How to grow retention by building habit loops

Retention is a crucial product metric, as it drives growth, increases lifetime value, ensures predictable revenue, and strengthens market defensibility. To enhance retention, product managers can focus on reinforcing the habits users form with their products. Habits are created through a loop of triggers, actions, and rewards, and can be strengthened by either manufacturing new triggers or leveraging environmental triggers. Manufactured habit loops involve creating triggers within the product to encourage user engagement, such as through communication channels, while environmental habit loops capitalize on existing organic triggers, enhancing user interaction, as seen with apps like Zoom and Jira. Developing strong habits ensures that users are more likely to continue using the product, thereby increasing retention rates. Tools like LogRocket provide valuable insights into user experience, helping product teams identify and address friction points to improve retention and product satisfaction.