Sweatcoin · B2C · app that pays you to walk
Pay 1 coin for watching an optional video ad, up to 1-3 times a day
Retention and engagement rose at 1-3 views a day; fell when more were allowed
Workedretentionupsell-expansion
What they did
Despite being anti-banner-ads, introduced optional rewarded video: 1 sweatcoin for watching a video to the end. Capped at once a day initially; tested 3 a day for some users. Allowing more views than that hurt retention. About 20% of users engage with and like ads; the rest ignore them.
What happened
At 1-3 views a day, retention and engagement improved considerably; higher caps lowered retention. Became one of two main revenue streams alongside brand partnerships.
- Stage
- monetization
In their words
Sub Club by RevenueCat · How to Turn Gamification Into a Retention Powerhouse — Anton Derlyatka, Sweatcoin“So essentially, we introduced a product where you could get 1 sweatcoin if you watch the video till the end, but you don't have to do it, A. And B, we would restrict the number of times that you'd be able to do it. Initially, it was just once a day.”
“And then, if you try to allow them to watch it more frequently, then the retention drops. But actually, one to three times, actually retention and engagement improved.”
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