The Best of Insider Growth - 2024 Edition
The top six experiments we featured this year, linked to the deep-dive articles
We launched this newsletter in 2024 with the goal of sharing actionable insights and proven experiments to help product leaders and growth professionals drive results. The response has been incredible, and we’re so grateful for this community. As 2024 comes to a close, we’re looking back at the highlight of the year. These experiments are more than just wins; they’re blueprints for sustainable growth in the year ahead.
#1: Uber Eats segmented the experience when searching for a restaurant
Uber Eats noticed two main types of users: high-intent users who came to the app searching for a specific restaurant and exploratory users who browsed to discover options. Initially, when driver demand exceeded supply, unavailable restaurants were hidden from everyone. This frustrated high-intent users who received error messages when searching for their desired restaurant, leading to a poor experience. The team tested a new approach by personalizing results based on user intent. High-intent users were shown their searched restaurants, even if they were unavailable, while exploratory users only saw restaurants that could fulfill orders. The experiment highlights the value of understanding user behavior and tailoring experiences to meet specific needs.
#2: Understanding Multi-Intent User Needs Boosted Headspace Conversions by Nearly 10%
Headspace aimed to boost free-to-paid user conversions by improving its onboarding flow. They discovered many users had multiple wellness goals, such as reducing anxiety, improving mindfulness, or managing stress. Testing two approaches, the team compared a single-intent query (asking users to select one goal) with a multi-intent query (allowing users to choose multiple goals).
The multi-intent approach resulted in nearly a 10% increase in conversion rates. Users who could express multiple needs felt the app better understood and addressed their goals, building trust and driving engagement.
#3: Inside Upstart’s Journey to Improve Customer Conversion Rates
When Upstart noticed declining conversion rates for their auto lending product, the initial analysis did not reveal the root cause. The team decided to dig deeper by visiting dealerships and mapping the product's workflow to real-world usage.
They discovered that dealerships were creating workarounds for customers with lower credit scores, who wanted financing clarity before choosing a car. Upstart’s original workflow performed credit checks later in the process, misaligned with dealer and customer needs.
To address this, the team introduced a "Credit First" workflow, allowing dealerships to check credit eligibility upfront. This simple change resulted in a 40% increase in conversion rates within five months.
This experiment underscores the power of understanding not just your users, but their customers as well.
#4: Trulia’s 1-Click Request Feature
Inspired by Amazon's "1-Click Purchase" model, Trulia implemented a "1-Click Request" feature, allowing users to save their Personal Identifiable Information (PII) and related details in their profile. This feature, enabled by default, allowed renters to contact landlords for more information or to schedule time for a tour with a single tap or click. By reducing the steps required to make an inquiry, Trulia hoped to increase the number of leads generated.
The implementation of this feature also resulted in a 20% increase in leads and revenue. The simplicity of a single click to contact landlords reduced friction and encouraged more renters to submit inquiries, thereby driving higher engagement and revenue.
#5: Using Scroll Depth to Personalize your User Flow at Betterment
The Betterment team noticed a correlation between the location of the CTA on the page and the user's fund rate. There were 3 segments: 1) Users who clicked the top CTA, had a high sign up rate, and high fund rate 2) Users that immediately bounced 3) A group that engaged with the page but wanted to do more research.
The team structured an experiment by altering the onboarding process based on the depth of the sign up CTA on the page, identifying users who scrolled as having lower intent.
There was a statistically significant improvement in funded customers. Many people think only to use signed-in engagement data for personalization, but visitor entry point data can also enhance your metrics.
#6: Instagram Story Sharing for Fundraiser Growth
Instagram’s data showed that the closer a user was to the person creating the fundraiser, the more likely they were to donate. Fundraisers often reflect deeply personal causes, and Instagram understood that users would be more likely to contribute to a friend’s campaign rather than one from a distant acquaintance.
As part of the fundraiser creation process, Instagram introduced a feature where the person who starts the fundraiser can immediately post it to their story with one click. This minimized the effort required to spread awareness and created a viral loop where fundraisers could gain more visibility through stories and social networks.
Instagram as a whole has a few users who generate the most impressions (ex: 1% of users are responsible for 55% of all impressions), and this principle applied to fundraisers as well. By aligning fundraisers with topical events—such as political causes or social movements—Instagram was able to drive higher engagement for fundraisers with deep, personal relevance.
Instagram found that user motivation doesn’t end after making a donation. To extend the lifecycle of a donation, Instagram added a feature that allows users to add their donation to their profile and receive notifications. This increased the visibility of the cause and encouraged more donations, as users' followers could now see which causes were meaningful to them, driving additional awareness and engagement.
This ended up doubling donations generated through Instagram.
Thank you for your readership and a great year!
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading the Insider Growth newsletter as much as we’ve loved creating it. Your support and feedback have driven us to deliver meaningful insights every week. Here’s to an even more impactful 2025 for all of you! If you found value in this post, please share it with one person who could benefit—it would mean the world to us. Thank you for being part of this journey!
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