“Retention is the new acquisition” is the mindset that has allowed Eric Ralls, Founder & CEO of PlantSnap, to turn his app — which allows users to capture an image of a plant or flower and identify it within seconds — into a habit for its 33 million users and counting. Plantsnap doesn’t just encourage nature lovers. It has inspired users to be a community of citizen scientists, using the app to feed into projects and initiatives to educate about global warming and monitor its impact. I chat with Eric about his creative campaigns (one that used perfect timing and precise personalization to increase retention rates by 61%) and the creative spark that gave him the idea for his app — and others coming in the pipeline. We also discuss AI, the innovation he has merged with his love for our planet, and get an update on his StartEngine crowdfunding campaign (you can get involved here) to build similar apps and grow their team.