Swish Case Study: Cracking Growth Loops in 10-Minute Food Delivery
Lessons from a user’s journey, onboarding friction, and the power of referral-driven growth
Introduction
Swish, a Bengaluru-based startup, is entering the ultra-competitive 10-minute food delivery space. Its target audience? Young urban professionals battling traffic and craving convenience.
While the promise is exciting, my own onboarding experience revealed some critical cracks that could slow down adoption. In this case study, I break down Swish’s growth loops, the bottlenecks in its user experience, and my recommendations to strengthen acquisition and retention.
Step 1: The User Journey – Where It Breaks
During onboarding, I faced three major blockers that directly impact conversion and retention:
OTP Authentication Failures
Impact: Prevents new users from signing up.
Fix: Improve reliability and speed of OTP verification.
Address Search Challenges
Impact: Hard to locate and save delivery addresses.
Fix: Enhance search functionality with smarter geolocation.
Duplicate Address Error
Impact: App blocked progress even when the address wasn’t already saved.
Fix: Debug and eliminate duplicate detection errors.
If a new user can’t even get past onboarding smoothly, no growth loop will sustain itself.
Step 2: Identifying Growth Loops
I mapped out Swish’s growth engine into three core loops:
Referral Loop – Users invite friends for rewards.
Retention Loop – Consistent speed and quality make users come back.
Feedback & Improvement Loop – Customer feedback shapes product refinements.
Among these, the Referral Loop stands out as the fastest way to acquire users at scale.
Step 3: Proposed Improvements
Referral Loop Enhancements
Fix Onboarding Issues First – A smooth entry is non-negotiable.
One-Click Referral Sharing – Simple WhatsApp/social share for virality.
Dynamic Rewards System – Tiered incentives (e.g., free delivery credits, vouchers).
Gamified Referrals – Leaderboards, milestones, and badges to keep users engaged.
Step 4: Prioritization with RICE
Using the RICE framework, I scored initiatives based on Reach, Impact, Confidence, and Effort.
Highest Priority: Simplified referral sharing + onboarding bug fixes.
Medium Priority: Dynamic rewards.
Lower Priority: Gamification (fun, but long-term ROI).
Step 5: Implementation Roadmap
Immediate (Month 1) – Fix OTP/address bugs + launch one-click referral sharing.
Short-Term (Quarter 1) – Deploy dynamic rewards to build momentum.
Long-Term (Next Year) – Expand gamification, refine referral system, and strengthen delivery backend.
Conclusion
Swish is in a promising market, but execution is everything. By fixing onboarding friction and doubling down on a referral-driven growth loop, Swish can accelerate adoption while building a loyal user base.
The lesson here: growth loops only work if the core experience is seamless. Start with reliability, then amplify virality.