When a user opens your app for the first time, it’s more than just a tap—it’s a first impression. And like any good first impression, you’ve got one shot to get it right. In the ultra-competitive world of mobile apps, onboarding is your golden opportunity to turn curious users into committed ones. This guide breaks down why onboarding matters, how to make it unforgettable, and how mobile retargeting can take your onboarding strategy to the next level.
Let’s be real: most users ghost your app within days. According to Business of Apps 77% of daily active users stop engaging within the first 3 days of installation. Day 1 retention is sobering too—just 22.6% on Android and 25.6% on iOS. That means your onboarding experience isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s mission-critical.
Great onboarding:
Bottom line? Onboarding isn’t just about orientation—it’s about making users feel like your app just gets them.
Hot take: If your onboarding starts with a login wall or a permissions prompt, you’ve already lost them.
Instead of walking users through buttons and menus, lead with your value prop. Think Calm’s genius move: before asking for a single credential, it invites users to take a deep breath. That one breath says, “This app gets you.” Another example? Yazio kicks things off by asking users their fitness goals—no calorie counts yet, just commitment.
Try this: Start with a single question or benefit screen that mirrors the user’s goal (e.g. “Want to sleep better?” or “Ready to grow your savings?”) and delay the sign-up barrier until you’ve offered a taste of your app’s value.
Hot take: A demo is worth a thousand tooltips.
Don’t explain your features—let users interact with them. Craft nails this by letting users immediately edit a doc during onboarding. Speechify walks users through choosing a voice and adjusting playback speed before they even create an account.
Try this: Build your onboarding around a “quick win.” For a task app, let users create a to-do right away. For a music app, let them play a track before picking a plan. Minimize friction. Maximize familiarity.
Hot take: If your onboarding feels one-size-fits-all, it’s a missed opportunity.
Spotify doesn’t just ask for user data—it turns it into value instantly with curated playlists based on your top artists. Instagram leverages social graphs to show friends right away. Both make users feel seen, which makes them stickier.
Try this: Use a short preference quiz or goal selector to personalize the next screen the user sees. Then make that content feel like it was built just for them. Retargeting tip: store drop-off data to continue personalization in re-engagement flows.
Hot take: If your onboarding takes longer than ordering a coffee, it’s too long.
Coinbase gets it right by showing a timeline of onboarding steps with estimated time. Calm saves account creation for the very end (and even makes it optional). Long flows kill conversions, especially if you’re not upfront about what users can expect.
Try this: Use a progress bar and be ruthless about cutting fluff. Group steps into must-have now vs. nice-to-have later. And always—ALWAYS—include a “skip” button. Empowerment builds trust.
Hot take: Gamification isn’t just for games—it’s for stickiness.
Duolingo has turned onboarding into a dopamine loop: complete a lesson, earn XP, see your streak. Even non-gaming apps can create mini-achievements. Duolingo makes it feel like learning a language is winning.
Try this: Add small celebratory moments: a confetti animation after setting up a profile, a “milestone unlocked” badge for completing the first action. Hook the user with early, easy wins—and then build habits from there.
Even the most seamless onboarding can’t capture 100% of users on the first try. That’s where retargeting steps in—as your secret weapon for second chances.
With mobile retargeting, you can re-engage users who dropped off during onboarding by reminding them of key features, encouraging them to complete setup, or offering a timely incentive to return. But why stop there?
Enter CTV retargeting—a powerful way to reconnect with lapsed users on the biggest screen in the house. By pairing mobile and CTV, you can create cross-device narratives that reinforce your app’s value in a more immersive format. Imagine a user who skipped onboarding prompts—now seeing a sleek, 15-second CTV spot reminding them what your app can do for their daily routine. That’s sticky.
Together, mobile and CTV retargeting give you:
Pro tip: Use mobile signals (like drop-off point or skipped actions) to trigger smart CTV creative. You’ll create a retargeting experience that feels cohesive, not repetitive.
At YouAppi, we specialize in helping brands not just acquire users—but keep them. With advanced mobile acquisition and retargeting tools, we help you create onboarding experiences that drive results: higher retention, deeper engagement, and stronger lifetime value.
📲 Let’s turn your app’s first tap into a long-term love story.
Get in touch with us today to optimize your onboarding flow with YouAppi’s mobile marketing solutions.
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