Engine Used: Churn Engine
Product Type: Web-based financial platform for SMBs
Industry: Fintech SaaS
Metrics Moved: –15% pre-activation churn, +$80K revenue retained
Fintech SaaS Platform: Preventing Pre-Activation Churn
The Challenge
The platform was losing a quarter of its users before they ever activated. Signups looked strong, but the majority never reached the product’s core functionality, failing to link accounts, explore dashboards, or complete first actions. Internal teams suspected friction in setup but weren’t sure where or why it failed. The first session was often the last.
Our Diagnosis
Our Churn Engine audit pinpointed the core issue: the onboarding journey broke before momentum could form. Users were being dropped into a multi-step setup process with no clarity on progress, no immediate feedback, and no visible reward.
Drop-off spiked midway through account linking, especially on mobile. Session replays showed confusion between mandatory vs. optional steps, and there were zero nudges to pull users back after abandonment. It wasn’t just about UX, the lifecycle strategy was missing entirely.
Suggested Fixes
Rebuilt onboarding with a clear “first win” in under 90 seconds
Added inline progress indicators and simplified account linking UX
Introduced lifecycle nudges (email + in-app) triggered by incomplete setup
Reframed copy to emphasize outcome, not task completion
Delayed deeper personalization until after activation
The Results
Pre-activation churn dropped 15% across new users
Account linking completion rate rose from 62% → 81%
First value moment reached 2x faster
Over $80,000 in projected ARR saved from recovered activations