SOCIAL APPS | How Viber built a better digital space for its users
The global messaging app increased overall platform messaging by 15% thanks to an insights-driven product with user analytics platform Mixpanel.
Rakuten Viber has continuously worked towards building a better platform by introducing innovative features that cater to its users wants and needs. In partnership with Mixpanel, the world’s leading user analytics platform, the global messaging has increased overall retention and time spent in-platform for its one billion users worldwide thanks to an insights-driven product development approach.
“What keeps users coming back to Viber is the fact that it’s a fun and seamless platform that keeps them feeling connected with their loved ones and favorite brands,” said Danny Odes, Mobile product manager at Viber. “I want to create products that help people make more meaningful connections, and I look to Mixpanel for quantitative evidence of where we need to improve the user experience, so people can truly express themselves on our platform.”
With user insights, Viber can make improvements that allow users to spend more time in-app, make and receive more calls, and send and receive more frequent messages within the platform. For instance, Mixpanel Insights enabled the team to measure and see which buttons were most popular when users were texting their connections, allowing Viber to swap out certain stickers, the search icon, chat extensions, doodles, the gallery camera, and teddy bears.
Through its three-year partnership with Mixpanel, Viber has been able to increase overall platform messaging by 15% for its one billion users. The Viber team understood that user behavior patterns were foundational to product changes and gave users the most useful and relevant chat options, so they would have different ways to communicate with their friends, family, brands, and personalities.
“With user analytics, Mixpanel has enabled Viber to fulfill its first order of business: cultivate a cross-platform environment that helps people connect with their loved ones around the world,” said Odes.
Messaging platforms are currently twenty percent larger than today’s social networks and are also ripe environments for brands to apply unique strategies for users to connect with them in a more engaging, authentic, and direct way. For example, Viber is the official communication channel of FC Barcelona, and the instant messaging and calling app partner of the Golden State Warriors.
“The companies that stay ahead of the curve are the ones that focus on delivering an outstanding and consistent experience across every user touchpoint including emails, ads, and customer service, as well as the app, website, and technology that make up a company’s product,” said Amir Movfaghi, chief executive at Mixpanel. “Rakuten Viber is a great example of how our customers are reinventing themselves from the inside-out with the power of data-driven insights.”
Through their partnership, the Viber team will continue to use behavioral insights in Mixpanel to build out the entire user journey and brand experience for its users.
