Understanding Your DAU/MAU Stickiness Ratio

What is the DAU/MAU Stickiness Ratio?

The DAU/MAU Stickiness Ratio is a key metric used to measure user engagement and retention for digital products like apps, websites, or software. It indicates how frequently users return to your product.

It is calculated by dividing the number of Daily Active Users (DAU) by the number of Monthly Active Users (MAU) and then multiplying by 100 to express it as a percentage.

• Daily Active Users (DAU): The number of unique users who interact with your product on a given day.
• Monthly Active Users (MAU): The number of unique users who interact with your product within a 30-day period.

Why is the DAU/MAU Stickiness Ratio Important?

This ratio provides valuable insights into the health and engagement of your product:

• Engagement Indicator: A higher ratio suggests that a significant portion of your monthly users are returning daily, indicating strong engagement.
• Retention Metric: It helps understand how well your product retains users over time. Products with high stickiness often have lower churn rates.
• Product Value: A sticky product usually means users find consistent value, making it an integral part of their daily routine.
• Growth Potential: High stickiness can lead to organic growth through word-of-mouth and reduced marketing costs.

How to Interpret Your DAU/MAU Stickiness Ratio

The ideal DAU/MAU ratio varies significantly by industry, product type, and target audience. However, here are some general guidelines:

• Above 20%: Generally considered good, indicating strong engagement. Many successful social media platforms aim for 50% or higher.
• 10% - 20%: Average engagement. There's room for improvement in user retention and daily usage.
• Below 10%: Low engagement. This suggests users are not finding enough consistent value to return frequently, and product improvements or re-engagement strategies may be needed.

Remember to benchmark your ratio against competitors or industry averages for a more accurate assessment.

Example Calculation

Let's say your mobile application has:

• Daily Active Users (DAU): 50,000
• Monthly Active Users (MAU): 200,000

To calculate the DAU/MAU Stickiness Ratio:

Ratio = (DAU / MAU) * 100

Ratio = (50,000 / 200,000) * 100

Ratio = 0.25 * 100

Ratio = 25%

In this example, a 25% stickiness ratio indicates a good level of engagement, suggesting that a quarter of your monthly users are returning daily.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Can the DAU/MAU ratio be over 100%?

A: No, the DAU/MAU ratio cannot exceed 100%. Since MAU represents the total unique users over a month, and DAU is a subset of those users on a single day, DAU will always be less than or equal to MAU.

Q: What's a good DAU/MAU ratio for a new product?

A: For new products, a ratio of 10-20% can be a good starting point. The focus should be on consistent improvement and understanding user behavior to increase stickiness over time.

Q: How often should I track this ratio?

A: It's recommended to track the DAU/MAU ratio regularly, ideally weekly or monthly, to observe trends and measure the impact of product changes or marketing efforts.