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Every South African app team knows the feeling. You launch something great, the download numbers look tasty, and then a few days later the curve looks like Table Mountain. Wide at the start, cliff drop at the end.
Don Packett walked onto the AGSA stage with one mission. To remind everyone that the real game is not acquisition. It is habit. Because if your users need reminders to open your app, you already have a problem.
The Toothbrush Test
Don opened with a question that had the room laughing and panicking at the same time.
"Did you put your morning tooth brushing session into your calendar today? No? Exactly."
The point is simple. Habits do the heavy lifting. We brush because we always brush. No calendar invites. No reminders. No mental load.
The same goes for products. If people must be convinced to return to your app, it is not yet part of their routine. You have not entered the habit zone.
The Reality Check for South African App Teams
Retention is dropping. Acquisition costs are growing. People download your app today and delete it faster than you can say fibre outage.
Don brought two uncomfortable questions to the room:
- Is your product something users cannot live without?
- If the answer is no, is the team building the right habits into the experience?
Most brands in the room knew the answer. Not yet. And that is the exact gap Don wanted everyone to tackle.
How to Build the Habit Zone
Don reminded the audience that the science is already done. Habit formation is not guesswork. It is about:
- Clear cues
- Small actions repeated often
- Psychological triggers that feel natural
- Reward loops that are genuinely valuable
- Removing friction so people can return without thinking
This is where South African apps often fall short. We throw features at users and expect magic. But magic happens through consistency and behaviour shaping, not features alone.
Joe Coffee: A Simple Habit Story
To prove the power of habits, Don shared a favourite example. A coffee app that personalised the ordering experience and saw a thirty percent revenue jump in one month.
The interesting part is that the increase did not only help Joe Coffee. It helped every coffee shop on the platform because users kept coming back.
That is the habit zone. Increased usage that benefits the user and the business.
Three Questions Don Wants Every Team to Ask
Don wrapped up with three questions that every product, marketing, and customer team should pin to the office wall:
- What habits do you want to build with your customers?
- What must you redefine internally to support those habits?
- What is possible for your growth once you master the habit zone?
Simple. Hard. Worth it.
Why This Talk Hit Home for South Africa
South African users are unique. Data conscious. Experience driven. Impatient in the best way. If your app does not solve a real problem repeatedly, they will leave.
Don’s reminder was clear. Building an app is not the hard part. Getting people to keep coming back is. And if your team can align around habits, the retention curve becomes a whole lot friendlier.
Ready to Move Beyond the Cliff Drop?
If you're ready to stop chasing acquisition numbers or just wanna chat more about this, our team is super keen to have a 15-minute consult with you 👇
