Initially, onboarding was the focus, but we wanted to identify new engagement opportunities. Because Leanplum helped us improve our communication with users through push and in-app notifications, we successfully optimized the entire user journey… leading to huge gains in revenue.
Goals
Although IMVU is a huge player on mobile today, it originated on desktop. In fact, the platform was around for more than 14 years before coming to mobile.
When considering expanding to mobile, IMVU anticipated incredible growth potential. But becoming a cross-platform web and mobile company brought opportunities and challenges alike.
IMVU’s early-stage mobile strategy was driven by high-velocity user acquisition, aimed at rapid growth. As IMVU VP of Growth Lomit Patel puts it, “proving mobile was viable was the initial priority.” But as the brand’s goals have evolved, “retention became increasingly more important. We try to focus on both sides of the coin.” And that they did.
This rapid acquisition led to a mobile user base that was three times larger than desktop. But making money meant IMVU had to engage and retain those users. Because in-app purchases significantly impact the company’s revenue and more time in-app means more purchases made, IMVU focused on analyzing how to improve engagement.