Louis Tanguay, founder of App Growth Summit, returns to dissect why user retention is defining success for mobile in 2026. The conversation ranges from in-person event strategy to hands-on UX tactics, with practical lessons for product teams facing an era of AI, off-app payments, and high user expectations. Louis shares what top apps get wrong about onboarding, how to use gamification without gimmicks, and where the next phase of community is headed.

Questions addressed in this episode:

• What does it take to build a real app community in 2026?
• Why has retention overtaken acquisition as the key metric?
• Where do most onboarding flows lose users?
• What old-school tactics still drive engagement in an AI world?
• How can product teams bridge the gap between digital and in-person experiences?

Timestamps:

• (0:03) — Louis Tanguay: first steps in app growth and events
• (2:20) — Building in-person communities and event philosophies
• (4:10) — User experience, retention, and the changing funnel
• (6:05) — Off-app conversion and new payment strategies
• (9:12) — Why retention is the hardest metric
• (12:04) — What product teams miss on onboarding
• (15:08) — Early wins, gamification, and balancing friction
• (19:12) — Testing, analytics, and segmenting users
• (21:24) — Human connection, digital convergence, and long-term habits
• (25:42) — Lightning round: daily routines, advice, and closing thoughts

Quotes:

• (5:34) “You have to do the research and see how much traffic you are actually losing by sending people out of your app or your site.”
• (8:22) “Growth is more like a circle than a funnel. I never really liked the funnel term.”
• (19:24) "If you're going to gamify, then in the user preferences, allow me to turn off gamification. Some people want those experiences, but always give users control. You can't force everyone into the same play pattern."

Mentioned in this episode:

• App Growth Summit
• Louis Tanguay  on Linkedin