www.c levert a p.

c o m

Industry
Benchmarks
for Travel Apps
From User Acquisition to Retention

Compare your app’s performance to

industry benchmarks and use our
data-backed recommendations to
drive revenue growth
Executive
Summary
Observe
what makes industr y- leading
apps successful
Compare
your app to global leaders
for various metrics
Learn
the red flags for various stages
of the user lifec ycle
Grow
with data - driven recommendations
for improving user engagement
2 CREATED BY
One of the biggest challenges mobile
marketers face is measuring performance and
results. Are you paying too much to acquire
new users? What’s a good click-through rate?
How do your churn numbers compare to
competitors?
In a world with so many things vying for your
audience’s attention, how can travel apps
keep users engaged across the app lifecycle
— from onboarding to repeat buying? What is
the ideal way to hold users’ attention at each
phase, and what is the window of
opportunity?
This new data report provides essential
benchmarks for travel apps based on more
than 55 billion events performed on over 1
billion devices.
Armed with the latest data, you’ll be able to
benchmark your app’s performance as well as
get a deeper understanding of the current
state of the travel app industry — and where
it’s headed.
With this report, you’ll:
Get a complete picture of how your app
stacks up against your peers.
Spot red flags to improve your performance
at every stage of the user lifecycle.
Get data-backed recommendations from
our mobile marketing experts to optimize
your user engagement and mobile growth
strategies.
 Table of Contents
Introduction: How to Make the Most of This Report 4
- The Current State of the Travel App Industry
- Monitoring the Metrics that Matter

User Onboarding Benchmarks 6

- Opt-In Rates
- Time to First Login
- Additional Metrics to Watch
- Recommendations: How to Improve User Onboarding

From Onboarding to Engagement: Benchmarks & #CleverTips 9

User Engagement Benchmarks 10

- Click-Through Rates
- Cart Abandonment Rates
- Additional Metrics to Watch
- Recommendations: How to Boost User Engagement

From Engagement to Retention: Benchmarks & #CleverTips 13

User Retention Benchmarks 14

- Stickiness
- Retention Rates
- Additional Metrics to Watch
- Recommendations: How to Increase User Retention

From Inactive to Churned: Benchmarks & #CleverTips 17

User Reinstall Benchmarks 18

- Uninstall Rates
- Reinstall Rates
- Additional Metrics to Watch
- Recommendations: How to Drive User Reinstalls

About CleverTap 21

Additional Resources & Methodology 22

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 The Current State of the
Travel App Industry

The online travel sector is seeing massive growth, expected to be

worth over $1 billion by 2022.¹ With a plethora of mobile apps
available to increasingly tech-savvy users, mobile travel bookings
skyrocketed by over 230% between 2015 and 2016 alone.²

But with so much opportunity comes a lot of competition. Over 5% of

all apps are travel apps,³ creating an incredibly aggressive
marketplace. Rising above the crowd to attract and retain users is a
major challenge — which is why mobile marketers must deliver
engaging user experiences that drive user loyalty.

So what makes the top performing travel apps so e° ective? Our data
science team analyzed over 55 billion events performed on more
than 1 billion devices in 2018 to understand what makes the
fastest-growing travel apps succeed.

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 Monitoring the
Metrics that Matter

Comparing Essential Metrics Monitoring Metrics Across

against Industry Benchmarks and Between Lifecycle Stages

s
ip
erT
ev
Leveraging Data-driven Recommendations Cl
#
to match Industry Standards

The competitive landscape for mobile apps changes constantly, making it critical
for marketers to benchmark their performance and growth against industry
standards. This report covers all the metrics that matter to help you get a complete
picture of how your app stacks up against peers and competitors.

In order to hook users on your app, you must create engaging experiences at every
stage of the user lifecycle — from acquisition to advocacy. Use this report to
monitor the key metrics at each stage and understand industry standards for each
KPI. You’ll also get insights into how many users typically advance to each stage,
and in how long, to optimize your app’s funnel.

Throughout this report, watch out for our data-backed #CleverTips to help you
engage and delight customers at each stage and grow your app’s revenue.

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 ONBOARDING ENGAGEMENT RETENTION REINSTALLS

User Onboarding
Benchmarks

First impressions matter.

With the sheer number of travel apps available to

users, app-based travel businesses have their
work cut out for them when it comes to attracting
and retaining users. And it’s not easy: the average
travel app loses 64% of users after just 30 days.
That number climbs to 76% after 60 days, and to
82% by 90 days.˛

That’s what makes user onboarding so important.

A perfect first-time user experience is the first step
in building a strong connection with new users. Do
onboarding right and you’re laying the groundwork
for a lasting user relationship.

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 Opt-in Rates:
Opt-in rates signify the percentage of
users who have given you the
permission to reach out to them via
various channels like in-app, push,
email, SMS, etc.
Time to First Log In:
How long does it take for a new user
to register and log in to your app?
Time to first log in is a good indicator
of the value a new user sees in your
app.

Industry Industry
Benchmark Benchmark

63%
O P T- I N
18 MINS
AV E R AG E
R AT E S TIME
of First-Time Users New Users take to
for Marketing Campaigns Log Into the App

#CleverTips #CleverTips

To Improve Opt-in Rates: To Decrease Time to First Log In:

Welcome your new users with a
personalized in-app message on their
first launch
Promote opt-ins by conveying the value
notifications can provide to users
Understand when users are most
active in your app to engage them at
the right time
Welcome users with email drips that
guarantee a response
A/B test the creatives on your in-app
and email welcome messages
Use social logins to reduce
time-to-value and get detailed profile
information

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 Additional Metrics to Watch:
METRIC DESCRIPTION

Average App Load The average time it takes for your app to launch or
(Launch) Time load on a user’s device

Average Cost Per User The average cost you incur in getting a user to
Registration install and register on your app

Crash Rate The percentage of app loads that result in a crash

Recommendations:
How to Improve User Onboarding
Use these tactics to improve your onboarding for di° erent types of user segments.

USER SEGMENT TACTICS

Send personalized push notifications, emails, or SMS

encouraging users to make their first in-app purchase
on days 1, 3, 5, 10, and 15 after registration

Provide further incentive by o° ering discounts and

Registered but Not referral codes
Converted Users
Send in-app notifications prompting users who are
browsing to make their first purchase

Send personalized push notifications reminding users

who abandoned carts to complete their first transaction
on days 1, 3, 5, and 10 since their last recorded activity

Registered and Send personalized push notifications, emails or SMS

Converted Users encouraging users to make another purchase on days 7,
15, and 25 after their first transaction

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 ONBOARDING ENGAGEMENT RETENTION REINSTALLS

From Onboarding
to Engagement
Onboarded users who quickly experience your app’s
value are more likely to stay engaged and maintain
long-term brand loyalty. Give your users exactly
what they need by personalizing onboarding
flows for di° erent user segments based on
behavior, demographics, or acquisition
channel/campaign.

Industry #CleverTips
Benchmark
To Drive Users to Engagement:

80%
Send o° ers and coupons to first-time users
via SMS
Use geolocation to send personalized
recommendations based on region,
of
uu ss ee rr ss language, timezone
perform a search and move to the Provide a seamless experience by using
engagement stage within deep links to take users directly to the
booking page

44 Mins

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 ONBOARDING ENGAGEMENT RETENTION REINSTALLS

User Engagement
Benchmarks

Acquiring and activating new users is only the

first step. Keeping those users engaged with
your app is essential to your long-term success.

Provide a personalized user experience to

nurture customer relationships and drive higher
brand recall. Messages and promotions based
on user actions make for an impressive user
experience. That’s what keeps users active and
profitable over the long term.

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 Click-Through Rates:
Click-through rates (CTRs) help
measure the e° ectiveness of your
marketing campaigns. Are your
messages generating the response
you intended? Are they prompting
users to open your app?
Industry
Benchmark
8.32%AV E R AG E
C L I C K-T H R O U G H R AT E S
for Marketing Campaigns
#CleverTips
To Increase CTRs:
Find the optimal time of the day to
engage with users; CTRs are higher on
messages sent between 8 - 11 pm
Make your user feel valued and
appreciated by personalizing messages
based on purchase/search history,
location, etc.
Use a custom alert sound for your
messages to reinforce brand recall
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Cart Abandonment Rates:
How many users dropped o° a fter
showing high purchase intent? Avoid
the common pitfalls of abandoned
carts and lost opportunities.
Industry
Benchmark
78.6%
BOOKING
A B A N D O N M E N T R AT E S
for Users Showing Purchase Intent
#CleverTips
To Reduce Cart Abandonment:
Analyze the di° erent paths users take
inside your app to find and resolve
friction points
Establish the golden window of
opportunity to engage and bring back
dropped o° u sers
Engage users in real time; Send
compelling personalized messages to
bring back users who have dropped o°
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 Additional Metrics to Watch:
METRIC
Average Session Length
Recommendations:
How to Boost User Engagement
Try these tactics to improve your app engagement and monetization for di° erent
user segments.
USER SEGMENT
First-Time Converted
Users:
Users who have completed a
key in-app action for the very
first time, such as booking a
flight or hotel
Repeat Converted Users:
Users who have completed
multiple in-app transactions
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DESCRIPTION
The amount of time that a user spends in your app
during each of their sessions
TACTICS
Use in-app notifications, emails, and/or SMS to confirm
and thank a user for a first-time in-app purchase,
including relevant ticket or booking details, within 5
minutes of the transaction
Use in-app notifications or emails to open up
convenient cross-selling or product bundling
opportunities. For instance, pitch location-specific
rental car and hotel options to a user who has booked a
flight
Run personalized push notification or email campaigns
on days 1, 3, 5, and 7 after trip completion, seeking
feedback about the app, travel experience, or
accommodations
Run personalized push notifications or email campaigns
encouraging repeat users to sign up for your loyalty
program
Use push notifications or SMS to provide relevant travel
or location-specific updates, reminders, and information
2 days before the trip and on the actual travel day
Run personalized push notifications or email campaigns
on days 1, 3, 5, and 7 after trip completion, seeking
feedback about the app, travel experience, or
accommodations
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 ONBOARDING ENGAGEMENT RETENTION REINSTALLS

From Engagement
to Retention
Your growth from acquiring new users isn’t
permanent until those users are converted into
retained users. Engage with users who are
well-versed with your app’s o° erings, build a
connection with them, and turn them into
long-term customers.

Industry #CleverTips
Benchmark
To Drive Users to Retention:

63%
Learn user preferences and interests using
psychographic segmentation.
Understand the popular categories that
drive conversions and promote them.
of
uu ss ee rr ss Focus on users with the highest chance of
convert in the app and being retained by creating and nurturing
move to the retention stage within your ‘potential loyalist’ user segment.

1 week

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 ONBOARDING ENAGAGEMENT RETENTION REINSTALLS

User Retention
Benchmarks

A 10% bump in user retention can increase the

value of your business by more than 30%.˙

Marketing, advertising, and direct sales can

bring users to your app. But a good product plus
an e° ective user retention strategy is what
keeps users engaged, active, and profitable.

You can’t a° ord to lose hard-won users you’ve

invested time, energy, and money in converting.
By keeping a close eye on your metrics and
identifying early signs of churn, you can
proactively engage these users to reduce
uninstalls.

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 App Stickiness:
“Stickiness” measures how much
users are engaging with a product or
feature. The closer your stickiness
quotient is to 1, the more frequently
your monthly active users are return-
ing to your app.
Industry
Benchmark
27.4%
AV E R AG E
STICKINESS
Observed on Retained Users
#CleverTips
to Increase App Stickiness:
Create user segments based on in-app
behavior to track activity and identify
the percent of users about to turn
inactive
Create automated campaigns to
engage users who are about to slip
away
Tell inactive users you miss them and
inform them of new features via
personalized emails
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Retention Rates:
Retention rate is the percentage of
users who stay with the app over a
certain period of time.
Industry
Benchmark
48.3%AV E R AG E
R E T E N T I O N R AT E
30 Days after User is Acquired
#CleverTips
to Increase Retention Rates:
Monitor trends for DAUs, WAUs, and
MAUs.
Use cohort analysis to compare how
di° erent user groups behave over time
and identify your most successful
customers.
Use omni-channel campaigns to reach
users on the right channel at the right
time.
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 Additional Metrics to Watch:
METRIC DESCRIPTION

Average Session The time between two consecutive user sessions.

Frequency

Average Time in App (per The time a user stays active on your app
session)

Recommendations:
How to Boost User Retention
Use these strategies to improve your user retention for di° erent types of user
segments.

USER SEGMENT TACTICS

Run personalized push notification or email campaigns

Engaged but Not Loyal
Users:
Users who have converted
multiple times, but infrequently
seeking feedback about the app, mode of travel, or
place of accommodation on days 1, 3, 5, and 7 since the
user’s last travel experience
Run personalized “We miss you” push notification or
email campaigns on days 3, 5, 10, 17, and 30 since the
user’s last travel experience pitching fresh o° ers

Run personalized push notification or email campaigns

Engaged and Loyal
Users:
Users who frequently complete
multiple in-app activities
encouraging such users to sign up for your loyalty
program on days 10, 17, 21, and 28 since the user’s last
completed travel experience
Use in-app notifications to secure app ratings and/or
reviews after users have made at least 5 bookings on
your app

Send personalized push notification or email

engagement campaigns updating users who have
signed up for your loyalty program on the number of
points or miles accrued, achievements unlocked, etc.
every 30 days

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 ONBOARDING ENGAGEMENT RETENTION REINSTALLS

Churn
Users you’ve nurtured over time should be
monitored closely to ensure that they don’t
churn. Identify early signs of potential
uninstalls to proactively engage with users
to reduce the chances of the user turning
inactive.

Industry #CleverTips
Benchmark
To Prevent Churn:

35%
Understand what most of your users do
right before they uninstall your app
Use search history to send price drop alerts
to users who are about to churn
of
uu ss ee rr ss
Remind users of unexplored features or
benefits of your app
Churn in

2 weeks

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 ONBOARDING ENAGAGEMENT RETENTION REINSTALLS

User Reinstall
Benchmarks

Winning back a lost user isn’t easy — but it is

possible. Fortunately, mobile marketers have the
data they need to win back inactive or lost
customers.

Even after uninstall, you can apply user-level

insights for more e° ective campaigns on every
channel. With personalization, you can make a
compelling case for users to either become
active again or share why they’re no longer
interested in your app.

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 Uninstall Rate:
Even the most successful apps see
some users churn. By monitoring
uninstall rates, you’ll have a better
understanding of your user
experience and what leads to
uninstalls.
Industry
Benchmark
42.5%
AV E R AG E
U N I N S TA L L R AT E
Within 30 Days of App Install
#CleverTips
To Reduce Uninstalls:
Send emails or surveys to uninstalled
users
Avoid notification fatigue by limiting the
number of notifications sent over a
period of time
Find out whether your notifications are
driving conversions or uninstalls using
control groups and campaign ROI
reporting
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Reinstall Rates:
Reinstall rates help you measure the
e° ectiveness and ROI of your
remarketing campaigns.
Industry
Benchmark
57.6%
AV E R AG E
R E I N S TA L L R AT E S
One Month After Uninstalling the App
#CleverTips
To Increase Reinstalls:
Use remarketing campaigns on social
platforms to connect with uninstalled
users and show value based on their
past preferences
Drive brand recall by sending periodic
product update emails
Use attribution tracking to track
reinstalls and double down on the most
e° ective channels
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 Additional Metrics to Watch:
METRIC
Cost of User
Reacquisition
Recommendations:
How to Drive Reinstalls
Use these tips to encourage app reinstalls for inactive and churned users:
USER SEGMENT
Converted but Disengaging
Users:
Users who have purchased on
your app previously but are
launching and/or using your app
less frequently
Uninstalled Users:
Users who have uninstalled your
app
Re-acquired Users:
Users who have chosen to
reinstall your app
20
DESCRIPTION
The cost you incur in reacquiring an uninstalled user
TACTICS
Run personalized push notification or drip email
campaigns o° ering steep discounts and rewards to
encourage purchases on days 14, 21, 28, and 42 as you
see user activity drop o°
Run a “We miss you” push notification or email
campaign to encourage such users to relaunch your
app
Run a personalized email campaign on days 1, 5, 10, and
17 post uninstall asking for user feedback to understand
why they uninstalled
Run a “We miss you” or “Here’s what you’re missing”
email campaign on days 7, 14, 28, and 42 post uninstall
highlighting the latest o° ers, location-specific deals,
and new features.
Run a ’We’re just a click away” sign-o° e mail 45-50
days after app uninstall
Run a personalized “Welcome back” in-app campaign
on first app launch after reinstall
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 We help consumer brands
retain their users for life.

A Complete Mobile Marketing Suite

for Travel & Transportation Brands
Understand Your Users and Their Preferences
Use Server APIs to import data profiles or events from any source, or export
CleverTap data into your CRM. Trigger separate workflows via webhooks when a
user undertakes a critical event, such as booking a flight, hotel room, or finalizing a
car rental.

Correlate Data Across Multiple Touch Points Using Powerful APIs

With CleverTap, you can not only create granular reports for product adoption and
campaign results, but also build a consolidated dashboard that shows how these
initiatives influence customer purchases and ROI.

Get a Real-time View of Your Business With Customized Reports

Monitor what’s happening in your app at this very instant. Define segment criteria
such as users who have saved a hotel booking but haven’t made the purchase
within 20 mins. Track and engage users within this window of opportunity.

Drive Business Growth with Live-User Segments

Track user activity to build out detailed user profiles based on your users’ browsing
behavior, favorite destinations, travel frequency, preferred airlines, time of travel,
meal types, modes of payment, and choice of accommodation.

Talk to our Mobile Marketing Experts today!

GET IN TOUCH

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Additional Resources:
Must-Have Push Notifications for Travel Apps (Whitepaper)
4 Travel App Awareness and Acquisition Strategies for a Smooth Sail (Blog)
6 Hacks to Get User Onboarding on Track for Your Travel App (Blog)
How Travel Apps Like Expedia Can Better Monetize Their Apps (Slideshare)

Methodology:
Our data science team analyzed billions of anonymous data points across multiple
global travel apps in the first half of 2018. We did a deep-dive into user behavior
inside the app, reactions to engagement campaigns, and conversions to
understand the key factors that contribute to growth. Over 55 billion user actions
across 1 billion devices were studied for this report.

For questions regarding methodology, please contact marketing@clevertap.com.

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