Content locking: Busuu's A/B test

The bottom line

Busuu raised conversions by 83% among power users by letting only Premium users learn more than one language. Locking a feature that dedicated free users rely on pushes them to upgrade.

Key takeaways

• Restricting multi-language access to Premium users lifted conversions sharply. Free users who wanted to keep learning had a clear reason to pay.
  • The reported result was an 83% increase in conversions among these power users.
• The test targeted dedicated free users who switch between languages. These users already value the product enough to be likely to upgrade.
• The test belongs to monetization awareness. It makes users see the value of Premium by limiting what the free tier offers.

The test

Busuu limited free users to one language and kept multi-language learning for Premium.

• Free users could no longer learn more than one language.
  • Only Premium users kept access to multiple languages.
  • The test is categorized as content locking.
• The hypothesis was that language switchers would upgrade to keep learning.
  • The focus was on dedicated free users, the power users of the app.

The result

Conversions among power users rose by 83%.

• The lift confirmed the hypothesis for the targeted group.
  • The 83% increase applied to power users who switch between languages.
  • The test was first written up on the Apptimize blog in December 2017.