Driving Feature Discovery and Adoption in Super Apps

TL;DR

• Super apps offer multiple services in one platform, making feature discovery crucial
• Key strategies to increase discovery and adoption include clear onboarding, personalization, and dynamic app experiences
• Successful examples: WeChat's interactive tutorials, Grab's incentives, Paytm's personalized recommendations
• Metrics to measure discovery and adoption success: Multi-feature usage, app visit frequency, and adoption rate
• Continuous testing and iteration are essential for boosting product adoption in app and creating sticky users

What is a Super App

The digital landscape has undergone a remarkable transformation in the last decade, with the rise of super apps revolutionizing the way we interact with technology in our daily lives-

These are apps that consolidate multiple services and features into a single application, providing users with a one-stop solution for their daily needs. From containing financial services and communication to transportation and retail- all in a single app, super apps aim to be the ultimate digital Swiss Army knife for their users.

How to Make an App "Super"

To make it "super," apps integrate multiple functionalities such as:

A. Financial Services: Bill payments, mobile recharges, investments

B. Communication: Messaging, voice and video calls

C. Transportation: Ride-sharing, food delivery, ticket booking

D. Media: Video and music streaming, news content

E. Retail: E-commerce, hotel bookings, event tickets

However, with such a wide array of functionalities, ensuring product discovery and feature adoption in super apps can be challenging.

In this blog post, we'll explore effective strategies to boost feature discovery and increase adoption rate in super apps, drawing insights from some of the most successful platforms in the market.

5 Strategies to Boost Feature Discovery and Adoption with examples of Successful Super Apps

A. Create a Clear First-Time User Onboarding Experience

First impressions matter, especially in the world of super apps. A well-designed onboarding process can significantly impact feature discovery and long-term user engagement.

Step, a US mobile-based banking for teenagers with 1M+ active users, incorporates step-by-step guides to introduce features to new users, ensuring that they feel confident in using them.

Tip: Use progressive onboarding to introduce features gradually, helping users reach their "aha moment" faster and increasing the likelihood of creating sticky users.

B. Simplify Feature Activation

Make it effortless for users to activate and start using new features.

In-app contextual announcements can be an effective tool to highlight new features or updates. Use eye-catching banners to draw attention to newly available services, but be careful not to disrupt the user experience.

Paytm, for example, employs a seamless approach to feature activation, allowing users to easily switch between banking, shopping, travel bookings, and other services without leaving the app.

C. Personalize the User Experience

You can increase the likelihood of product adoption by presenting features that align with a user's interests and needs. Analyze user behaviour data to offer personalized feature recommendations.

Tata Neu excels at this by analyzing user behaviour to suggest relevant services and offers.

D. Implement Strategic Cross-Selling and Upselling

Offer incentives to encourage users to try new features. This approach not only promotes feature discovery in super apps but also drives overall engagement.

Tokopedia, a prominent e-commerce super app in Indonesia, frequently provides discounts or cashback offers when users try a new service within the app.

E. Gamify the Experience

Incorporate gamification elements to hook users to the app, and make feature discovery more engaging. This approach turns feature exploration into a rewarding experience, encouraging users to dive deeper into the app's ecosystem.

MyJio has implemented a comprehensive gamification program that rewards users for spending more time on the app, trying new services and making transactions across different categories.

The key to long-term success in feature adoption is ongoing testing and refinement.

Use A/B testing to experiment with different approaches to feature presentation and onboarding. Analyze user behavior and feedback to identify areas for improvement and optimize the user journey.

Measuring Super App Engagement and Adoption Rate

To gauge the effectiveness of your feature discovery and adoption strategies, focus on these key metrics:

A. Percentage of Users Engaging with Multiple Key Features

Track the proportion of sticky users who regularly use more than one core feature. A higher percentage indicates successful cross-feature adoption and is often correlated with improved retention rates.

B. Frequency of App Visits

Monitor how often users open and engage with your app. Increased visit frequency suggests that users are finding value in multiple features.

C. Average Session Length

Longer session durations indicate that users are exploring and engaging with multiple features within the app ecosystem.

D. Feature Adoption Rate

Measure the % of users who start using a new feature within a specific timeframe after its launch. This metric helps assess the effectiveness of your feature discovery efforts.

Wrapping Up

As super apps continue to evolve, the challenge of feature discovery and adoption becomes increasingly crucial. By implementing a combination of clear onboarding, personalization, gamification, and strategic in-app experiences, super apps can encourage users to explore and embrace new functionalities.

The key to success lies in creating a user-centric experience in the app that seamlessly guides users through the app's ecosystem. By continuously testing, refining, and adapting your approach based on user feedback and behavioural data, you can increase feature discovery, boost product adoption in app, and unlock the full potential of your super app.

Drive Feature Adoption and Discovery for your Super App

With Plotline's no-code dynamic app engagement platform, you can effortlessly deploy several adoption & discovery UX patterns in just 15 minutes, without any coding required. It caters to various use cases and ensures exceptional user experiences.

Benefit from our robust event-based targeting and user segmentation to guide users towards taking the appropriate actions at the optimal moments to power your super app.

If you'd like to explore further, start your free trial with us.