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Customer Retention Strategies: Proven Snapchat Techniques to Retain Customers [Updated in 2025]

lifecycle marketing and customer retention

Struggling with user churn despite pouring money into the business? Implementing the right Customer Retention strategies can keep your new customers engaged and coming back.

Imagine downloading a new social media app, excited to explore its features. At first, it’s fun - you send messages, play with filters, and interact with friends.

But after a few days, the excitement fades. Notifications pile up, the novelty wears off, and before you know it, the app is forgotten, buried in a folder on your phone.

This is the harsh reality for most social platforms today - retaining users is harder than ever.

With endless distractions and competing apps vying for attention, keeping users engaged or getting loyal customers requires a data-driven focus on Customer Retention.

If you're looking to audit your current marketing technology and retention efforts, Martech Audit can help uncover gaps and optimization opportunities.

One platform that has mastered this challenge is Snapchat.

Despite fierce competition, Snapchat has managed to build a highly engaged customer experience through gamification, personalization, and social connectivity.

So, what exactly does Snapchat do differently to enhance customer loyalty?

And what can businesses learn from their retention playbook?

In this guide, we’ll break down Snapchat’s user retention strategies and explore actionable lessons for businesses looking to keep their customers engaged.

Snapchat Retention Strategies Across User Retention Stages: Table View

Snapchat's key strategies to retain customers

What is a Customer Retention Strategy?

Getting new customers is easy - to retain customers is the real challenge.

Sure you may acquire many new customers, but what percentage of customers stick to your product? How many of them become loyal advocates of your service?

A Customer Retention strategy is all about making sure users stay engaged, happy, and loyal instead of drifting away to competitors. The strategy ensures higher customer satisfaction for a lower customer churn rate.

Why is Customer Retention important?

Customer Retention is important because it is way more cost-effective than acquisition.

Strong Customer Retention improving customer experience on your platforms. This not only reduces churn but also increase revenue, as loyal customers spend more and advocate for your brand.

Selling to existing customers has a success rate of 60-70%, whereas selling to new prospects is only 5-20%.

Big brands like Amazon, Spotify, and Apple know this and ensure their key Customer Retention metrics score high. They focus on personalization, habit-building, helpful customer support, seamless customer feedback,  and frictionless experiences to keep users coming back. Snapchat takes it even further.

What are the 8 C’s of Customer Retention?

Just meeting customer needs is not enough. The 8 C’s of Customer Retention are key principles brands use to boost customer loyalty and engagement.

These include Customization, Community, Convenience, Communication, Commitment, Consistency, Care, and Choice. The goals of the 8cs hovers around strengthening customer relationship with the product or service.

Snapchat applies these in different ways to keep users active. Here’s a quick breakdown for you:

  • Customization – Personalized content recommendations and Bitmoji integrations.
  • Community – Features like Snap Streaks and Group Stories encourage connections.
  • Convenience – A simple interface with quick navigation for the customer base.
  • Communication – Instant messaging, video calls, and direct Snap replies.
  • Commitment – Gamification elements like Snap Scores and Streaks to build habits and increase customer app usage time.
  • Consistency – Regular updates with new filters, features, and AR tools for customer engagement.
  • Care – Privacy controls and safety features to build customer trust meet customer expectations.
  • Choice – Multiple ways to interact, from Discover content to Spotlight videos.

What is the KPI for Customer Retention?

Customer Retention isn’t just about keeping users - it’s about measuring their engagement over time.

Conducting customer surveys, performing customer journey analysis, and tracking customer interactions gives you an idea of their engagement with your product or service.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are the best way to track this. With the help of customer data and KPIs you can track customer behavior over time. This can help you develop effective marketing strategies to improve Customer Retention.

For social and subscription-based apps, the most important retention KPIs include:

  • DAU/MAU Ratio (Daily Active Users / Monthly Active Users) – Measures how often users return within a month.
  • Churn Rate – Tracks how many users stop using the app over time.
  • Customer Retention Rate (CRR) – The percentage of users who stay active after a set period (e.g., 7, 30, 90 days).
  • Engagement Rate – Measures interactions like messages sent, stories viewed, or time spent in-app.
  • Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) – Estimates how much revenue a user generates over their lifetime.

Snapchat prioritizes habit-building and engagement by tracking key retention other metrics. A high DAU/MAU ratio reflects strong daily user activity, while Snap Streaks encourage consistent interactions, reinforcing daily habits.

The platform also measures time spent in-app, as longer sessions drive higher ad revenue. Additionally, Snap Scores and interactive features gamify the experience, motivating users to stay engaged and return frequently.

What are the Four Stages Or Levels of Retention Strategies?

Retention is built in four stages, each guiding users from first interaction to long-term commitment.

Four stages of customer retention

Each stage plays a key role in guiding users from first interaction to long-term commitment.

1️⃣ Acquisition & Awareness – Attracting the Right Users

Users need a reason to try the app. If you need to acquire new customers, you must show them its value. Strong branding, viral marketing, and influencer partnerships create awareness and drive new sign-ups.

A successful product or service is known by the facts that its retention revenue surpasses the customer acquisition costs.

2️⃣ Onboarding – Creating a Smooth First Experience

The first interaction should be seamless. A frictionless signup process, guided feature introductions, and instant social connections help users get started. Remember, this is the first time a customer engages with your app or service. Failing to enhance customer experience can elevate churn risks.

3️⃣ Engagement – Encouraging Consistent Interaction

Once users are onboarded, they need reasons to return. Habit-forming features, personalized content, and gamification reinforce regular usage.

A poor customer engagement is an alarming metric, which means you service or product fails to engage the users.

Snapchat reported that users who interact with at least three friends over a month have a retention rate exceeding 90% in the following month.

4️⃣ Loyalty – Turning Users into Long-Term Advocates

Loyal users feel connected to the product. Community-driven experiences, exclusive rewards, and personalization strengthen long-term retention and advocacy.

No product or service has a fixed strategy of how to increase Customer Retention. The key is to develop with data and trends and build a strong customer base.

Key Strategies Snapchat Employs to Enhance User Retention Across Retention Stages

Retention doesn’t happen by chance. The key to building lasting customer relationships and

Apps that keep users engaged follow a clear four-stage retention funnel.

Snapchat applies these strategies to keep users active and coming back. How? Here’s a breakdown -

Awareness & Acquisition: Attracting the Right Users

Snapchat app screen sign up

Snapchat’s goal is to stand out and drive new sign-ups through branding, viral content, and influencer partnerships.

Key Strategies

  • Strong Brand Identity – The iconic yellow splash screen and ghost logo create instant recognition.
  • Influencer & Creator Collaborations – High engagement from influencers attracts younger audiences - which means a larger user base.
  • Viral AR & Filters – Free, shareable filters encourage organic promotion and word-of-mouth growth.

Growth Opportunity

  • Snapchat could launch interactive AR try-before-you-buy ads for brands, allowing users to engage with filters before installing the app.

Onboarding: Creating a Smooth First Experience

Snapchat removes friction and ensures new users start interacting immediately.

Snapchat app screen onboarding

Key Strategies

  • Simple Signup – Quick account setup with phone verification and minimal input fields.
  • Social-First Approach – Automatically suggests friends to encourage instant engagement.
  • Playful Permission Requests – Fun prompts make enabling notifications and camera access easy.

Growth Opportunity

  • Adding in-app tutorials to explain core features (Streaks, Lenses, Stories) could improve activation rates.

Engagement & Habit-Forming: Encouraging Regular Use

Snapchat ensures users form daily habits through gamification and personalized content. Maintaining a targeted and healthy lifecycle marketing ensures effective customer engagement.

Snapchat app screen engagement

Key Strategies

  • Snap Streaks – Creates a psychological commitment to return daily.
  • AI-Driven Discover & Spotlight – Personalized content feeds keep users engaged.
  • Swipe-to-Try Features – Lenses and filters encourage effortless interaction and result in higher customer satisfaction.

Growth Opportunity

  • Snapchat could introduce progress-based rewards (badges, unlockable filters) to further reinforce daily usage.

Loyalty: Turning Users in Advocates

Long-term retention happens when users feel connected to the platform and its community.  It's a direct result of the overall customer experience on your platform.

Snapchat engages customers and addresses customer issues timely, thanks to their customer service team - building further trust among the user base. Efficient customer service also helps building lasting customer relationships.

Snapchat app screen loyalty


Key Strategies

  • Bitmoji & Avatars – Customization builds a sense of personal identity.
  • Community Engagement – Shared Stories, group chats, and Snap Map foster deeper connections.
  • Exclusive Features for Power Users – Snapchat+ offers perks for engaged users.

Growth Opportunity

  • A tiered loyalty system with exclusive filters, special badges, or limited-time Bitmoji outfits could enhance long-term commitment.

Lessons from Snapchat's Retention Strategies

Snapchat’s success in retention marketing isn't just about fun features - it’s about building habits, fostering social connections, exceptional customer service, customer loyalty programs, and continuously innovating.

Businesses can apply similar strategies to retain customers based on customer behavior and data.

It’s best to get a MarTech Audit done to identify gaps, get a detailed customer journey analysis, optimize engagement, and boost your Customer Retention.

Here are the Customer Retentions strategies you can use to increase Customer Retention and reduce churn rates in your business:

  • Personalization drives engagement – Use AI and user data to tailor experiences.
  • Gamification and retention programs build habits – Streaks, scores, and interactive features keep users returning.
  • User-generated content boosts retention – Encourage content creation and sharing.
  • Community features create customer satisfaction and loyalty – Social connections strengthen long-term customer engagement.
  • Seamless onboarding reduces churn – Make sign-up and first-time use frictionless helps grow your customer base directly.  
  • Data-driven retention is key – Track retention rate, churn, and engagement metrics to optimize strategies.
  • Innovation keeps users hooked – Regularly update features to stay relevant.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a retention strategy?

A retention strategy is a structured plan to keep customers engaged and loyal over time. It includes personalization, gamification, and community-building to reduce churn and improve long-term user retention.

What is good Customer Retention?

Good Customer Retention means users keep coming back instead of dropping off. The benchmarks vary by industry: Subscription apps: 70-80% 30-day retention (Netflix & Spotify lead with over 75%).E-commerce: A repeat purchase rate above 30% (Amazon excels with Prime loyalty programs).Social media: DAU/MAU above 50% (TikTok outperforms with ~60% DAU/MAU due to its For You page).

What is a 30-day retention?

30-day retention measures how many users are still active a month after signing up. Here’s what it means: Good: 40%+ users still engaged.Average: 20-30% retention.Poor: Below 20%, indicating high churn.

What is one key to Customer Retention?

The most important factor in retention is consistent engagement. Whether through personalized content, gamification, or habit-forming features like Snapchat Streaks, keeping users actively involved reduces churn.

How do I calculate Customer Retention?

Customer Retention is calculated using this formula:Retention Rate=(Users at End−New Users/Users at Start​)×100

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