Happn Increased Their Email Deliverability by 3X with a Cross-Channel Approach

Using Braze, the dating app Happn was able to reinvent their email collection strategy and improve email deliverability. Through simple yet innovative tactics, they decreased bounce rate by 42% and increased open rates up to 3X.

Happn thinks modern dating is missing a little serendipity. Instead of endless swiping, this leading dating app matches people with those they’ve crossed paths with, giving users a second chance at fate. It’s a new—yet natural—twist to an oversaturated market. Their 85 million users agree.

To help enable more real world connections among their many users, Happn switched to Braze to develop healthy, cross-channel engagement campaigns. Their first challenge: Improving email deliverability.

Happn and Email: A Second Chance

Because users can sign up with Facebook, which is sometimes linked to invalid or outdated email addresses, Happn initially struggled with high bounce rates and low open rates in their email marketing program. In order to build out a valuable cross-channel experience taking full advantage of email as a messaging channel, they needed a new, accurate way to gather email addresses from users.

Using Braze, they quickly solved the problem by adding an in-app message to their app’s onboarding flow.

After users enter their address, they recieve an email confirmation to their inbox, followed by a welcome email. Users then receive an onboarding email with instructions and screenshots walking them through how to use the app. The whole flow creates an effective onboarding experience while also developing the relationship between Happn and its new users.

Happn’s Results: Healthier Email List, Higher Open Rates, and Decreased Bounce Rate

Happn saw results immediately—50% of new users shared their email addresses when they were creating a new account. The new in-app message onboarding flow also led to an overall increase in open rates and a 42% decrease in bounce rates for their email program.

Final Thoughts

By leveraging in-app messaging, Happn was able to swiftly transform their email collection strategy and solve for frustrating deliverability problems. By embracing the benefits of cross-channel messaging, they were able to communicate more effectively with their audience, leading to an immediate improvements in their email marketing metrics while also setting the stage for successful campaign in this channel over the long haul.

To learn more about how a smart cross-channel strategy can boost the impact of your email marketing program, check out the Braze Cross-Channel Difference data report.