A hand-picked selection of 30 consumer apps

to watch in 2021, with their secret sauce

A la Carte Subscription Plan

On Jumbo, users are free to pay what they think is fair. You have two paying plans (Jumbo Plus and
Jumbo Pro) and you will pick the amount based on gauge. When you open the pricing page, Jumbo
nudges you to pay a €8.99 monthly subscription but you are free to change.
Reinventing Grocery with Shoppable Recipes

Pick the Number of An Automated Card is

Pick the Recipes Add Staples Pay
Meals Generated

Most grocery shopping apps have a poor UX because they are search-based. You spend too much time
searching ingredients to fill your shopping cart. Jow is reinventing grocery shopping with shoppable
recipes that generate an automatic cart based on the recipes you want to cook during the week.
Using Templates to Remove the Friction to Create Content

Select a Challenge Pick a Template Upload your Video Make Adjustments Publish

Powder is a verticalized social network for gamers based on creating and sharing game clips. It uses

templates to remove the friction for users to create new content. You pick a template into their library,

you make minor editing ajustments and you are good to publish.
Building relevant, non-invasive activation flows
Product-led notification management Relevant local content

Blueprint 19:02 Blueprint 19:02

19:02 Tuesday, 5
19:02 Tuesday, 5
January January
Earlier Earlier
Today
REFACE 15m ago Today
REFACE 15m ago
Iron Man reface is here! Become the face of
Gear up it’s time to save the world #JBLFindYourFit

No unnecessary inducement. You’ll only Reface partners with local celebrities - here French Singer Eddy de Pretto -
receive push notifications for new refaces - to activate users more effectively with local, relevant content. They also
~1/day - or for punctual commercial featured the best-of-2020 refaces by country so that you can find the most
operations. meaningful animations for you and see what’s going on in other countries.
Build a Financial Superapp in Europe

The Money Supermarket A Workflow Example with when you Move to a New Place

Partners Involved Clicking on “move my contract” leads you to the first page. Lydia
shows the main benefits offered by its partner. You have then a
pop-up to give your consent to prefill your data. The final step is
a cobranded Papernest x Lydia’s landing page.
The Devil is in the Details

Commute Ride Walking Time Based
 Augmented Keyboard City Mobility Index Issues on the
Shortcuts on the Distance (Covid-Related) Transportation Network

Users love Citymapper because it has a countless number of small features that make your life easier
to go from a point A to a point B. It was key to thrive against Google Maps and Apple Maps.
 Using Templates to Remove the Friction to Create Content

Profile Picture for Social ID Photo for Admin Podcast Covers for Shopify Templates for Youtube Thumbnails for
Networks Requests Content Creators Small Merchants Content Creators
 Creating a Relationship of Trust with your Users

Chat-like onboarding Transparent on fees and how the money is spent Short and simple details

The tone in the onboarding is friendly and Klima is transparent on Users are on mobile and expect brief

the discussion conveys an atmosphere of how the money is spent. content, so Klima keeps the “how the money

closeness and trust. is spent” article and their manifesto very

clear and short (~350 words each).

A Well-Designed Onboarding

Show the value first.

Set the scene.
Insist on free trial.
 Display the sign up page at Don’t abandon the user
On the very first screen, Tell your user where he is If you skip the free trial, Jour the end of the onboarding after he signs up.

Jour shows what it can (thanks to a questionnaire) and asks a second time to make and explain why the user Jour has a clear first screen
bring to the users instead tell him where he could be sure you understood there was must sign up (“to save to guide the user towards the
of an insipid “sign up” page. thanks to the app. a free trial. progress & secure your first session.
journal”).
Using a VPN to Block Third Party Apps Usage

At the end of the onboarding, Opal will ask you to add a VPN configuration on your iPhone. It’s an elegant solution to control all your
applications and make sure that you have a frictionless experience for the user: you are only one-click away from your focus mode.
Transparent Free Trial to Prevent Hesitations about Upgrading

Billing is sometimes obscure for users.

Blinkist has a pedagogical approach. By

explaining precisely how the free trial works, it
makes it as clear as possible and prevents
hesitations from users about upgrading.
Reinventing Educational Content for Gen Z
Gen Z codes A new way to consume educational content

Sign up with Snap Appropriate tone Memes Short videos Entertaining quiz Discovery-first: no search
presented as stories after each video feature, you choose a
category and swipe up to
browse among videos
 Adding a Social Layer to Boost Organic Growth

Screnshot Sharing on Share your Experience A referral program to get free weeks of the paying plan

Social Media Button in the Settings if you invite friends on the app

Meditopia is driving organic growth with social features implemented into the app. Our favorite and most original feature is the fact
that anytime you take a screenshot in Meditopia’s app, you are offered to share it on social media.
Building a Social Layer on top of Spotify
Connecting your Spotify’s Account Using Social Features

Roadtrip.fm is a social layer built on top of Spotify. During the onboarding, you connect your Spotify’s account. In the app,
you can create audio rooms with your friends to listen to music together, to share playlists and to discuss.
Demo Mode in Copilot: the B2B Codes in a Consumer App

Personal finance apps can be disappointing in the very first days because of a lack of data. To make the user realize
how useful the app can be, Copilot gives the opportunity to try a demo mode that better reflects the value of the app.
As apps are getting more complex and elaborated, they use the B2B codes (also evidenced by the “start your free
trial” CTA on the first screen instead of “sign up”).
Building an App for Daily Usage

Asana Rebel offers the opportunity to build one’s own daily routine via a customizable “Today” screen.

The user can adapt the app to his own usage.

A “Today” item in the tab bar High level of customization and granularity for the “Today” screen
A Smooth Activation Flow with Flo Health Assistant
Taking user input Catching the interest Upgrading

This activation flow is customized to the user’s diary. First, the user enter her symptoms. Then she gets a message from the
Assistant which gives her information about these symptoms. Flo catches the user’s interest with an instructive chat. If the user
wants to know more, the Assistant pushes the premium plan right into the chat. A less abrubt activation flow than a sudden pop up.
Starting the onboarding with a paywall to improve
the user’s first impression
First screen after Sign up modal after a Free content available:

First steps in preview Paywall after signing up
download few seconds in the app 10 free stories

Curio goes against the traditional smooth onboarding path with a paywall as a first interaction with the user.

Interesting positioning and psychological rationale: The user feels lucky to get into a premium product.
A Smooth Churn Process To Build for the Long Term

Contract Section Cause for Termination 1st Confirmation 2nd Confirmation Validation

Most insurance providers have horrible termination policies. Information is hidden from the user and you need to send a
registered letter to terminate your contract. On Luko, you terminate your contract on the mobile app in five quick steps. It’s a
smooth experience that strenghtens the brand and makes users happy.
Reducing the Friction to Create Content

When you open the Cappucino’s mobile app, you are only one click away from starting an audio recording to share with your
groups, your friends or your phone contacts. You don’t have to pick the receiver or do any other action before accessing to the
core primitive of the app.
Adding In-App Events in Your Calendar

Scroll the Event Feed Pick an Event Add it to Calendar Save it to Calendar

Clubhouse have a feed of upcoming events. When a user picks an event he wants to attend, he will be able to add it directly to

its calendar. It’s an original way to drive usage on the application without being dependent on notifications.
Promoting the Paying Plan in the Core Page with a Carousel
Core Page Features Highlighted

On Speechify, the paying plan is promoted in the core page (the library) with a carousel highlighting its
key benefits. It’s a elegant technique to push towards conversion without a fullpage paywall
Boosting acquisition through an ambitious referral program
Referral value proposition screens Referral links and invite monitoring options

Busuu pushes you to invite your friends to get 30 days of free premium.

You can invite up to 12 friends and the offer is cumulative, so you can get up to 1 year of free premium.
 Sharing a Premium Plan with 10 Other People
Premium Plan Add Friends & Family Members to your Premium Plan

In Wakeout, the premium plan allows you to invite for free 10 friends and family members who will access to the premium version of the application. It’s a way
to add a social layer on top of this sweet mental wellness / fitness app.
Give visibility and reassure the user along the onboarding

The onboarding in a stock trading app can be tedious due to the administrive load required to set up an account.

Trade Republic manages to give clear visibility to the user at different steps, so that he can stay motivated.
Incentivise the users to go through a long onboarding
Get started screen After completing admin. After your first deposit Home page with your
process first free share

The onboarding in Bux Zero can look long because of the legal requirements. Bux offers you a free share if you make a first
deposit, it focuses its communication on the offer. For instance, the “get started” screen is only about this.
Using a chatbot for a smooth onboarding

Honk uses its own product, a real-time messaging app, to do the onboarding.

In doing so, Honk can both explain and show how the app works in an entertaining way.
Using a Tutorial in the Onboarding to Pitch the App

MSCHF is not your regular mobile app. To understand the concept, they start the onboarding with a tutorial presenting the concept of the app (one original
and exclusive drop every two weeks) and giving some illustrations.
Using Stories to Highlight UGC Produced on the App

On the core page, you can access a story with a recap of what happened in the app in the previous month highlighting the best live shopping streams,
sharing news on the product etc. It’s a good format to engage with both your new and existing users
 Offer for Users who Canceled their Sub During the Free-Trial
Initial Premium Plan Special Offer for Churners During the Free-Trial Period

Daylio has implemented a churn prevention strategy for users who have started a annual plan with a 7-day free trial but who have canceled their subscription
before the end of the free trial. In this case, Daylio will push you a special discounted offer of €17.99 p.y instead of the €23.99 initial annual plan.
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