When It’s Worth the Time to Build a Great Product
The product has a large user base and an inherent growth trend, with natural growth indicating that users genuinely need it and are willing to keep using it.
Product models that maintain high retention and engagement:
1 High-frequency tools.
For example, Baidu Maps, Douban book/movie reviews, Moji Weather, Didi Chuxing, and beauty camera apps. These tools correspond to scenarios that frequently occur, and they offer the highest efficiency, creating dependency.
2 Close relationships (including semi-familiar ties).
The representative example is WeChat/QQ. Mastering close social connections means capturing most of users' time.
3 Weak-tie communities.
For example, Zhihu and Douban, which rely on community organization, topic discussions, atmosphere, and KOL appeal.
4 Rich product consumption platforms.
For example, Taobao and Dianping, with an extremely wide range of SKUs, catering to people's daily shopping experiences.
5 Game addiction.
This goes without saying, but long-term addictive games tend to be relatively lightweight and standardized, suitable for quick dopamine spikes.
6 Rich content consumption platforms.
For example, Toutiao, Douyin, and iQiyi, which are essentially content platforms. Through algorithmic recommendations, they satisfy people's browsing and scrolling habits while quickly releasing dopamine, making entertainment highly efficient.
7 Data accumulation.
For instance, Youdao Cloud Notes and various health data platforms. Some may not be particularly easy to use, but the more data you store there, the harder it becomes to leave.