Background
Before building an app, most founders either guess or gamble. This solo entrepreneur wanted to take a smarter route: test the idea, validate demand, and gather real user behavior data — without hiring engineers or building an MVP.
Using Zellify, they launched a full pre-product funnel, captured leads, and modeled conversion and CAC before committing to app development.
The Idea
The concept was simple: a personalized mental wellness app that would recommend tailored daily routines based on a user's personality, sleep habits, and stress levels.
The founder wanted to test:
- Would people click?
- Would they complete a funnel?
- Would they submit their email?
- Would they convert on a pricing page?
- Would the unit economics make sense?
Step 1: Building the Funnel (No Code Required)
Using Zellify, the founder created:
- Landing Page — Clear pitch of the problem + social proof
- Personality Quiz — 7 questions about mood, sleep, lifestyle
- Results Page — “Here’s your daily wellness plan”
- Web Paywall — Monthly/annual pricing shown (no actual charge)
- Email Capture — Option to get notified when the app launches
The funnel was designed in under a day. No engineers, no designers. Just content and strategy.
Step 2: Launching Traffic
The founder ran $500 in paid TikTok and Meta ads, targeting:
- 18–34-year-olds interested in mindfulness, health, productivity
- Geographies: US, UK, Canada
UTMs were tracked. Zellify captured:
- Quiz drop-off
- Email opt-ins
- Paywall clicks
Step 3: Results & Conversion Metrics
Funnel Stats (based on 2,300 unique visitors):
- Quiz Start Rate: 57%
- Quiz Completion Rate: 38%
- Email Capture Rate: 24%
- Paywall CTA Click Rate: 9.5%
- Simulated Purchase Intent: 3.4%
The quiz provided rich behavioral signals. The most common segments:
- “Stressed achievers” (41%)
- “Sleep-deprived students” (27%)
- “Overwhelmed parents” (16%)
This helped the founder reframe the target ICP around stressed young professionals.
Step 4: Unit Economics & Model
The founder estimated CAC and LTV from funnel data:
- Estimated CAC: $11.42
- Simulated Conversion (to paid): 3.4%
- Estimated ARPU (based on planned pricing): $45/year
- Estimated LTV:CAC: ~3.7x
With these economics, the founder felt confident to move forward. Instead of building blind, they had real proof.
Outcome
The funnel not only validated demand but also:
- Built an early waitlist of 600+ emails
- Helped refine the messaging and value prop
- Identified the most monetizable user segment
Development began with a clear feature roadmap based on quiz data and what users responded to.
Lessons Learned
- Funnel-first validation avoids wasting 3+ months and $$$ on unproven ideas.
- Quiz personalization boosts engagement and reveals user segments.
- Web paywalls simulate real purchasing behavior and reveal pricing sensitivity.
- Zellify helps you test and validate mobile app ideas through real user data — before spending time or money on development