TLDR
Acquisition channel-based custom onboarding experience and leveraging UTM parameters can be challenging within browser extensions. Instead, a viable approach is to set cookies on the website. These parameters can be embedded within cookies, facilitating retrieval through the Chrome extension. This enables the creation of customized settings for each user, contributing to a more personalized and practical user experience.
We often receive an email or advertisement addressing a pain in our lives and proposing a product alleviating that pain. However, when we click and land on the product, we see a generic fit for all products, and we have to play the game of pushing all the buttons to figure out how to get what we want out of it.
A personalized onboarding experience would shorten the time to get value or an aha moment while using the app and increase retention. It is proved that a user who feels connected to a product early on increases his chances of retention.
Usually, this is achieved by embedding UTM-parameterized links within email and ad campaigns targeted to specific segments of customers. These UTM parameters could be read from URL params and used to customize user experience while onboarding and even at a later stage.
However, when it comes to Chrome extensions, there is an exciting bottleneck. Chrome extensions are installed via the Chrome Web Store. It is a completely different property/domain where you don't have any control and doesn't let you pass information from UTM parameters to Chrome extension, not letting us create a custom experience based on campaigns used to attract customers.
Consider a scenario where you are an NBA fan passionately supporting the New York Knicks. While casually scrolling through Facebook, you see an advertisement related to the New York Knicks.
After clicking the ad, you will be redirected to install a Chrome extension promising to personalize your new tab experience. After installation, your new tab features a captivating image of the New York Knicks. Wouldn't that make you happy?
This is the essence of personalization and how it contributes to customer retention.
Flow is usually an ad or email campaign to market the website to the Chrome web store. Here, we can store UTM parameters on cookies for later users. To do so, you must set a cookie parameter on your website. Subsequently, once you've installed your extension, it is possible to retrieve the cookie from the extension using the following way:
chrome.cookies.get(
{
url: "your-website-url",
name: "id"
},
function(cookie) {
if (cookie) {
setChromeStorageData("cookieData", cookie.value);
}
}
);
What to look for?
If parameters inside the cookies are misconfigured there is a risk of negative consequences, potentially leading to the loss of customers. Consider a scenario where users encounter an ad leading them to a Chrome extension. If this extension presents offensive images or content due to misconfigured cookie settings, the user will probably promptly remove the extension. Consequently, this could result in a negative user experience, damage your brand reputation, and potentially lose customer trust.
Conclusion
As the above example demonstrates, enhancing the onboarding experience by setting a personalized image in the background significantly improves user engagement to provide users with an "aha" moment right from the start of onboarding. Overall, it will substantially impact customer retention and satisfaction.
