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User Engagement

Understanding the Stages of Customer Value Journey

Gaurav Rawat
November 22, 2024
12 min read

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Success in the app world isn’t just about attracting users but it’s about transforming them into loyal advocates. The Customer Value Journey is a step-by-step process that maps how prospects discover, engage with, and develop trust in your app, ultimately becoming repeat users and promoters.

This journey is vital because it bridges the gap between user acquisition and retention, ensuring that every interaction adds meaningful value. Without it, apps risk losing users to disengagement or lack of trust. Each stage provides a unique chance to enhance the user experience and foster long-term loyalty.

Understanding each stage is the key to optimizing your app’s potential. Let’s start with the foundation- creating awareness.

Stage 1: Awareness

Getting noticed is the first big hurdle for any app. But awareness isn’t just about getting users to download. It’s about creating those “aha” moments once they’re inside. The goal is to make them see the value your app offers right away. 

Creating Awareness:

  1. Interactive Onboarding Tours: A well-designed onboarding flow introduces users to key features as soon as they land. With 72 percent of customers wanting immediate service, it’s essential to showcase your app’s value right from the first tap, ensuring users feel engaged without delay.
  2. Spotlights on Key Features: Inline widgets and walkthroughs can be strategically placed to draw attention to specific areas of the app. For instance, if you have a rewards program or premium feature, a spotlight ensures users don’t miss it.
  3. Shoppable Stories or Videos: These aren’t just for e-commerce apps. Adding quick, engaging stories that demonstrate how to use your app or its benefits can make a strong first impression.

Why It Works:
The moment users open your app, they’re forming opinions. By leveraging in-app experiences to guide their attention, you ensure they feel curious and excited rather than overwhelmed. Awareness inside the app sets the stage for deeper engagement.

Stage 2: Engagement

Once users know about your app, the next challenge is keeping them interested. Engagement is about building that initial connection and getting users to interact with your app meaningfully. Instead of relying on external channels like emails or social media, the focus here is entirely on in-app experiences. 

This is where Nudge’s features make a difference, creating personalized, interactive moments that encourage users to stick around.

Driving Engagement Inside the App:

  1. Interactive Onboarding Tours: A good onboarding experience informs and engages. Using Nudge’s visual builder, you can create intuitive, step-by-step guides that help users explore features and see the app’s value for themselves.
  2. Gamified Experiences: Add elements like quizzes, streaks, or challenges to make using your app fun and rewarding.
  1. In-App Polls and Surveys: Engagement grows when users feel heard. Short surveys created with Nudge can ask for opinions or preferences, making users feel valued and giving you actionable insights.
  2. Spotlights and Walkthroughs: Highlight underused features or benefits with subtle nudges and inline walkthroughs. For instance, a finance app could guide users to a budget planner tool they might otherwise overlook.

Why Engagement Matters:
Without engagement, users lose interest quickly, no matter how great the app is. These in-app moments not only keep users active but also build a habit of interaction, setting the stage for deeper relationships and conversions.

Stage 3: Subscription

Engagement is great, but turning that interest into commitment is the real game-changer. Subscription is about getting users to take the next step, whether it’s signing up for a free trial, creating an account, or accessing gated content. Inside the app, this means offering value so compelling that users are eager to opt in.

How to Drive Subscriptions:

  1. Gated Content with Clear Value: Use Nudge to create gated sections of your app that offer premium resources or features. For example, an educational app could tease exclusive lessons, while a fitness app might lock advanced workouts behind a subscription. The key is to make users feel the content is worth unlocking.
  2. Personalized Sign-Up Prompts: Using data from your app or CRM, Nudge enables personalized nudges. For instance, if a user has explored a feature multiple times, prompt them with a targeted message like, “Unlock unlimited access to [feature] now!”
  3. Incentivized Subscriptions: Add gamification elements, such as rewards for signing up. Examples could include earning points, badges, or discounts on premium plans, all designed with Nudge’s visual builder.
  4. Onboarding Checklists: Guide users toward subscribing by including subscription steps in an interactive onboarding checklist. Checking off items gives a sense of progress and subtly introduces the idea of commitment.

Why Subscription Works:
Subscriptions create a psychological shift. Users who invest time or money are more likely to stay engaged. By blending personalization, rewards, and intuitive design, you make the process seamless and enticing.

Stage 4: Conversion

Subscription gets users into your ecosystem, but conversion is where they start to see the true value. This stage focuses on turning free or trial users into paying customers. The key to successful conversions lies in reducing friction and making it easy for users to say, “Yes, this is worth it.”

In-App Strategies for Conversion:

  1. Low-Risk Offers: Use Nudge to create personalized nudges for low-risk entry points, like a discounted first month or a free trial upgrade. For example, an entertainment app could offer “Unlock premium shows for just ₹10!” to entice users to take that first step.
  2. Interactive Walkthroughs: Guide users to premium features they’ve yet to explore. Highlight the value of these features with inline walkthroughs or spotlight nudges. For instance, a photo-editing app might showcase advanced filters or tools that are part of a premium subscription.
  3. Shoppable Stories and Videos: Add engaging, tappable content to demonstrate how the premium features solve problems or add value. This approach shortens the decision-making process by visually connecting the feature to user needs.
  1. Real-Time Personalization: Pull insights from your app’s analytics to segment users and target them with tailored nudges. For instance, if a user has spent significant time exploring a free feature, a timely nudge offering a premium version enhances the likelihood of conversion.

Why In-App Conversions Work:
Conversions aren’t just about the transaction—they’re about creating a seamless shift from free to paid. By using personalized, context-driven strategies inside the app, you reduce hesitation and make users feel like they’re upgrading, not spending.

Stage 5: Excitement

1. Creating enthusiasm for the brand and products

Conversion is just the beginning. To keep users engaged after their first purchase or subscription, you need to create moments of excitement. These experiences reaffirm their decision, making them feel valued and eager to explore more of what your app offers.

How to Build Excitement:

  1. Celebrate Milestones: Use Nudge to design celebratory in-app messages or animations. For instance, when a user makes their first purchase, a cheerful pop-up saying, “You did it! Enjoy your premium experience!” can leave a lasting impression.
  2. Personalized Onboarding for Premium Users: Tailor onboarding tours for paid users by showcasing exclusive features they now have access to. This reinforces the value of their purchase while guiding them to make the most of their subscription.
  3. Gamification Rewards: Introduce gamified elements like badges or streaks to keep the momentum going. For example, offer a “First Purchase Badge” or reward users for completing certain actions within their first week.
  4. Exclusive Content or Offers: Delight users with surprises like free credits, early access to new features, or personalized recommendations based on their activity.

Why Excitement Matters:
The excitement stage builds emotional connection and trust. Customer-centric brands report profits that are 60 percent higher than those that fail to focus on CX, showing that creating positive, memorable moments can translate into significant business gains.

Stage 6: Ascension

Once users are excited about their initial experience, the next step is encouraging them to dive deeper into your app’s offerings. Ascension focuses on increasing customer value through repeat purchases, upgrades, or upsells. This stage is all about introducing users to more advanced features and keeping them engaged over time.

Strategies for Ascension:

  1. Upsell Nudges: Use Nudge to create targeted prompts for premium upgrades or add-ons. For example, if a user frequently uses a specific feature, a nudge could say, “Unlock unlimited access to [feature] with Premium Plus!”
  2. Gamified Loyalty Programs: Introduce reward systems like points for repeat purchases or streaks for consistent app usage. For instance, a food delivery app could offer loyalty rewards that encourage users to order more frequently.
  3. Dynamic Product Recommendations: With insights from your CRM, segment users and recommend advanced features or related offerings. Inline widgets can highlight these in a way that feels natural and unobtrusive.
  4. Exclusive Challenges or Content: Create limited-time challenges or gated content accessible through additional purchases or upgrades. For example, a fitness app might offer “Pro-only challenges” to upsell advanced training programs.

Why Ascension Drives Growth:
By creating a path for users to explore more value, you not only increase revenue but also deepen their commitment to your app. Personalization plays a key role, with 60 percent of consumers stating they will become repeat buyers after a personalized purchasing experience.

Stage 7: Advocacy and Promotion

The ultimate goal of the customer value journey is turning satisfied users into enthusiastic advocates. Advocacy happens when users are so impressed with their experience that they naturally promote your app to others, creating a cycle of organic growth and trust.

How to Foster Advocacy Inside the App with Nudge:

  1. Gamified Referral Programs: Set up referral challenges using Nudge’s gamification tools. For example, reward users with discounts, points, or exclusive perks for every successful referral they bring in. A leaderboard showing top referrers adds a fun, competitive element.
  2. In-App Testimonials: Prompt users to leave reviews or testimonials after achieving milestones, like completing a challenge or upgrading their plan. Use surveys or pop-ups to make it easy for them to share positive feedback.
  3. Highlight Advocates with Spotlights: Shine a light on your most loyal users by showcasing their achievements or contributions in the app. For instance, create a “Top Referrers” section or feature user success stories in your content feeds.
  4. Exclusive Rewards for Advocates: Offer unique benefits to users who actively promote your app, such as early access to new features or membership in VIP programs. This encourages sustained advocacy and engagement.

Why Advocacy is Critical:
Advocates are your app’s most valuable users, they bring in new customers at no extra cost and amplify your brand’s credibility. By creating delightful in-app experiences and rewarding loyalty, you turn satisfied users into your strongest marketing allies.

Conclusion

The customer value journey is the key to turning app users into loyal advocates. By focusing on personalized, in-app experiences at every stage, you create deeper connections that drive engagement, conversions, and advocacy.

Want to see how it works in action? Book a demo and start transforming your user journey today!

Next reads for you:

Creating a user journey map: A practical guide

What’s digital customer journey stages & complete guide

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Gaurav Rawat
November 22, 2024