Retention and loyalty are two of the biggest challenges that app developers face. As hard as it is to acquire new users, it can be even harder to keep them. Today, Tapjoy is introducing a new product aimed at solving these problems by helping our partners re-engage with their existing users. Called Tapjoy Reconnect, it allows developers to target, motivate and, yes, “reconnect” with their app users with offers designed to bring users to back to the app and complete an additional action.

For lack of another option, most app developers have had to rely on push notifications or other methods of re-engagement to remind their users to come back to their app. Push notifications, when used inappropriately, may be perceived as annoying and spammy by the user, because the messages are not of their choosing and often come at inopportune times, and may be expensive (sometimes $0.02 per notification), with no guarantee of re-engagement.

In contrast to push notifications, Tapjoy Reconnect puts control back into the user’s hands and increases the likelihood of re-engagement – the user picks the app with which to re-engage, and is rewarded for doing so. Tapjoy Reconnect, unlike push notifications, is 100% opt-in, since users must actively select the re-engagement offer from among a list of many offers. User control helps keep them happy and boosts brand affinity.

Tapjoy Reconnect is also more cost-effective than other re-engagement methods, and more measurable. The developer only pays when a user completes an action, so the app developer knows exactly what they are getting and for how much—no more wasted marketing spend and no more back-of-the-envelope calculations to try to figure out how many actions to expect. And with the Tapjoy bidded marketplace, the developer decides how much they are willing to pay and is in complete control of their ROI.

One other critical point is that Tapjoy Reconnect can be used to motivate users to complete various actions, going way beyond just saying, “Come back, we miss you.” Developers can reward users for coming back to “Complete Level 3,” for instance, or “Get Our Deal of the Day.” And we have the ability to send users directly to a specific point within the app, to minimize friction and deliver the best user experience. Or, if a developer chooses, they can instead send users directly to a Facebook page, a specific page on their web site, or to any other appropriate destination.

Other examples of how developers can use Tapjoy Reconnect include:

• A game app developer can reconnect with players by promoting new levels, new characters, special promotions and other updates;

• A coupon service can promote its deal of the day to existing users;

• An airline can send users directly to where they can book a flight and/or get special deals;

• A movie service can direct users to where they can add a movie to their queue; and

• A brand advertiser can promote its latest promotions and reward loyal customers for completing a purchase.

Tapjoy Reconnect is the perfect solution to improve app retention rates and increase user loyalty in a way that rewards users without wasting marketing dollars. But most importantly, with Tapjoy Reconnect, we’re putting power back into the user’s hands, because ultimately what’s good for the user is good for the whole ecosystem.

To get started, contact your account rep or email info@tapjoy.com.

John Gronberg, Product Manager

Chris Nixon, Software Engineer