.
Boosting customer retention by a mere 5% can amplify profits by as much as 95%, according to research from Bain & Company. When customers stick around, it’s a clear signal that your product delivers sustained value, which in turn significantly enhances customer lifetime value (LTV). Maybe more significantly, customers who stick become power users, advocates, and sources of sustainable growth.
Why do users stay?
The most successful digital experiences in the world didn’t win the battle because they had flashy ads. They grew because they consistently solved real problems and made people’s lives better. Brands like Reddit, La Redoute, and Makemytrip built their platforms not on hype but on community autonomy, exquisite design, and affordable travel, respectively.
To drive retention, you need to deliver the right experience at the right time in the right context. Here’s a great start.
3 steps to turn DAUs into devoted users
To improve user retention and move beyond surface-level metrics like DAUs, you must create smooth, contextual, and effortless user journeys. Get started with these three steps.
1. Deliver on intent with deep linking
Most user churn happens when there’s friction between what customers expect and what they actually get. Today’s deep linking ensures users land exactly where they meant to go — whether they’re opening your app or visiting your site for the first time or the fiftieth. We do this through:
- Deferred deep linking: Even if the user installs your app after clicking a link, Branch remembers where they were headed and drops them right into that in-app experience after install.
- Cross-platform compatibility: Whether it’s SMS, email, social, or web, Branch links deliver a seamless experience across all platforms and channels.
Case in point: Dailymotion used deep links to create smooth user journeys and saw a 71% increase in 30-day user retention.
2. Personalize experiences through behavioral analytics
Once users are in the door (or on your platform), retention depends on relevance. Now you’re able to understand and act on customer behavior through powerful analytics and user-level data, including:
- Tracking the entire user journey from first click to long-term usage.
- Segmenting users based on behavior and context to personalize their experience.
Case in point: IMDb used analytics to streamline A/B testing, resulting in a 443% increase in app downloads.
3. Reengage without being spammy
Say goodbye to those generic push notifications that no one really likes. Instead, there are smarter ways to bring your users back without annoying them:
- Smart banners on your mobile site that guide customers into your app.
- QR codes that connect offline experiences to relevant, consistent digital actions.
- Referrals and invites that track engagement across your channels.
These tools allow you to reengage users at the right moment, with the right message — and measure what actually works.
Case in point: KFC launched a pop-up pub campaign featuring QR codes and achieved an 85% uplift in app installs.
Loyalty can’t be bought
Let’s face it: people don’t become loyal users because you tricked them into opening the app with a pop-up ad. Loyalty is earned. It’s the result of consistent value, seamless experiences, and respectful reengagement. That’s why smart marketing teams are moving from surface-level stats to meaningful usage data.
Instead of asking “How many people opened the app today?” they’re asking questions like:
- “How many completed onboarding?”
- “Are users discovering the key features?”
- “Who’s coming back in week two? And why?”
Today’s innovative tools let you go deep into these questions, tracking cohorts, journeys, and LTV across platforms and campaigns.
Better metrics lead to smarter growth
We understand that tracking DAUs, number of impressions, click-through rates (CTR), and other metrics will always count for something. They certainly show signs of life on your app or website. But they’re just the first step. If you’re serious about building something enduring, it’s time to optimize for the moments after a user takes action. That’s where real growth begins.
With Branch solutions, you can do more than attract users — you can guide them, engage them, and keep them coming back. After all, retention isn’t just a feature; it’s your most important KPI. Ready to start building retention-first growth? We’re here to help.
