4.5x Revenue Boost — How Level Up Basketball App Improved Customer Journeys

Level Up Basketball is a basketball training app for players and coaches. Powered by AI, community, gamification, and tools for coaches

Company size.

300,000 users

Eugene Lisovskiy

Co-Founder and CEO

Challenges

Increase revenue

Solutions

Reinvent key customer journeys: installation → trial, trial → subscription, retention

Integrated with:

iOS and Android mobile apps

Results

4.5x increase in revenue4.2% → 10.3% — conversion rate from installation to trial 19% → 27% — conversion rate from trial to subscription+19.8% — LTV growth(2023 vs. 2022)

For any app startup, key success indicators are installation to trial conversion, trial to subscription conversion, and LTV. These metrics reveal how well people understand the value of the product and their likelihood of becoming loyal users. This is why Level Up Basketball focused on these metrics and reinvented related customer journeys. The company has implemented Maestra, launched complex journeys across the email channel and mobile app — and quadrupled revenue.

Most companies only consider launching a Direct-to-Consumer channel after amassing a large client base. However, at Level Up Basketball, we wanted to build a robust communication system right from the start.

For us, mobile push and email flows are integral parts of our product because they shape the customer journeys. They not only guide clients in making purchase or subscription renewal decisions, but also help them familiarize with the app, encouraging regular training sessions, and inform them about additional features.

Maestra helps us develop a communication system and improve customer journeys. Having used the platform for over a year, I can confidently say that this is the best solution available on the market in terms of cost-efficiency and functionality.

All data and flows in one place. We have a single tool that allows us to collect and analyze data, as well as configure omnichannel communications. This allows us to provide detailed information about the paid subscription in email flows and then follow up with a discount offer in a mobile push.

Audience segmentation. For instance, coaches and players require different communications — thanks to Maestra, we can segment our audience based on their roles and send them tailored communications.

User-friendly interface and visual communication flow editor. The intuitive editor allows those with no IT experience to build marketing flows effortlessly. Even complex flows are easy to understand and modify.

Exceptional tech and marketing support. The expertise provided by the Maestra team was crucial during the integration phase and when drafting the journeys.

Eugene Lisovskiy

Co-founder and CEO, Level Up Basketball

Results 2023 vs. 2022

4.5x

increase in revenue
4.2% → 10.3%

CR from installation to trial
19% → 27%

CR from trial to subscription
+19.8%

LTV growth

Data from adapty.io

Installation → Trial Journey

For subscription-based mobile apps, it is very important to motivate newcomers to evaluate the full functionality of the app. Therefore, all communications with the new users are strategically designed to encourage them to start a trial or purchase a subscription.

Previously, trial and subscription were only offered during onboarding. The implementation of Maestra allowed the team to build a complex flow for this part of the customer journey.

Installation → Trial Communications before Maestra

Trial → Subscription Communications with Maestra

Trial → Subscription Journey

The trial period is crucial — it’s the window where users get to explore the entire functionality on offer within the app. As a result of the trial, users decide on a paid subscription.

Level Up Basketball’s strategy involves engaging users with regular push notifications and emails, reminding them that the trial period is about to expire and suggesting activities to try while it is available. The user receives reminders three days and then one day before the trial period expires. Once the trial period is over, they get a promo code to incentivize purchasing a subscription.

Trial → Subscription Communications before Maestra

Trial → Subscription Communications with Maestra

Retention

Once a user has subscribed, it’s important that they use the app consistently. However, it can be challenging for amateur basketball players to maintain regular workouts. That’s why the team launched a special flow to encourage training consistency and increase app retention and users’ lifetime value.

Training Consistency Communications before Maestra

Training Consistency Communications with Maestra

Streak mechanics are often used in sports applications. Special notifications celebrate the successes of Level Up Basketball’s users who have exercised for three days and a full week in a row.

Streak Communications before Maestra

Streak Communications with Maestra

To increase retention and LTV, Level Up Basketball offers not only a variety of workouts, but also gamification within the app—email and mobile push campaigns help to remind users about them.

When working with children and teenagers, integrating gamification is crucial. This approach fosters a natural and intuitive learning process, while providing coaches with tools to encourage their teams and maintain motivation. That’s why we have things like progress bars to track how many training sessions the user has dedicated to various basketball skills, and rewards for consistent practice.

Mobile push notifications and emails help to draw the user’s attention to their achievements. Ensuring these communications are timely and relevant requires a system capable of managing complex dispatch settings and swiftly handling numerous trigger events — Maestra fully meets these requirements.

Eugene Lisovskiy

Co-founder and CEO, Level Up Basketball

Levels and Awards

Level and reward systems work well in sports apps—they motivate players to practice more often.

New level notification

New award notification

Avatar Customization

A user can earn coins for in-app activities and customize their avatar:

One of the flows helps to engage users in this gamification.

Avatar Customization Communications before Maestra

Avatar Customization Communications with Maestra

Prediction Game

Typically, Level Up Basketball users are not just avid players, but also NBA fans who follow games. Level Up Basketball capitalized on this by introducing an extra incentive for users to return to the app. This is how the Prediction Game was born, where users can guess the outcome of a game and earn additional points for correct predictions. Automated mobile push notifications remind users to participate and inform them of the results.