Weekly Active Users (WAU)
Weekly Active Users (WAU) measures the number of unique users who interact with a product or service within a week. This metric provides insights into user engagement over a shorter timeframe compared to Monthly Active Users (MAU) and is crucial for understanding weekly usage patterns.
What is WAU?
WAU is calculated by counting the number of unique users who engage with the product during a seven-day period. This metric helps businesses assess the regularity of user interactions on a weekly basis.
Why It Matters
A high WAU indicates consistent user engagement and regular use of the product. Monitoring WAU can help businesses identify trends, measure the impact of weekly campaigns or updates, and understand user behavior. It is a key metric for products that aim for frequent user interaction, such as social media platforms, gaming apps, and news websites.
Strategies to Increase WAU
- Content Refresh: Regularly update the content to keep it fresh and engaging. Weekly updates, such as new articles, videos, or game levels, can encourage users to return frequently.
- Weekly Challenges and Rewards: Implement weekly challenges, contests, or rewards to incentivize users to engage with the product regularly.
- Push Notifications: Use push notifications to remind users about new content, updates, or special events happening within the week.
- User Engagement Campaigns: Launch campaigns that encourage users to interact with the product multiple times a week, such as limited-time offers or special events.
- Monitor and Respond to User Feedback: Regularly collect and act on user feedback to improve the product and address any issues that may prevent weekly use.
Practical Example
A fitness app tracks its WAU and notices a dip in user activity. To address this, they introduce weekly fitness challenges and send push notifications to remind users to participate. They also update their content weekly with new workout routines and fitness tips. As a result, their WAU increases, indicating higher user engagement on a weekly basis.