Blog Post
SaaS Retention Engineering: The Playbook
Retention is engineered through onboarding, activation loops, and product-led support.
saasIshaan VermaDec 18, 2025
Retention is the outcome of intentional product systems. This playbook breaks down the mechanics that keep customers engaged.
Design onboarding as a series of micro-activations.
Use in-app education to unlock advanced features.
Proactively intervene with usage-based success playbooks.
Activation loops
Identify the smallest action that predicts long-term retention and optimize toward it.
Habit formation
Reinforce value with timely prompts and reminders rooted in user workflows.
Success measurement
Tie retention metrics to cohort health and product usage depth.