Read articles by Ryan Canady on community chat, live streaming, engagement tools, moderation and platform growth. Explore practical strategies and expert insights on the Watchers Blog.

Ryan Canady 

Exploring how community-based live chat has positively impacted the utility of various platforms and how to integrate it easily.

How and Why to Integrate Live Chat: Crucial Reasons and Simple Steps

<div style="font-size:14px;line-height:1;" id="toc">User retention and engagement growth are among the most critical performance metrics for any digital platform. Research shows that improving customer retention rates by just 5% can increase profits by up to 95% (Bain &amp; Company). One of the most effective ways to achieve this is through community-based live chat features, which encourage users to connect, share experiences, and return regularly to your platform.Think of it as creating a digital coffee table — a place where your users naturally gather to discuss shared passions, whether it’s sports, language learning, or TV series. With the right tools, your platform becomes a hub of conversation, loyalty, and repeat engagement.<h2 id="Why-Add-Community-Live-Chat-to-Your-Platform">Why Add Community Live Chat to Your Platform?</h2><h3 id="Reclaim-Users-from-Social-Media">Reclaim Users from Social Media</h3>Businesses spend millions building audiences on social networks, but without in-app chat, users drift to external platforms to share their opinions. By implementing real-time chat functionality, you ensure conversations happen on your website or app, not on Facebook, X, or Instagram.<ul data-start="1518" data-end="1660"><li data-start="1518" data-end="1582">Users spend 2x longer on platforms with integrated chat.</li><li data-start="1583" data-end="1660"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232957437_Consumer_Engagement_in_a_Virtual_Brand_Community_An_Exploratory_Analysis">Engagement</a> increases by 30–40% when community features are available.</li></ul><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.laliga.com/en-GB/news/enjoy-the-clasico-with-la-liga-virtual-arena">A prime example is La Liga.</a> Despite millions of social media followers, La Liga struggled with limited access to first-party user data. By launching an app-based chat and “second-screen” experience via QR codes, they not only attracted fans directly to their app but also gained valuable behavioural insights. This move strengthened fan communities and boosted in-app retention rates significantly.<h3 id="Differentiate-from-Competitors">Differentiate from Competitors</h3>When users compare platforms, they choose the one offering the most interactive and engaging experience. Adding community live chat creates the same “stickiness” as social media — people log back in to check conversations, respond to mentions, and catch up with peers.<ul data-start="2392" data-end="2586"><li data-start="2392" data-end="2500">Platforms with unique social features report a 25% higher return rate compared to those without.</li><li data-start="2501" data-end="2586">Keeping users engaged in-app also reduces exposure to competitor advertising.</li></ul><h3 id="Increase-Retention-Rates">Increase Retention Rates</h3>The number one challenge for digital platforms is customer churn. Studies reveal that the average app loses 77% of daily active users (DAUs) within three days of installation. Community-based live chat directly combats this by encouraging frequent interaction, keeping users active and invested.<ul data-start="2934" data-end="3105"><li data-start="2934" data-end="3015">Retention improves <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.alexanderjarvis.com/what-is-community-engagement-index-in-ecommerce/#:~:text=You'll%20find%20that%20a,others%20into%20your%20business%20ecosystem.">by 15–20%</a> with integrated chat and community features.</li><li data-start="3016" data-end="3105">Users who feel part of a community are 3x more likely to remain loyal to a brand.</li></ul><h3 id="Understand-customers-needs-and-pains">Understand your customers’ needs and pains</h3>Traditional analytics and support tickets show limited behaviour patterns — usually focused on problems. Live chat provides authentic insights into user interests, habits, and needs.You can track:<ul data-start="3357" data-end="3485"><li data-start="3357" data-end="3402">Which topics spark the most conversation.</li><li data-start="3403" data-end="3441">When your audience is most active.</li><li data-start="3442" data-end="3485">How users engage with specific content.</li></ul>This allows you to refine your platform, create more relevant content, and build a data-driven engagement strategy.<figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1000/1000;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/474c51ed-5545-49df-859a-51c44d631984.png" width="1000" height="1000"></figure><h2 id="How-to-Implement-Live-Chat">How to Implement In-App Live Chat</h2>Launching a community chat feature doesn’t have to be complex. Using modern SDKs, chat APIs, and webview integrations, you can quickly add scalable live chat functionality without lengthy development cycles.<h3 id="key-steps">Key Steps:</h3><ol data-start="3892" data-end="4496"><li data-start="3892" data-end="4064">Define Chat Visibility&nbsp;Will chat be open to all visitors or only authenticated users? Similar to a paywall, you can require a login or a subscription to participate.</li><li data-start="4065" data-end="4177">Choose AuthenticationAllow users to chat under their platform profile or create anonymous nicknames.</li><li data-start="4178" data-end="4307">Set the Entry PointPlace chat where it drives the most value (homepage, event pages, video content, or live streams).</li><li data-start="4308" data-end="4496">Customise and ModerateTailor the chat design, enable moderation features, and integrate engagement tools like polls, quizzes, or interactive widgets to keep discussions lively.</li></ol>By following these steps, you can create an engaging community that drives user retention, improves brand loyalty, and enhances the overall experience on your platform. By keeping conversations inside your platform, you gain control over user behaviour insights, reduce churn, and strengthen your competitive edge.***<h2 id="Get-in-Touch">Get In Touch</h2><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://calendly.com/watchers-platform/social-tools-for-your">Book a call</a> if you'd like to integrate in-app community chats with the high-level moderation system into your website, app, or game. We'll be happy to help you find the best solution.</div>

An in-depth look at the latest cutting-edge technologies and strategies to gain and retain customers.

Discover key strategies to foster brand loyalty, improve customer retention, and increase lifetime value through emotional engagement, social features, and reliable support.

Building Brand Loyalty: The Battle to Retain Customers

<div style="font-size:14px;line-height:1;" id="toc">Table of Contents&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#what-is-brand-loyalty">What is Brand Loyalty?</a>&nbsp;<a href="#measuring-lifetime-value-of-brand-loyalty">Measuring the Lifetime Value of Brand Loyalty</a>&nbsp;<a href="#how-companies-improve-brand-loyalty">How Can Companies Improve Brand Loyalty Today?</a>&nbsp;<a href="#social-features-for-brand-loyalty">Social Features for Brand Loyalty</a>&nbsp;<a href="#brand-loyalty-is-build-over-time">Brand Loyalty is Built Over Time: Begin the Process Today</a>&nbsp;<a href="#Get-in-touch">Get in Touch</a>&nbsp;<hr style="margin-bottom:1vw;">There is a commonly held belief that consumers will always opt for the least expensive variety of a particular good for which they are in the market. However, we see this disproven every day in the real world as many consumers ultimately opt for a brand that they feel a sense of loyalty to. This begs the question: Is it possible to foster brand loyalty, and if so, how might one go about doing so?<h2 id="what-is-brand-loyalty">What is Brand Loyalty?</h2>You know the feeling, even if you can’t quite put a finger on it. When it comes to specific products, you have a preference for one particular brand over another. You might not even bother to compare the price of your preferred brand against the price of a competitor. You have fully bought into your brand of choice, and you are unlikely to change your attitude toward that brand ever again.Modern marketing professionals recognise the extreme value of this kind of loyalty and believe they can generate it through <a style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(17, 85, 204);" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesagencycouncil/2024/02/16/how-brands-can-drive-emotional-engagement-with-customers/">emotional engagement strategies</a>. If a savvy marketer can pull this off, then they may well have added significant lifetime value to every interaction the brand has with that customer moving forward.&nbsp;<h2 id="measuring-lifetime-value-of-brand-loyalty">Measuring the Lifetime Value of Brand Loyalty</h2>Building brand loyalty among customers requires a significant investment of time, financial resources, and energy. One might reasonably wonder why a company would choose to invest so many resources into this particular goal. As it happens, there are a multitude of reasons why one might measure a customer’s lifetime value, including:<ul><li data-list="bullet">The Connection Between Retention and Lifetime ValueThere is a direct correlation between one’s success with retaining customers and the lifetime value of those customers. This is to say that the better one gets at retaining customers, the higher their lifetime value will be. It is far less expensive and far more profitable for a company to maintain a customer rather than try to go out and find a new one.</li><li data-list="bullet">High Lifetime Value Increases the Odds of Word-of-Mouth AdvertisingWord-of-mouth advertising is the most potent form of advertising known on the planet. Customers who are excited about a product and tell their friends and family about it are offering free advertising. People want to hear about products that they may consider purchasing from those they already trust, and that is precisely what word-of-mouth advertising provides.</li><li data-list="bullet">Higher Customer Satisfaction Leads to Higher Lifetime ValueAnother reason to keep one’s eye on the lifetime value of a given customer is that it directly translates to higher customer satisfaction. The most satisfied customers are those who are most likely to keep coming back and buying more products over time. Thus, the higher the lifetime value, the higher the customer satisfaction.</li></ul><figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:6000/4000;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/efdb4abf-16f9-43e4-a33b-be0e65343077.jpg" alt="Higher Customer Satisfaction Leads to Higher Lifetime Value" width="6000" height="4000"></figure>These are all superb reasons to monitor one’s customers' lifetime value. Improving that lifetime value can add to the bountiful benefits mentioned above.<h2 id="how-companies-improve-brand-loyalty">How Can Companies Improve Brand Loyalty Today?</h2>You can now see the benefits of strong brand loyalty, but you may still be wondering how today’s companies can foster the kind of brand loyalty they seek. What steps can they take to cultivate it that will secure a lasting relationship with the customers they've managed to attract thus far?- &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;Capturing attentionThink about the brands you prefer to use. What have their platforms offered you? How do they interact? What do you expect from them? What do users tend to seek while using different platforms, especially considering the level of variety in the digital sphere? What catches your attention on a platform, especially if there are several more or less identical platforms on the market offering you the same things—the same content or features?To answer such questions, we need to talk about the connection between the brand and the user. If users watch a film on this platform because it is exclusively available there, that is one case. But if the film is available on many platforms, what forces a viewer to choose this particular platform? If the user tries several similar workout apps, what makes them stick with one?- &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;OnboardingPeople who use digital services are more or less digitally savvy. We don’t need a tutorial to find a game on a video platform or to find needed goods in an online store. We don’t need any help or advice on how to use apps... Or do we? Users won’t ask you for help; they will just go to the App Store if your app isn’t clear to them. FAQ is a good instrument, but it is better to postpone interaction until later. Make the experience of discovering your app and its features seamless. If the experience goes smoothly for users, they will come back. Show them what you have, what tools they can use, and say hi. If you are sure that your users are too busy to go through your onboarding, let them skip it—but don’t be too arrogant or ignorant to say at least a few greeting phrases.- &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;Clear and comfortable UXYou can use JTBD or any other UX strategy, but in any case, your users have to feel good while using your app or website.- &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;Embedded Live Social FeedsPerhaps you want to share your brand's social media feeds directly on your website. You can do so via a live social feed. In fact, this is often recommended as a great step in the right direction for keeping your customers up to date with the latest happenings within your company.- &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;Community-building tools such as public and private chatsThe sense of community that can be built with these tools is linked directly to loyalty. If users feel like a part of something live, can discuss their experiences with soulmates, can become experts to share advice or opinions, or can share their thoughts with the brand directly (not just through a tech support ticket), it can be crucial and helpful for your users and your relationships with them.- &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;Reliant supportIf your users face technical or other negative issues, they need to see that you care: you explain what happened, fix the problem, and do everything to avoid such issues in the future. If you build a strong brand and then just ignore users’ problems, it’s just a waste of money, time, and people’s trust.<figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:4584/3063;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/0da95520-48e7-45be-a2ce-9ddaab8d8c57.jpg" alt="reliant support is essential to grow retention and build brand loyalty" width="4584" height="3063"></figure>- &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;Channels for feedback (and proof that you see and hear it!)&nbsp;These channels can and should be various. Brands that care about their image have to gather feedback from various channels. You can catch posts on TikTok, X, or LinkedIn and reply to them, showing that you care. You can see blog posts or YouTube reviews and be present in the comments. But you should also initiate the feedback flow, not just wait for it. Customer development interviews and focus groups help get early reactions to new content and features. Integrated community chats help a lot because they accumulate the average mood of your users and allow you to stay in constant touch with your audience. If users see that they are heard—not only when they are popular Instagram influencers but just as regular users—they will value it.These are some of the ways that many companies have integrated the use of existing social media accounts to enhance their image with the public. However, there are even more advanced approaches that you should consider as well. What if you could make your website itself a social hub where people gather? That is the latest brand loyalty technique being tested, and it is working extremely well for many different brands.<h2 id="social-features-for-brand-loyalty">Social Features for Brand Loyalty</h2>There are plenty of social features that can easily be integrated into virtually any platform to boost brand loyalty and the amount of time that visitors spend on the platform. Let’s see some of the features that can be considered.<h3>Public and Private Community Chats</h3>People are truly seeking to be brought together. They are seeking a sense of community that is rapidly disappearing due to the growth of competition in all digital spheres. When there was one social network, it was easier to find soulmates. However, via the use of tools such as community chat features, it might be possible to create the bonds of community once again, and it works perfectly because, in this case, people will be gathered based on their personal interests: they communicate here because they all watch the same game or follow tutorials of the same workout trainer.<h3>In-App Live Streaming</h3>Influencers host their streams on Twitch, YouTube, and other relevant platforms. Sometimes, they tell their audiences about your brand and sometimes about your content. Also, while discussing content available on your platform, they may share it on the platforms of your competitors.Instead of this pattern, you can invite influencers and their entire audiences to your platform. In this case, you can expect that people will feel a sense of brand loyalty when they are offered the opportunity to interact with their favourite influencers directly on your platform. You can even build a habit for users to join your platform to watch this popular streamer instead of Twitch.<h3>AI Bots for Real-Time Interactions</h3>Don’t forget to consider investing in AI bots to facilitate real-time conversations with website users. These bots can help answer some simple questions that the users might have, give recommendations for film or fitness platforms, and provide predictions for sports and gaming apps. AI participation is something users expect to see on digital platforms, and the integration of chats with added AI bots can meet users’ needs and connect them with hidden and needed information.<h2 id="brand-loyalty-is-build-over-time">Brand Loyalty is Built Over Time: Begin the Process Today&nbsp;</h2>Building brand loyalty with any customer takes time. However, this process will never happen if you aren’t willing to take the necessary steps. That is why you should develop a strategy for obtaining the brand loyalty you crave and deserve from your customers.<hr style="margin-bottom:0.8vw;"><h2 id="Get-in-touch">Get in Touch</h2><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://calendly.com/watchers-platform/social-tools-for-your">Book a call</a> if you'd like to integrate in-app community chats with the high-level moderation system into your website, app, or game. We'll be happy to help you find the best solution.</div>