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Fixing early drop-offs to improve week one retention by 27% and drive ₹55 Cr in trading volume

Sixer

Mobile

Retention

Users were signing up, but dropping off after their first trade. We redesigned the early journey to reduce friction, build trust, and improve week one retention.

Sixer facelift home banner showing the trading home screen and highlighted match card

Product Context

Sixer is a fantasy sports trading platform where users buy and sell player stocks based on expected performance. Unlike traditional fantasy formats, the first-time user journey depends heavily on understanding pricing, outcomes, confidence, and wallet movement early in the experience.

The Problem Statement

A large number of users were dropping off within the first week. Users were completing onboarding but not returning after their first trade, failing to build confidence in the product early.

  • Users were not dropping due to losses alone.
  • Many churners still had money left.
  • Flat outcomes were more dangerous than small losses.
  • They were dropping due to lack of confidence and unclear outcomes.
Retention curve chart showing the steepest drop in the first week
Weekly cohort chart comparing retention across multiple IPL cohorts

Validating the assumption through multiple lenses

Quantative data

We analyzed IPL cohort retention and found that the biggest drop was happening after users completed their first trade participation. The highest-risk inactivity window sat within the first 3 to 7 days.

Wallet and RTP analysis

Cumulative profit influenced comeback behavior more than single outcomes.

Behavioral analysis

Many week-one churners still had wallet balance left, showing the issue was not just money exhaustion, but also low confidence and weak motivation to return.

Competitive and lifecycle inputs

We reviewed competitor retention flows and lifecycle nudges to understand how stronger post-trade reinforcement could improve repeat engagement.

Findings

  • Users were not dropping due to losses alone.
  • Many churners still had money left.
  • Flat outcomes were more dangerous than small losses.
  • They were dropping due to lack of confidence and unclear outcomes.

Design Principles

1

Reduce cognitive load in the first session

2

Make the first action obvious and confidence-building

3

Build trust before asking users to commit

Final Solution

We approached the retention problem through three focused interventions: discovery, trust, and lifecycle reinforcement.

Improve home discovery and player recommendation

  • Made relevant matches and players easier to discover, reducing friction and accelerating first trade decisions

Better trust communication

  • Clarified wallet movement, returns, and outcomes to reduce ambiguity and build confidence after each trade

Lifecycle communication

  • Added early retention nudges and comeback triggers to support repeat engagement during the highest-risk churn window
Old and new UI comparison for the Sixer discovery experience
Problem breakdown of the old Sixer discovery experience
Low fidelity explorations for the redesigned Sixer modules
Annotated card showing improved information hierarchy and decision support
Annotated tab structure and discovery-to-decision transition for the final design
Final design comparison with before and after insights table

Outcome and Metrics

The redesign improved both activation and trading health.

Week 1 Retention increased by

27.2%

Repeat trade rate increased by

+34%

Monthly trading volume increased by

+55 Cr

Conclusion

By improving the early experience, we helped users move from confusion to confidence, driving stronger retention and better engagement. The solution was released alongside a broader UI refresh, but the retention gains came from focused product changes.