Social Functionality Metrics and Outcomes
Community Chats Adoption, In-Chat Metrics and Their Impact on a Primary Platform
This document outlines:
- How community chats are adopted on a primary platform.
- The key metrics for monitoring chat usage over its lifecycle.
- The potential impact of community chat adoption on the platform’s KPIs.
- Recommended evaluation steps
1. Community Chats Adoption
New social functionality on a platform typically proceeds through three main stages of adoption: introduction, growth, and maturity. Several factors influence the speed of adoption:
- Platform Audience Size The number of users who will be able to encounter the chat feature simultaneously. Larger audience sizes generally yield faster initial adoption.
- Visibility of the Entry Point How prominently the chat feature is displayed and promoted on the platform – that crucially effects the conversion rate.
- Proximity to Relevant Content The more naturally and contextually a chat is integrated with related content, the more meaningful the conversations become - and the more likely users are to stay or return.
- Audience “Talkativeness” Certain demographics (e.g., specific age groups, language communities) may be more likely to engage actively in chats.
Typical Adoption Progression
- Introduction Stage (first months): adoption rates are usually low (around 5–12%) as users discover and experiment with the new feature.
- Growth Stage: adoption increases significantly (approximately 15–30%) as user awareness spreads and more interaction begin.
- Maturity Stage: adoption stabilizes at higher levels (often up to 50% and even above).
2. In-Chat Metrics
The table below highlights key metrics to track across the three stages (Introduction, Growth, and Maturity). These ranges are meant as general guidelines - actual figures vary depending on your industry, target audience, brand loyalty, and how social features integrate into your overall user experience.
| Metric | **Introduction**<br>(1–3 months) | **Growth**<br>(4–8 months) | **Maturity**<br>(9–12+ months) | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform Users’ Adoption (Monthly) | 5–15% | 15–30% | 30–50% | Percentage of the platform’s total user base adopting the chat feature monthly. |
| Platform Users’ Adoption (Daily) | up to 7% | 7–15% | 15–25% | Percentage of the platform’s total user base adopting the chat feature daily. |
| Chat Users Who Message (Monthly) | up to 5% | 5–9% | 9–20% | Percentage of chat users who actively send messages each month. |
| Retention (1 Day) | 5–20% | 20–60% | 60–80% | Percentage of new chat users who return to the chat the day after their first use. |
| Retention (7 Day) | 5–15% | 15–50% | 50–60% | Percentage of chat users still active on day 7 after their first use. |
| Retention (30 Day) | 1–7% | 7–20% | 20–35% | Percentage of chat users still active on day 30 after their first use. |
| Bet-Sharing – Avg. Events / Sharing Rate | 5–10<br>up to 3% | 10–15<br>3–5% | \>15<br>5–10% | For chats where users share bets, this indicates (1) the average number of events shared per user, and (2) the percentage of overall chat users who share bets. |
| Bet-Copying | 1–10% | 10–15% | 15–30% | Percentage of chat users who successfully copy bets after they see them shared. |
| Ratio of Copied to Shared Bets | - | - | 3–6 | Reflects how many bets are copied for every bet shared. Note that actual transaction results are not tracked (only the intent to copy in-chat). |
3. Impact on Primary Platform Metrics
Below is an overview of potential effects on platform-wide metrics attributed to chat adoption. These figures refer only to socialized users - i.e., those who actively use the chat. If, for example, the chat feature sees 30% adoption and a related 15% increase in a particular KPI, that increase applies within the adopting subset, and for the entire user base the increase will result in 4.5% (0.3 x 0.15).
| Metric | Potential Effect, Short Term<br>(1–3 months) | Potential Effect, Mid Term<br>(6–12 months) | Dependence on Social Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time Spent | +10–30% | +30–100% | Basic community chat |
| Monthly Retention | +3–5% | +10–20% | Community chat + badges |
| ARPU (basic) | +2–4% | +5–8% | Community chat + badges |
| ARPU (advanced) | +4–6% | +6–15% | Chat + badges + widgets + offers |
| New Audience via Live Streams | 3–10% of stream viewers | 10–30% | Dependent on the effective promotion of live streaming |
Specific outcomes will vary by business context, and some metrics may see more substantial changes than others..
4. Recommended Steps
To fully understand how community chats might affect your unique audience, we suggest:
- Conducting an A/B test during your free trial period.
- Tracking the adoption, engagement, retention, and revenue metrics above.
- Comparing data from socialized (chat-using) users vs. non-adopting users.
- Testing different add-ons and tracking their outcomes.\
Updated 7 days ago