Overview
Skillz is the leading mobile gaming platform that connects players and developers through fun and fair competition.
As PM, I led the strategy and configuration of Bundled Offers — defining bundle compositions, currency ratios, and offer tactics — a net-new monetization framework built on top of Skillz's existing deposit offers. The goal was to move beyond flat bonus cash offers and create multi-currency bundles that drove higher deposit conversion while reducing the platform's over-reliance on bonus cash.
Problem & Insight
Skillz's deposit offers were structured as a straightforward bonus cash calculation — deposit X, get Y bonus cash. This created two compounding problems: margins were being squeezed by high bonus cash payouts, and offers felt generic with nothing to differentiate or excite users.
Business Impact:
- Over-reliance on bonus cash was eroding margins
- Offers lacked perceived variety or value, limiting engagement
- Z's (free-to-play currency) and Ticketz (loyalty currency) were underutilized as monetization levers
What I Found:
Through competitive analysis across 15+ platforms and analytics deep-dives, I identified that:
- Flat offers don't convert — Users respond better to bundled value that feels like they're "getting more"
- Z's had a perception problem — Players didn't inherently see Z's as valuable, making them a weak incentive on their own
- Missed margin opportunity — Z's and Ticketz carry low actual cost but high perceived value when packaged correctly
Solution & Process
Built a new bundled offers framework from the ground up, layering on top of the existing store structure to introduce two bundle types:
| Bundle Type | Composition | Why This Worked |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + Bonus Cash + Z's | Real cash deposit matched with bonus cash and Z's | Z's added perceived value at near-zero margin cost, reducing bonus cash dependence |
| Cash + Bonus Cash + Ticketz | Real cash deposit matched with bonus cash and loyalty Tickets | Tied deposits to loyalty progression, increasing retention incentive |
My Process
- Research & Competitive Analysis — Conducted competitive analysis across 15+ gaming and fintech apps to understand bundling and perceived value mechanics
- Analytics Modeling & Bundle Strategy — Partnered with analytics to model bundle compositions, optimizing the bonus cash-to-deposit ratio while maximizing perceived value
- Monetization Strategy — Designed a multi-currency bundle framework that shifted value perception away from bonus cash toward Z's and Ticketz
- Execution & Product Documentation — Owned end-to-end delivery as solo PM; authored PRDs, bundle specs, and QA documentation coordinating across engineering, design, and QA
- A/B Testing & Post-Launch Optimization — Ran A/B tests to validate bundle performance; iterated on Z's positioning after discovering users undervalued them at launch
Results & Impact
- Measurably reduced bonus cash reliance, improving deposit margins
- Drove higher deposit conversion rates vs. control group
- Improved offer engagement across bundled SKUs
- Successfully increased perceived value of Z's and Ticketz as monetization currencies
- Generated meaningful incremental annual revenue through improved bundle economics