Careem (Uber) · Super App · Subscriptions · 2024
Subscriptions were in freefall. Churn was climbing. Most customers didn't even know Careem Plus existed. I saw the gap in the data before anyone raised a flag, then designed a contextual subscription system that turned everyday ride moments into reasons to subscribe, stay subscribed, and use four times more services. 150% subscriber growth. 96% retention. Not a rebrand. A complete behavioural shift.
The Approach
I led this from signal to shipped product. I found the opportunity in the usage data, built the hypothesis, created high-fidelity prototypes, and ran usability testing with 12 customers to validate before committing resource.
Data-led opportunity identification, Analysed cross-service usage patterns and churn data to pinpoint exactly where and why subscribers were dropping off. The insight: customers never encountered Plus benefits at the moments they'd actually value them.
Contextual subscription triggers, Designed a system that mapped Plus benefits to real customer moments. A mall trip triggered a Dine Out savings offer. Gym visits surfaced discounted food options. Repeat school runs highlighted family ride savings. Every touchpoint was a reason to subscribe.
Interruptive UX validation, Research confirmed customers welcomed bold, interruptive messaging when the content was relevant, useful, and immediately actionable. That finding gave us the confidence to push the design further than stakeholders initially expected.
Stakeholder buy-in through evidence, Presented the proposal to leadership with research-backed conviction, directly addressing concerns about disrupting the journey. Evidence replaced opinion. The initiative was greenlit without compromise.
End-to-end design delivery, From initial data pull to final production specs, I owned the entire design process, prototyping, testing, iterating, and delivering a system that scaled across every Careem vertical.
"Customers don't subscribe to features. They subscribe to moments where they feel the value. Design the moment, and the conversion follows."
The Outcomes
What started as a declining metric became the platform's strongest growth lever.
150% increase in Careem Plus subscriptions within the first quarter of launch.
96% subscriber retention rate, customers who subscribed stayed subscribed because value surfaced continuously.
Subscribers used 4× more services than non-subscribers, validating the contextual model.
Careem Plus transformed from an underperforming add-on into the primary driver of platform stickiness and revenue diversification.
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