21% Revenue Increase: Trainman’s Customer-Centric Strategy
Increase in booking efficiency
Drop in churn
Key Insight
Trainman, India’s leading train ticket booking platform, faced stagnation despite a large user base. Bookings were declining, retention was low, and payment drop-offs were eating into revenue. Propel identified that fragmented user journeys and poor post-booking engagement were the main friction points. The mission: build a data-driven lifecycle strategy that increased both retention and booking success.
Solution Snapshot
Propel designed a full-funnel lifecycle transformation through WebEngage, focusing on acquisition, engagement, and retention.
Landing Page Optimization
Improved UX and conversion design to boost click-through rates.
Behavioral Segmentation
Crafted 7-day triggered email sequences based on real-time engagement.
Automated Lifecycle Journeys
Automated onboarding, payment recovery, and reactivation flows.
Continuous Optimization
Weekly reporting and A/B testing to iterate based on real-time performance.
Challenge
Trainman’s growth had plateaued. The platform was seeing:
- A 14% drop in bookings in early 2023.
- High uninstall rates (80%) due to poor retention.
- Frequent payment failures and incomplete transactions.
Despite strong brand trust, the conversion-to-retention journey was broken, and users weren’t staying long enough to generate repeat bookings.
Approach
Propel implemented a holistic lifecycle framework powered by data and automation.
- Mapping user drop-offs: Using WebEngage analytics to trace where users left the journey.
- Rebuilding onboarding: Simplified the app experience to drive first-time conversions.
- Personalized outreach: Campaigns tailored by behavior, travel frequency, and booking stage.
- Retention-first mindset: Shifted focus from one-time bookings to long-term app loyalty.
The strategy was iterative — tested weekly, refined continuously, and scaled for compounding impact.
Solution
Propel rebuilt Trainman’s funnel end-to-end:
- Acquisition: Optimized landing pages and ran intent-based campaigns that spoke to travel habits and booking behavior.
- Activation: Introduced personalized onboarding and reminders to encourage repeat bookings.
- Engagement: Added contextual nudges like payment confirmations, upcoming journey reminders, and smart offers.
- Retention: Automated win-back journeys for uninstalled and inactive users, reactivating them with purpose-driven messaging.
The focus was not just on traffic — it was on transforming traffic into transactions and transactions into retention.
Before and After
Result
Propel’s data-led lifecycle strategy turned Trainman’s challenges into growth momentum.
The result:
- 40% increase in booking efficiency
- 25% drop in churn
- 21% growth in revenue
Trainman evolved from a transactional app into a retention-powered travel platform, proving that lifecycle marketing doesn’t just retain users — it accelerates business growth.
increase in booking efficiency
Drop in churn
Growth in revenue
