How Cabify Improved App User Retention with a Personalized Story

Sometimes, a simple end-of-year campaign can become a powerful app engagement strategy. That’s exactly what Cabify and Braze achieved—transforming a technical requirement into a personalized narrative that deepened user connection.

Turning a Technical Update into an Emotional Hook

Cabify wanted to ensure its users had the best experience possible inside the app. But the usual “please update your app” notifications were no longer effective.

So the team asked a key question:

What if the incentive to update the app wasn’t a technical benefit… but a personal story?

A Data-Driven and Emotionally Intelligent App Engagement Campaign

During an internal hackathon, the Cabify team came up with an idea inspired by the popular “Wrapped” concept. The goal? To show each user a personalized summary of their year in rides, with visual, relatable metrics like:

• “You traveled the same distance as 6 soccer matches.”
• “Your longest ride was from X to Y.”

But there was a twist: you had to update the app to access your summary.

Execution: A Multi-Team Effort with Solid Tech Architecture

This wasn’t just a marketing move. It involved product, data, design, and engineering teams, all supported by a robust technical foundation.

Key Tools and Processes:

• Braze Canvas Flow: Used to orchestrate the entire user retention experience.
• Parallel campaigns: One generic and one gated version, visible only to users with the latest app version.
• Dynamic content: Over 860 personalized variations powered by Liquid.
• AWS Lambda integration: Enabled custom data processing and content generation at scale.

Measurable Results from an App Engagement Strategy

• 📲 87% of rides were completed using the updated app within just two weeks.
• 🔁 70% of users viewed the campaign more than once (some up to 15 times).
• 🌍 Top-performing markets: Argentina, Spain, and Colombia.

Lessons from the Cabify Case Study

Let Your Brand Values Guide Engagement

If your brand was built with purpose, use it. Celebrating shared milestones—like reducing carbon emissions—not only reinforces your message but connects with what truly matters to your users.

Engagement Isn’t (Just) Marketing

Campaigns that truly work are built cross-functionally. When product, data, engineering, and marketing align, they don’t just send messages—they create meaningful user experiences.

Great Ideas Don’t Wait

With the right tools, you don’t need months to launch something impactful. Moving from concept to launch in weeks is possible when you prioritize learning over perfection.

👉 Want to Create App Engagement Campaigns That Truly Connect?

Let’s talk about how Minders can help you turn insights into emotional user journeys that drive retention and growth.