Zumba · dance fitness brand and app
Let people pick a plan in the app, then pay on a bare web page
Sign-ups fell 25% (35% at first) but lifetime value rose 17%
Workedpayments-checkoutpaywallexperimentation
What they did
A/B test, half of users each: in-app purchase only vs. web checkout only. Iteration 1: paywall button sent users to the web. Iteration 2: in-app paywall with package selection (monthly/annual, via RevenueCat) and a 'Start Today' button; the tap opens Safari to a stripped-down Stripe page showing only the chosen plan, styled like Apple's in-app purchase sheet, then auto-redirects back into the app. No extra discount for paying on the web, to protect LTV. Next ideas: let users choose web or in-app, and route only high-intent placements (e.g. after the welcome class) to web.
What happened
Initial conversion to trial/paid dropped ~35% in iteration 1 and ~25% in iteration 2, but better annual trial-to-paid, better retention and no app store fees gave a 17% LTV lift. CPA rises, so judge on LTV. Called one of their most successful tests.
- Stage
- Launch (~1 year after app launch)
- Effort
- Two A/B test iterations, 50/50 split
In their words
Sub Club by RevenueCat · Optimizing Funnels, Pricing, and Retention at Zumba — Nicole Page & Lucy Levy, Zumba“So we've seen that that initial conversion, we saw a drop initially of about 35%. With the second iteration, we managed to improve that to about 25% drop instead of 30 35%.”
“So when we look at everything together, we see a 17% lift on lifetime value that more than offsets the drop in in the initial conversion.”
“we gave them the most stripped-down view on the web, where we just showed them what they selected. We tried to replicate how Apple has that view, has that window on the app when you do an in-app purchase”
“One debate that we had internally was whether we give an extra incentive to get people to subscribe through web, but we decided to test it without it”
Related topics
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More from this episode
- Zumba: Ask each user's goal, then put them in a matching workout programProgram users watched 2x as many videos; month-2 retention about doubled
- Zumba: On the web checkout, show Apple Pay or Google Pay first when availableHelped conversion a little; no numbers given
- Zumba: Make onboarding longer: ask about goals and level, show value, recommend a programMuch higher paywall conversion than the short flow; no numbers given
- Zumba: Show the paywall right after onboarding, before people see the appHelped overall conversion; no numbers given
- Zumba: Give non-payers one free beginner class, then show the paywall when they stopHundreds of thousands of views; that paywall converts well, but no numbers
- Zumba: Push new users to finish 3 classes: default weekly goal of 3 and a counterUsers who reach 3 classes are much more likely to stay
- Zumba: After each class, celebrate, ask how hard it was, and suggest the next classMore people come back for their next class; no numbers given
- Zumba: Send workout reminders at the day and hour each user usually works out
- Zumba: Add chat threads where users talk about classes and their health journeyUsers didn't engage; feature turned off
- Zumba: Drop the free trial on the monthly plan and cut it from $19.99 to $14.99Great results per the guest; annual mix rose from ~30% to ~60% (other changes too)
- Zumba: Give only a 7-day free trial on the annual plan, priced at $99Trial-to-paid rose from the 30s to ~56%; no drop in trial starts
- Zumba: Interview people who quit after one class, not just your biggest fansFound many churners leave for live classes; shaped the beginner focus
- Zumba: Build the app for shy beginners with easy, high-quality classes70-75% of new users say they're beginners; credited as a big retention shift
- Zumba: Treat every launch as a test and check the numbers every morningGuests credit it for fast iteration; no numbers
- Zumba: Run one instructor training and continue only if 60+ people show upAbout 120 came, double the bar; became the core instructor business
- Zumba: Label the paywall button "Start Today"Won an A/B test of several button labels; no numbers
- Dipsea: Test sending paywall taps to a web checkout pageRealized LTV down 6% at first; fewer web subscribers turned off auto-renew