If you’re building or scaling a mobile app in 2025, one of the highest ROI moves you can make is getting your app engagement stack in place early. From onboarding flows to lifecycle emails and push journeys, the right tools can significantly impact your app retention, monetisation, and user satisfaction.
In this guide, we’ll break down:
- Why engagement is core to app growth
- Best tools by startup stage (MVP to Series A+)
- How to choose between email marketing tools for apps
- Building a winning push notification strategy
Let’s dive into the tools and tactics that power lasting user relationships.
Why App Engagement Matters More Than Ever
The average app loses over 70% of its users within the first 7 days. To combat this, your app needs to deliver timely, relevant, and valuable messages from day one.
Here’s why investing in your engagement strategy is essential:
- Retention fuels growth: Improving Day 7 retention by 20% can 2x your LTV.
- Re-engagement saves CAC: It's 5x cheaper to retain a user than acquire a new one.
- Messaging drives monetisation: Email, push, and in-app messages guide users to high-value actions.
Best App Engagement Tools by Growth Stage
Stage 1: MVP & Pre-Revenue (Just Starting Out)
Focus: Fast setup, low cost, multichannel testing
- Brevo (formerly Sendinblue): Excellent free tier for email, SMS, and WhatsApp. Great for transactional emails and basic journeys.
- Customer.io: Powerful startup program offering full access to push, email, in-app, and behavioural segmentation for early-stage teams.
- OneSignal: One of the fastest ways to launch push notifications and in-app messaging without complex setup.
Pro Tip: Set up a welcome push and onboarding email sequence from day one. Even a basic reminder can boost activation by 30%.
Stage 2: Pre-Seed to Seed
Focus: Lifecycle automation, segmentation, basic analytics
- MoEngage: A solid multichannel platform for push, in-app, SMS, and email. Built-in analytics and audience segmentation.
- CleverTap: Ideal for growth teams wanting unified analytics + messaging. Great for cohort analysis and targeting.
Use Case: Use behavioural triggers to send a push when a user completes a key milestone (e.g., adds first item, completes a workout).
Stage 3: Series A and Beyond
Focus: Cross-channel orchestration, personalisation at scale
- Braze: Industry leader in lifecycle engagement. Exceptional testing, deep integrations with data tools, and great SDK support.
- Iterable: Known for strong personalisation features and robust campaign orchestration across email, push, and SMS.
- Leanplum (now part of CleverTap): Mobile-first platform with excellent campaign control and real-time insights.
Tip: Build out your retention segments (new users, returning users, dormant users) and personalise onboarding, feature tips, and reactivation messages accordingly.
How to Build a Winning Push Notification Strategy
Push notifications are one of the highest-impact channels for improving app engagement and retention. But timing, targeting, and content matter. Here’s a strategic framework to guide your approach:
- Trigger-Based Journeys: Don’t just batch and blast. Send notifications based on in-app events.
- Smart Timing: Avoid 3am push messages. Respect user time zones and usage patterns.
- Personalisation: Include user names, location, or product recommendations.
- Frequency Capping: More than 3–5 pushes per week can trigger opt-outs.
- Deep Linking: Send users directly to a feature, offer, or screen within the app.
Stat: Apps using personalised push messages see a 400% lift in open rates compared to generic notifications.
Email Marketing Tools for Apps: What to Look For
Email is still the highest-ROI channel for mobile apps. But not all platforms are built for apps. Here’s what to look for in email marketing tools for apps:
- Event-based triggers: Send emails based on real-time user actions.
- Mobile-friendly templates: Ensure great rendering across devices.
- Analytics & attribution: Track opens, clicks, and in-app conversions.
- Deliverability: Strong inbox placement, SPF/DKIM authentication.
Top Picks: Customer.io, Brevo, and Iterable are especially strong for mobile-first brands.
Final Thoughts: Make Engagement Your Growth Engine
Retention and reactivation are where your real growth lives. Whether you're validating MVP or scaling globally, investing in the right engagement infrastructure will pay off in the long run.
Start small, test everything, and scale what works.
If you need help choosing a tool, designing your lifecycle flows, or optimising your push notification strategy, the team at Kurve is always happy to help.
📩 Get in touch at engagement@kurve.co.uk to audit your app messaging and accelerate your growth.
