Definition
The financial term Monthly Active User (MAU) refers to a metric that measures the number of unique users who engage with a product or service within a given month. This measurement is often used by businesses, particularly online services or apps, to gauge user engagement and retention. It’s a critical demonstration of the ongoing value provided by a platform to its active user base.
Phonetic
The phonetics of the keyword “Monthly Active User (MAU)” is “ˈmʌnθli ‘æktɪv ‘juːzər (em eɪ juː)”.
Key Takeaways
- Definition: Monthly Active User (MAU) refers to the number of unique users who engage with an app, software or a platform, within a given month. This metric is widely used to assess the active user trends and measure the growth of mobile apps, websites or online games.
- Importance: The MAU metric is crucial in understanding the level of user engagement and in identifying active and loyal customers. A higher MAU indicates that the product is well received by users. Moreover, this metric helps businesses strategize and find opportunities to increase user retention rate and revenue.
- Variability: The MAU count may vary greatly depending on the type of business, industry, and product. For instance, social media platforms may have higher MAUs than a specialized software. Hence, while comparing MAUs, companies should consider the uniqueness of their services and the specific behavior and demographic of their users.
Importance
The business/finance term Monthly Active User (MAU) is vital as it is a key performance indicator (KPI) used by digital businesses, mainly social networking services, online games, and mobile apps to measure the scale of their user engagement. It provides insights on the number of unique users interacting with a platform or service over the span of a month. High MAU numbers indicate a broader user base and potentially better revenue, particularly for companies utilizing an advertisement-based business model. Therefore, MAU is not only a reflection of a company’s ability to attract users but also crucially to retain them, which holds significant strategic importance for growth and sustainability.
Explanation
The term Monthly Active User (MAU) is a key performance indicator (KPI) widely used in the digital and tech industries, especially in businesses that offer subscription-based services, social media platforms, and online games. The primary purpose of MAU is to provide a benchmark for the health and growth of an online platform or application. It gives businesses and investors an idea of how many unique users engage with a platform or application at least once within a given month. The importance of MAU cannot be understated, as it gives an insight into user behavior, the effectiveness of user-retention strategies, the ability of a product to generate regular engagement, and growth trends. For instance, measuring MAUs allows a company to identify any potential patterns or seasonal trends that can be leveraged for marketing efforts, or highlight any retention issues that may need addressing. Conversely, investors may use MAU data to gauge the success of a company’s product in attracting and retaining its audience, and thus the potential profitability of the company.
Examples
1. Facebook: Facebook is, perhaps, one of the most famous examples of the use of the Monthly Active User metric. As of the second quarter of 2021, Facebook reported over 2.8 billion MAUs. This essentially means that over 2.8 billion unique users logged into their Facebook accounts at least once during this month.2. Spotify: Another popular company that uses the MAU metric is Spotify. In the second quarter of 2021, Spotify reported 365 million Monthly Active Users. These are the people who’ve logged into Spotify to listen to music or podcasts at least once within the one month period.3. Twitter: Twitter is another social media platform that leverages the MAU metric. In the first quarter of 2019, Twitter reported 330 million MAUs. From the second quarter of 2019 onward, Twitter replaced the Monthly Active Users with the Monetizable Daily Active Users (mDAUs) in their reports. The MAUs metric was crucial for Twitter to estimate its user engagement and reach.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ)
What does the term Monthly Active User (MAU) mean in finance and business?
Monthly Active User (MAU) is a performance metric for the evaluation of tech companies and digital platforms, often used by mobile applications and online games. It measures the number of unique users who engage with a platform or service over the period of a month.
Why is MAU an important metric for businesses?
The MAU metric provides businesses with an understanding of user engagement and platform growth rate. It helps determine the regular, active user base for a given software, application, or platform. It is an essential indicator for potential investors, sponsors, or advertisers.
How is the MAU calculated?
It’s calculated by counting the number of unique users who have interacted with the platform or service at least once in a given month. It is important to remember that two interactions from a single user are counted as one MAU because users are counted only once, regardless of how many times they return to the site during a month.
Can MAU provide insights into user behavior?
Yes, MAU can help businesses gain insights into user behavior. By tracking MAU, companies can see patterns of user engagement, which can be valuable for making strategic decisions, planning marketing campaigns, and enhancing user experience.
How does the MAU relate to other user metrics like DAU (Daily Active Users)?
While MAU measures the number of users who engage with a platform or service in a month, DAU measures daily engagement. A high DAU/MAU ratio could indicate strong user engagement on a daily basis.
Can a high MAU guarantee the success of a platform or a mobile application?
A high MAU can offer valuable insights about user retention and engagement, but it doesn’t necessarily guarantee success. It’s also important to evaluate other factors such as user behavior, monetization strategies, churn rates, and other relevant engagement metrics.
How often should a business monitor its MAU?
Since the MAU provides information over a monthly period, businesses should ideally monitor this metric monthly. It allows them to track fluctuations, spot trends, and make adjustments to their strategies as needed.
Related Finance Terms
- Daily Active User (DAU)
- User Engagement
- Churn Rate
- User Growth Rate
- Retention Rate
Sources for More Information
