Tech giant company, Meta, is looking at adding more retention-driving hooks to its newly launched app Threads, to entice users to return to the app, amid a decline in usage.
Despite the groundbreaking launch of Threads, which recorded 100 million users signing up in less than five days, the app has struggled to maintain daily active users after a burst of sign-ups.
Sensor Tower data revealed a 20% drop in daily active users and a 50% decline in time spent on the app one-week post-launch. Current reports disclose that over half of users have abandoned the platform.
Tekedia Mini-MBA edition 14 (June 3 – Sept 2, 2024) begins registrations; get massive discounts with early registration here.
Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass opens registrations here.
Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and invest in Africa’s finest startups here.
The company’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg, during an internal town hall meeting, while addressing the decline in usage of Threads, said that retention of users on the text-based app was better than executives had expected, though it was not perfect.
“Obviously, if you have more than 100 million people sign up, ideally it would be awesome if all of them or even half of them stuck around. We’re not there yet,” he said.
Zuckerberg further stated that he considered the drop-off normal, and expected retention to grow as the company adds more features to the app, including a desktop version and search functionality.
Among the proposed retention hooks are improved friend-finding capabilities, enhanced features like photo and video sharing, and tighter integration with other Meta apps like Facebook and Instagram.
While Meta is committed to addressing the declining usage of Threads, the success of the retention hooks however remains uncertain. Its major rival platform Twitter is also introducing new features to the app, aimed at retaining users.
Experts have stated that users decline on the Threads app, shows that it will still be an uphill climb for the platform to carve out space in most users’ social network routines.
While there was an initial intense interest during the launch of the app with users checking out the platform, not every one of them has returned to the app, as the hype seems to be fading away.
This change in user behavior emphasizes the difficulties new platforms face in retaining interest once the initial curiosity subsides. Threads face a challenging journey to become an integral part of users’ social media habits.
The backing of Meta and the strategic integration with Instagram gave Threads much higher sign-ups compared to other newly launched apps, however, it will need a much more compelling value proposition to retain users.
Meanwhile, Threads is still in its early days and should not be written off prematurely, as it has a lot to offer users after Mark Zuckerberg during the launch promised that Threads would be a digital town square filled with positivity and connection.
Despite the decline in user engagement on the app, it could still pose a significant threat to its main rival Twitter, as the app continues to improve and add relevant features.
Albeit, it will not be an easy feat, as a Tekedia publication stated that text-based microblogging has already been won by Twitter, noting that this playbook is a first-scaler advantage and winner-take-all. This is to say that, when it comes to micro-blogging, Twitter is the absolute category King.