Driving User Activation in India’s IT Product and SaaS Sectors

India’s IT product and SaaS sectors are thriving, propelled by robust digital infrastructure like UPI and 5G, which fuel innovation in enterprise tools, consumer apps, and SaaS platforms. With over $1.5 billion in funding for SaaS startups in 2024, India is shifting from service-based delivery to product-led growth (PLG). In this landscape, user activation and feature adoption are critical metrics for scaling and retaining customers. Cross-functional GTM teams now prioritise optimising onboarding-to-activation funnels, driven by the demand for frictionless UX and intuitive onboarding. Indian products, such as those from LawCrust, a rising SaaS player, are also expanding into global SMB and mid-market segments, competing on seamless user engagement.

Understanding User Activation in Growth Strategy

User activation marks the moment a user first derives core value from an IT product the “aha moment” that signals its utility. This milestone drives retention, boosts revenue per user, and sparks viral growth. For example, LawCrust, a legal-tech SaaS, ensures users experience value by completing a key action like drafting a contract. Strong user activation prevents churn and maximises the impact of acquisition efforts.

Activation journeys differ by product type:

• B2B SaaS: Users sign up and complete onboarding. They then perform a key action, such as creating a project or inviting team members. After that, they begin engaging with core features.
• B2C Apps: The journey starts with app installation and profile setup. This is followed by a value-driven action, like booking a service or making a purchase.

By leveraging product telemetry, user segmentation, and AI-driven personalisation, companies like LawCrust Customised these journeys to spelcific personas, ensuring user activation aligns with long-term retention and upselling goals.

1. Strategic Levers to Drive User Activation and Feature Adoption

Driving user activation requires a cohesive strategy across GTM, product, data, and customer feedback loops.

• GTM Strategy

1. Role-Specific Onboarding: Craft onboarding for distinct personas, like a lawyer versus a paralegal in LawCrust’s platform, to ensure relevance and boost user engagement.
2. Localised Onboarding: Adapt onboarding for global markets with regional languages, workflows, and cultural nuances to enhance user activation.
3. Progressive Disclosure: Introduce features gradually to avoid overwhelming users, fostering steady feature adoption.

• Product Strategy

1. Milestone-Based Walkthroughs: Use tooltips, nudges, and in-app messages to guide users to key milestones, accelerating user activation.
2. Optimise First 5 Minutes: Default templates, pre-filled data, and clear pathways help users reach their “aha moment” quickly. For instance, LawCrust pre-fills contract templates to streamline initial use.
3. Prioritise High-Value Features: Highlight features delivering immediate value in UI layouts and onboarding content to drive feature adoption.

• Data & Analytics

1. Track Activation Events: Define and monitor activation events (e.g., completing a profile) using tools like Mixpanel or Amplitude to identify funnel drop-offs.
2. Cohort Analysis: Link feature adoption to revenue retention through cohort analysis, revealing high-impact features.
3. A/B Testing: Test onboarding flows and empty state UX to optimise user activation rates.

• Customer Feedback Loops

Integrate micro-surveys and feedback mechanisms to refine onboarding and prioritise features that resonate with users, ensuring continuous improvement in user activation.

2. Legal & Compliance Considerations

Compliance is critical for global IT products. Onboarding processes must align with GDPR and India’s DPDP Act, ensuring transparent data usage policies to build trust. In regulated verticals like legal-tech (e.g., LawCrust) or fintech, privacy-by-design principles minimise data collection and enhance user engagement. Explicit feature opt-ins, particularly for data-sharing functionalities, ensure informed consent across multi-region deployments.

3. Talent & Organisational Structure

Superior user activation demands cross-functional alignment. Growth pods spanning product, design, marketing, engineering, and customer success drive cohesive onboarding strategies. OKRs focused on user activation and feature adoption, rather than just acquisition, align teams with long-term goals. Training support teams to proactively address onboarding friction further enhances user engagement.

Case Examples & Results

• Example 1: A Bengaluru-based FinTech app increased user activation by 30% with real-time nudges and personalised tooltips during KYC, reducing drop-offs.
• Example 2: A B2B SaaS targeting HR teams doubled feature adoption through in-app walkthroughs and micro-surveys, informing roadmap prioritisation.
• Example 3: An EdTech SaaS, like LawCrust’s education arm, boosted user activation by 25% by gamifying onboarding with progress trackers, encouraging students to complete their first lesson.

Conclusion

In India’s competitive IT product and SaaS landscape, a growth strategy rooted in user activation is vital for long-term success. By optimising onboarding, leveraging data, ensuring compliance, and fostering cross-functional collaboration, companies like LawCrust can turn first-time users into loyal advocates. This focus on user activation and feature adoption drives retention, revenue, and global impact.

About LawCrust

LawCrust Global Consulting Ltd. delivers cutting-edge Hybrid Consulting Solutions in Management, Finance, Technology, and Legal Consulting to ambitious businesses worldwide. Recognised for our cross-functional expertise and hybrid consulting approach, we empower startups, SMEs, and enterprises to scale efficiently, innovate boldly, and navigate complexity with confidence. Our services span key areas such as Investment Banking, Fundraising, Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Placement, and Debt Restructuring & Transformation, positioning us as a strategic partner for growth and resilience. With an integrated consulting model, fixed-cost engagements, and a virtual delivery framework, we make business transformation accessible, agile, and impactful.

For expert legal help, please contact us:

• Email: inquiry@lawcrustbusiness.com