Uber vs. Lyft - User Engagement Teardown

User Engagement Teardown

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User Engagement Teardown

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A Quick Word on Iterable

Iterable is a growth marketing and user engagement platform.

• Segment users, build workflows, automate touchpoints and test strategies at scale without engineering support.

• Everything you see here (and more) can be done with Iterable. You can see other teardowns at: iterable.com/teardown


What is a “User Engagement Teardown?”

We analyze a user engagement over a defined time period post-signup.

• We offer constructive evaluation and feedback.

• We cover all types of B2C businesses: e-commerce, marketplaces, media, politics, etc.


Background on Uber and Lyft

Uber and Lyft are two leading ride-sharing services headquartered in San Francisco.

• Uber, founded in 2009, operates in 560 cities worldwide. Raised $15B, with a valuation of $69B.

• Lyft, founded in 2012, operates in 300 cities in the U.S. Raised $2B, with a valuation of $5.5B.


What We Did

Signed up and received messages over 2 weeks between Feb. — Mar. 2017

We escalated activity over time:• Completed user profiles• Downloaded mobile apps• Booked rides with each service• Referred services to friends


On to the User Engagement Timeline…

User Engagement Timeline


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We’ll show you what we (the user) did here…

10 11 12 13 14 151 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 90Days fromstart:

Message TypeActivity TypeBlast

Transactional

TriggeredDesktop Mobile

SMS



Mes

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10 11 12 13 14 151 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 90Days fromstart:


Transactional


SMS

…and the messages we received here.



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10 11 12 13 14 151 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 90Days fromstart:


Transactional


SMS

…and the messages we received here.Activities and message types are color coded as shown in this key.

Now let’s look at Uber and Lyft’s user engagement.

First, Uber…

The Uber User Engagement Timeline


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10 11 12 13 14 151 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 90Days fromstart:


Transactional


SMS

Creatednewaccount

Completedprofileinfo

DownloadedappBookedaride

Referredtofriends

Bookedaride



Mes

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ser A

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10 11 12 13 14 151 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 90Days fromstart:


Transactional


SMS

Creatednewaccount



Referredtofriends

Bookedaride

After creating a new account on desktop, Uber sent two welcome messages via email and SMS within ten minutes of each other.

These messages encouraged the user to download the app.



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10 11 12 13 14 151 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 90Days fromstart:


Transactional


SMS

Creatednewaccount



Referredtofriends

Bookedaride

Over the next three days, Uber sent two triggered reminders to verify the user’s phone number.

This security measure must be completed before taking a ride.



Mes

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10 11 12 13 14 151 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 90Days fromstart:


Transactional


SMS

Creatednewaccount



Referredtofriends

Bookedaride

As we went through the process of booking a ride, Uber sent a verification code via SMS to

confirm the mobile number.



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10 11 12 13 14 151 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 90Days fromstart:


Transactional


SMS

Creatednewaccount



Referredtofriends

Bookedaride

Each time we booked a ride, Uber sent transactional receipts.

These emails included a map and the user’s referral code.



Mes

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10 11 12 13 14 151 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 90Days fromstart:


Transactional


SMS

Creatednewaccount



Referredtofriends

Bookedaride

We also received a blast email about a specific product feature.

This message informed us how to share our trip status with friends.



Mes

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10 11 12 13 14 151 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 90Days fromstart:


Transactional


SMS

Creatednewaccount



Referredtofriends

Bookedaride

Lastly, we sent our referral code from the mobile app to some friends

via SMS. This action didn’t trigger any communications.

Now let’s look at Lyft’s user engagement…

The Lyft User Engagement Timeline


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10 11 12 13 14 151 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 90Days fromstart:


Transactional


SMS

Creatednewaccount



Referredtofriends

Bookedaride



Mes

sage

sU

ser A

ctiv

ity

10 11 12 13 14 151 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 90Days fromstart:


Transactional


SMS

Creatednewaccount



Referredtofriends

Bookedaride

Lyft did not welcome us as a new user until three days after we created an account.

Although the email was designated as part of a “Welcome Series,” a timing error sent the series out of

order. The first touch was email #2 out of 4.



Mes

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10 11 12 13 14 151 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 90Days fromstart:


Transactional


SMS

Creatednewaccount



Referredtofriends

Bookedaride

We then received welcome emails #1 (“Welcome to Lyft”) and #3 (“Explore the Latest Lyft Features”) on the same day.



Mes

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10 11 12 13 14 151 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 90Days fromstart:


Transactional


SMS

Creatednewaccount



Referredtofriends

Bookedaride

The final email in Lyft’s Welcome Series was titled, “Meet the Lyft driver

community.” Its call-to-action was to take a ride with a 5-star driver.



Mes

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10 11 12 13 14 151 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 90Days fromstart:


Transactional


SMS

Creatednewaccount



Referredtofriends

BookedarideWhile booking each ride, we received an SMS to

inform us that our driver was here. Each message included the specific color and model

of the driver’s car.



Mes

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10 11 12 13 14 151 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 90Days fromstart:


Transactional


SMS

Creatednewaccount



Referredtofriends

Bookedaride

After we booked each ride, we received transactional email receipts with the subject

line, “Your ride with [DRIVER] on [DATE]”



Mes

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10 11 12 13 14 151 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 90Days fromstart:


Transactional


SMS

Creatednewaccount



Referredtofriends

Bookedaride

Much like Uber, Lyft also did not respond to our referral to friends,

either through email or mobile.

Frequency Takeaways

During the two weeks, Uber and Lyft sent the exact number of messages per channel:

• Uber: 6 emails, 2 texts• Lyft: 6 emails, 2 texts

Note: neither service sent push notifications so this channel was not included in our analysis.


Differing Priorities

One would expect the two market leaders to be similar in how they start messaging users.

However, it was clear that each service had different priorities:

• Uber sent a single welcome email and then focused on ID verification• Lyft sent out a more comprehensive 4-email welcome series• Neither company emphasized promotional “blast” emails


Now let’s look at the message content…


These are three standard Uber messages.

You’ll notice….


Consistent branding with vector graphics


Clear calls to action


An emphasis on the transaction, not the driver.


These are four standard Lyft messages.

You’ll notice….


Visually appealing with photography


Clear calls to action


Prioritizing the driver in the messaging

Content Takeaways


Each company’s content reflects their business/branding strategy:

Uber: • Focus on the service and the company behind it• Transactional emails emphasize the amount and routeLyft: • Focus on the community and the drivers• Transactional emails emphasize the driver

Recommendations


Both companies could improve their:

Onboarding: By sending a well-timed, multi-channel welcome series

Frequency: By sending regular promotional messages

Multi-channel engagement: By coordinating messaging across email, push and SMS to increase overall engagement with the service

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