The bank's multi-service subscription combined financial and ecosystem services: e-commerce, entertainment, insurance, legal services, and other products.
8+ million users
jul 2024–nov 2025
Lead Product Designer
edTech · mobile app
Audience
Work period
Role
Product
User retention · Sber
Context
Before the new process was implemented, users could cancel their subscriptions with virtually no hassle: after clicking the cancel button, the service would be deactivated immediately, sometimes after a brief survey or a random promotional offer
This approach was largely ineffective as a retention tool and did little to help users understand the value of the product
This approach was largely ineffective as a retention tool and did little to help users understand the value of the product
Problem
An analysis of user behavior revealed that most customers had a poor understanding of what exactly was included in their subscription. Although the service included 13 different products, users could typically name only 1 or 2 of them. On average, they used 1.3 services, primarily financial features, without knowing about the media services and e-commerce capabilities. As a result, the decision to cancel the subscription was made based on an incomplete understanding of its value
Insight
The retention issue wasn't so much about the subscription price as it was about users not fully recognizing the product's value.
If, before cancellation, we show:
If, before cancellation, we show:
- which services are already included in the subscription
- how much the user has already saved thanks to it
- what alternatives to cancellation are available
UX-strategy
The new retention strategy was built around gradually revealing the value of the subscription. The key was not to prevent users from canceling, but to help them make a more informed decision.
It was also necessary to take into account the limitations of the banking product:
It was also necessary to take into account the limitations of the banking product:
- no use of dark patterns
- maintaining a high CSI score
- compliance with the bank’s legal and UX requirements
Solution
A new subscription cancellation flow was designed, consisting of 7 screens from the entry point to the cancellation confirmation.
After clicking the cancel button, the user went through several steps:
1. Subscription Value Screen
The user saw:
After clicking the cancel button, the user went through several steps:
1. Subscription Value Screen
The user saw:
- a complete list of services included in the subscription
- which ones they already use
- how much money they have already saved thanks to the subscription
2. Alternative Payment Method
The next step offered the option to pay for the subscription almost entirely with internal bonuses (up to 99%).
This allowed users to maintain access to the services without incurring any actual costs
The next step offered the option to pay for the subscription almost entirely with internal bonuses (up to 99%).
This allowed users to maintain access to the services without incurring any actual costs
3. Limited-time offer
After that, the user saw an offer with a discount on the next month's subscription
After that, the user saw an offer with a discount on the next month's subscription
4. Request for reason for cancellation
If the user decided to cancel their subscription anyway, they were asked to specify the reason for cancellation
If the user decided to cancel their subscription anyway, they were asked to specify the reason for cancellation
Restrictions
The project was carried out under strict product constraints:
- stringent requirements from the legal department
- compliance with the bank’s UX standards
- the need to maintain a high CSI score
- design system limitations
Result
After implementing the new workflow, retention during the cancellation phase increased from 17% to 43%. This meant that nearly half of the users who initiated the cancellation process ultimately remained subscribers.
An additional benefit was that the screen highlighting the benefits of the subscription began to be used in other parts of the product as well. It was placed on the main page of the subscription section so that users could see the value of the service even before attempting to cancel.
After that: the average number of services used increased from 1.3 to 4.6
An additional benefit was that the screen highlighting the benefits of the subscription began to be used in other parts of the product as well. It was placed on the main page of the subscription section so that users could see the value of the service even before attempting to cancel.
After that: the average number of services used increased from 1.3 to 4.6
Conclusion
This case study showed that the key challenge in customer retention is often not related to the product’s price, but rather to how well the user understands its value.
Sometimes, simply changing a touchpoint in the user journey is enough to significantly impact key product metrics
Sometimes, simply changing a touchpoint in the user journey is enough to significantly impact key product metrics
