With an app, Vild med Poter created a universe where members can reach their content with one tap. Push notifications retain users — and every time they fire one off, active app users double.
Active app users when a push notification is sent
Dog owners in the Facebook community
Both web and app managed from the same backend
Our app has brought us much closer to our users. When we send a push notification about new content, the number of active users in the app doubles, and our videos are watched for longer.
Michael Kristensen
Founder of Vild med Poter
Vild med Poter is a Danish training universe for dog owners. Here Michael — founder and owner — guides members through everything from puppy training to difficult challenges like being home alone. The content is primarily delivered as videos and supplemented by strong Facebook communities where more than 5,000 dog owners exchange experiences and receive feedback from Michael.
On the other side of the camera sits Kamilla. She is responsible for sharing all the content Michael creates via the website and the Vild med Poter app. Kamilla's work with push notifications adds extra value for both Vild med Poter and their members.
We spoke with Michael and Kamilla about their app and the considerations and strategies behind it.
Videos, programs, and the community — always one tap away.
Although Vild med Poter already had a well-optimized mobile website, several members requested an app. An app would make access to the content easier, and members expected they would use Vild med Poter more if they could simply open it from the home screen instead of through a browser.
For Vild med Poter, choosing to have an app wasn't only about delivering content in a convenient way — it was also about retaining members for a longer period.
"Good dog training takes time. It's a bit like losing weight — you don't lose weight by following a diet for a couple of hours. Your dog also can't learn to stay home alone just because you've practiced it for a few hours. That's why our job is also to keep our members motivated and inspired over time. The more user-friendly we can make it, the better we retain our members — and the app helps us with that," says Michael.
When members first started talking about an app, Michael and Kamilla were a bit skeptical. They thought an app would be too expensive to develop and too time-consuming to maintain. Besides, their website already worked very well and was optimized for mobile — they had even tried to make it a bit "app-like".
It wasn't until they discovered starti.app that they seriously began considering an app. That's when they realized they could overcome both the cost and the time challenges typically associated with having one.
What's really great about the starti.app solution is that we can manage everything through our website — a system we already know. When we upload new content to the website, we can choose whether it should also appear in the app. That makes it super easy to maintain both platforms. And changes take effect immediately.
Kamilla Bøgelund
Communications Manager at Vild med Poter
Every time Vild med Poter sends a push notification, they see a doubling of the number of active app users. Their push notification strategy is quite simple:
"Our push notifications are written from scratch every time — and that's probably one of the reasons they work so well. It's not the same standard message every time, but a short description of what it's about, so users always know what to expect when they tap the notification," says Kamilla.
Why push notifications outperform email for time-sensitive content.
Vild med Poter faced two challenges when their app was ready:
They solved the first by repeatedly promoting the app across their channels — a banner on the website, posts in their Facebook groups, and a kind of word-of-mouth effect where members told each other about the app.
The second challenge was solved by integrating app information into their welcome flow for new members — both in the welcome email and when they log in to the universe via the website.
Both initiatives mean that a large portion of Vild med Poter's members use the app, and today new app users automatically join as new members sign up.
"The app makes our platform feel even more like a universe — and that's exactly what we're aiming for," concludes Kamilla.
With starti.app, you can get an app that retains your users, gives you direct communication via push notifications, and is easy to keep updated. Let's have a chat about your options.
