Study Shows Kiip Rewards Significantly Boost User Engagement in Mobile Fitness Apps

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kiip, the company that pioneered rewards into mobile apps and games, today further cemented the effectiveness of the “rewards layer” by unveiling a study that shows how integrating Kiip dramatically increases user engagement and retention across all their app verticals, including fitness and health. Kiip initially grew with a games-based network but has since expanded to more than 600 apps that include games, fitness apps, utility apps, cooking apps and more.

“Fitness is the perfect app vertical to showcase the power of rewards”

Conducted during August and September 2012 by David Broockman, a researcher studying at UC Berkeley, the study evaluated the effect of Kiip rewards on app user engagement. Results found that users who redeem Kiip rewards spend 225 percent more time in apps than users who do not. Popular fitness apps such as Nexercise and GymPact have already integrated the plug-and-play Kiip SDK to offer users rewards from more than 40 of Kiip’s top-tier brand partners. Brands themselves are seeing phenomenal engagement rates that exceed 40 percent, more than ten times the industry average.

“Our users have really resonated with Kiip rewards because they were fitness-focused, which meant they were relevant to our users,” said Yifan Zhang, CEO and co-founder of GymPact. “Users are happy to see a Kiip reward right after a workout, which is why we saw such good redemption rates of Kiip rewards. We get to easily go above and beyond users’ expectations and reward them with real, relevant prizes. Integration was absolutely dead simple, and users have given us positive reviews on the App Store because of Kiip.”

The study captures a very interesting dynamic that shows how the rewards value proposition can be an effective user motivator, creating interactions that help apps become a part of people’s everyday lives. Brands can now engage with consumers to improve healthy living, and their rewards help apps increase stickiness over time. User feedback in Kiip-enabled fitness apps has been overwhelmingly positive, with 90 percent satisfaction rates, according to a Kiip survey. The near-universal approval rate of Kiip rewards in fitness apps is the result of tapping into existing streams of behavior and reciprocating mobile achievements with exercise-centric rewards, such as sports beverages and song downloads.

“Fitness is the perfect app vertical to showcase the power of rewards,” said Brian Wong, CEO and co-founder of Kiip. “When we expanded our vision to reward the entire digital ecosystem, we launched the Kiip Fitness Channel as a way to directly help fitness app developers in our network build a stable user base, successfully retain that audience and monetize their apps – all while enhancing the user experience. For a mobile rewards platform to make people want to exercise more is indicative of a model that is truly forming meaningful connections between brands and consumers.”

The Kiip rewards network redefined mobile advertising and rewards by aligning the interests of users, major brands and game/app developers by linking moments of achievement with rewards from major brands. Kiip now works with more than 40 brands, including American Apparel, Best Buy, Energizer, Pepsi Propel, Popchips, Procter & Gamble, Sony, Verizon Wireless, Wrigley, 1-800-Flowers.com and many others. More than 600 games and apps currently employ the Kiip network, including multiple fitness apps from leading developers such as Nexercise (Nexercise), SoFit Mobile (SoFit), Daniel Miller (Daily Ab Workout) and more.

About Kiip

Kiip is the world’s first mobile rewards network that delivers rewards for achievements in apps and games. The company’s category-creating rewards platform enables brands to reach consumers in the moments when they are most engaged and receptive, while driving revenues and greater user allegiance for Kiip-enabled games and apps. Kiip was founded in 2010 by Brian Wong, Courtney Guertin and Amadeus Demarzi. In addition to its San Francisco headquarters, Kiip now has offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and London. Kiip is currently backed by Relay Ventures, Hummer Winblad, True Ventures, Digital Garage, Verizon Ventures, Crosslink Capital and others. For more information, visit www.kiip.com.