A Wren Says

Half a buttermilk biscuit. That’s what the app Cronometer suggested a user’s dog would be logged as. No, this isn’t some veterinary tracking system. It’s a food logging app. And you can now log your dog, too.

The nutritional tracking database, Cronometer, features a photo logging function. Just take a picture of your meal, and your app will estimate what food items were on your plate. It makes tracking your meals quick and easy. This function is exclusive to the paid tier of what is otherwise a free and ad-supported app. But starting this International Dog Day, the company announced that they would officially launch log your dog as an option. You, too, can take a photo of your dog and have it analyzed using the feature. And then, as the brand suggests, you can post to social media using  #logyourdog and enter the sweepstakes. But to do that you’re going to have to switch to their gold membership. I think that’s genius.

The first reason is obvious. This new feature will convert free users into paid subscribers. That dog lover who was using the basic app was perfectly fine to sit through ads and have fewer features. But the option to see if their dog is potato or a fluffy cupcake, that just might be enticing enough to make the switch. And maybe users only pay for the month and switch back, but that’s still revenue the company wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.

The second reason may be less evident. This is a clear sign that the brand is engaging with its users and taking their experiences into account in feature design. This all came about because the socials team saw the post, talked back, tried the photo logging of their own pets, and considered what this might mean for the user base as a whole. This fun idea came because they were listening and acting on what they heard. Understanding how people are really using your product is something we can all learn from, regardless of the industry you’re in.

If you have the app, what would your dog be logged as? Or share your best guess?