How Cabify Leveraged Emotional Connection to Boost App Retention

In today's fast-paced digital landscape, it's easy to get lost in the noise. But what if you could create an app engagement strategy that speaks directly to your users' hearts? Cabify did just that by transforming a technical update into a personalized narrative that deepened user connection.

Transforming Technical Updates into Emotional Hooks

Cabify recognized that traditional "please update your app" notifications were no longer effective in driving user retention. So, they asked themselves: what if the incentive to update wasn't a technical benefit, but a personal story? By doing so, Cabify created an emotional hook that resonated with their users.

Crafting a Data-Driven and Emotionally Intelligent App Engagement Campaign

During an internal hackathon, the Cabify team developed an innovative idea inspired by popular "Wrapped" concepts. The goal was to provide each user with a personalized summary of their year in rides, featuring visual, relatable metrics such as:

  • "You traveled the same distance as 6 soccer matches."
  • "Your longest ride was from X to Y."

However, there was a twist: users had to update the app to access their summary. This clever tactic not only encouraged engagement but also created a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out).

Building an App Engagement Strategy that Drives Results

Cabify's multi-team effort involved product, data, design, and engineering teams, supported by a robust technical foundation.

  • Key Tools: Braze Canvas Flow for orchestrating the user retention experience, parallel campaigns, dynamic content, and AWS Lambda integration for custom data processing.
  • Process Highlights: Over 860 personalized variations powered by Liquid, ensuring a unique experience for each user.

Measuring Success: The Power of App User Experience

The results spoke for themselves:

  • 87% of rides were completed using the updated app within just two weeks.
  • 70% of users viewed the campaign more than once (some up to 15 times).
  • Top-performing markets included Argentina, Spain, and Colombia.

Lessons from Cabify's App Engagement Case Study

Let Your Brand Values Guide Engagement: Celebrate shared milestones that resonate with your users' values and passions.

Engagement Isn't (Just) Marketing: Cross-functional collaboration between product, data, engineering, and marketing teams creates meaningful user experiences.

Great Ideas Don't Wait: With the right tools, you can launch impactful campaigns in weeks, prioritizing learning over perfection.

Ready to Unlock App User Experience Secrets?

Let's talk about how Minders can help you turn insights into emotional user journeys that drive retention and growth.