API-First Product Managers’ Popular API Tools and API Metrics

API-first companies in San Francisco, with a focus on billing, security, communications, and workflow automation, navigate the complexities of API product management by emphasizing metrics in adoption, engagement, and retention. Product Managers (PMs) prioritize developer activation, using tools like Tableau and Looker to track metrics such as sign-ups and API token creation, aiming to streamline conversion rates and reduce activation time. Enterprise customers often evaluate APIs through developer orgs, with PMs using analytics tools like Heap or Google Analytics to track user activities and marketing channel effectiveness. Weekly Active Tokens (WAT) serve as a key metric for gauging engagement, while user-centric tools like Moesif provide insight into marketing channels and user behavior. Retention efforts involve segmenting users into cohorts to track engagement, allowing PMs to address potential issues with specific SDKs or features. Despite the potential for valuable insights, setting up metric tracking is often a cumbersome process, involving multiple teams and steps. However, advancements in API analytics tools now offer more agile and actionable reporting capabilities, enabling PMs to make informed decisions that drive growth and success.