How Sago Mini uses Mixpanel to accelerate experimentation and drive 80% YoY subscription growth

Sago Mini is a leading children’s app developer, providing fun and educational experiences through digital play. Their subscription-based ecosystem includes apps like Sago Mini World, Sago Mini School, and First Words, as well as Piknik, a bundled subscription offering seven premium kids’ apps. With a global audience, Sago Mini continuously evolves its offerings to meet the needs of young users and their families.

From its inception, Sago Mini recognized the importance of data in shaping its content and marketing strategies. However, as the company expanded, the need for a more structured and scalable analytics approach became critical. Product managers required fast insights to iterate on features, measure content engagement, and optimize conversion funnels—all without relying heavily on a dedicated data team.

Additionally, as Sago Mini transitioned from individual paid apps to a subscription model in 2017 and later to a bundled subscription in 2023, tracking user behavior across multiple apps became increasingly complex. The team needed a platform that could provide clear, actionable insights into engagement, retention, and monetization.

Sago Mini has relied on Mixpanel since 2013, but its usage has evolved significantly. Initially, it was used for basic feature tracking and marketing measurement. Today, Mixpanel plays a crucial role in empowering product managers to run their own analyses, drive experimentation, and optimize key metrics like conversion rates and user retention.

Rather than relying on a centralized analytics team, each product manager owns the Mixpanel setup for their respective app, ensuring that insights are readily available for decision-making. By leveraging Mixpanel’s intuitive dashboards, Sago Mini’s teams can quickly test hypotheses, iterate on product features, and make data-driven decisions.

“Mixpanel helps us shorten the feedback loop for feature development. We launch an experiment, quickly analyze results, and immediately feed insights back into the roadmap—without waiting on shared resources or external teams,” says Brennan Clark, Director of Product at Sago Mini.

31% increase in conversion rate through experimentation

Sago Mini’s teams used Mixpanel to refine onboarding flows, optimize offer screens, and experiment with free trials, leading to a 31% increase in conversion rates over the past year. By leveraging Mixpanel’s Funnels feature, they identified friction points in the purchase journey and systematically tested improvements. “We saw the biggest impact when we tested different free trial lengths and onboarding flows. Mixpanel allowed us to quickly measure the effects and pivot as needed, ultimately leading to a 31% conversion rate improvement,” explains Clark.

80% year-over-year subscription growth for a global audience

Sago Mini’s data revealed that while they had a strong global audience, engagement and conversion rates in international markets lagged behind North America. By using Mixpanel to analyze user behavior across regions, they recognized the need for localized content. In 2023, they launched regionally relevant updates, including content for Lunar New Year, Diwali, and Festa Junina. “Our global audience was engaging, but not at the same levels as our North American users. Mixpanel helped us see that creating regionally relevant content could drive engagement, and the results were clear—subscribers in key international markets grew by 80%,” states Clark.

Self-serve analytics saves time and enables faster decision-making

With Mixpanel’s self-serve analytics, product managers can independently analyze data without relying on a dedicated data team, freeing up resources for more complex analyses.

“We didn’t hire a dedicated data team until we were around 70 employees because Mixpanel provided everything our product teams needed,” says Clark. “Even now, Mixpanel allows our lean data team to focus on deeper strategic insights rather than answering ad hoc product questions.”

Optimizing retention in a bundled subscription model

As Sago Mini transitioned to its Piknik bundled subscription, understanding cross-app engagement became critical. Mixpanel’s insights helped the team study the relationship between retention and the number of apps used.

This insight led to targeted onboarding improvements, designed to encourage users to explore multiple apps early in their subscription. “We’ve already seen improvements in retention, but we’re continuing to refine this strategy using Mixpanel insights,” says Clark.

Leveraging funnels for cross-app engagement

Sago Mini’s team has found Mixpanel’s Funnels feature particularly valuable for analyzing user behavior within their subscription ecosystem. “We use Funnels to track how users move between apps in our Piknik bundle, and it’s led to key insights on what drives long-term retention,” explains Clark. “For example, we now know which app pairs lead to higher engagement and retention, helping us optimize the cross-app journey.”

As Sago Mini continues to grow, Mixpanel remains at the core of its product development and experimentation strategy. With plans to expand Piknik and introduce new content within existing apps, the team will continue leveraging Mixpanel to refine user experiences and maximize engagement.

“Every app we launch in Piknik is fully integrated with Mixpanel, and we rely on it to track performance, test new features, and drive data-backed decisions,” says Clark. “Mixpanel has been critical in helping us scale and innovate quickly.”