How In-App Stories Got 80% of Hamkorbank Users to Click

Hamkorbank is one of the largest private commercial banks in Uzbekistan. It offers a full range of retail and corporate banking services, with a growing focus on digital innovation and mobile-first solutions.

Hamkorbank added Stories to their app with a clear goal to create a new way to talk to users inside the product. Not through banners. Not through email. But through content that fits naturally into the mobile experience.

This case follows up on our onboarding work. After launch, Hamkorbank’s team kept going. They published stories on their own, tracked performance, and built a working content flow.

The Challenge

Hamkorbank had never worked with in-app Stories before. Their mobile app had strong traffic, but engagement was limited to basic transactions. There was no clear content channel inside the app, no structure for user communication, and no templates or guidelines for how to use Stories in a financial context.

The team needed to find a way to talk to users directly inside the app. They also had to make sure the content felt relevant and trustworthy, especially for first-time mobile banking users.

This challenge came with a few real limitations. There were no benchmarks to guide content design. Internal production resources were limited. And they needed to publish across two languages while staying aligned with the bank’s brand and compliance requirements.

Despite all that, the goal remained simple. They wanted to use Stories to explain products, support campaigns, and build closer connections with mobile users.

How Stories Fit Hamkorbank App

Before Stories, Hamkorbank’s app followed a typical banking flow. Users came in, completed a transaction, and left. There was no natural space for product communication or content-based interaction. Stories changed that.

With this new format, Hamkorbank introduced a lightweight and familiar way to guide users inside the app. Each story became a focused message. It could explain a product, promote a campaign, or walk someone through a financial decision — without overwhelming them.

This helped the bank solve three key problems at once:

• Stories opened up a direct channel for in-app communication
• They allowed for fast, localized updates in two languages
• They created new product entry points that felt natural for mobile users

For the first time, the app had space to talk. Not just to inform, but to support, remind, and invite action.

What Hamkorbank Published

The content plan included a wide mix of themes:

• Product-focused stories about loans, cards, and seasonal offers
• Lifestyle content linked to local events, holidays, and habits
• Educational stories with practical advice and app features

Each story included a clear next step. Many had deep links or buttons that led users to a product page. Stories were not just about awareness. They helped users take action.

The design followed a custom guide. Images reflected local culture. The color palette, fonts, and layout came from the UI kit we created during onboarding. The result was content that looked familiar but felt trustworthy.

Results: What the Numbers Say

The first stories launched in Hamkorbank’s app showed clear signs of success. Users engaged. They clicked. And they kept coming back.

Looking at the full picture, Hamkorbank’s stories generated more than 250,000 unique clicks overall. The same pattern held for reading behavior. On average, 72% of users who opened a story reached the final slide. This was boosted by ultra-short formats — when single-slide stories were excluded, the completion rate still remained solid at 33%, confirming that well-structured content kept users engaged all the way through.

1. Product-focused content drove exceptional click rates
 

Stories about online credit and credit cards performed best. Each of them gathered over 30,000 clicks in total. In both cases, more than 80 percent of users who opened the story clicked through. These were direct, high-intent actions triggered by clear, well-placed messages. The format proved effective not just for awareness, but for driving users into core product flows

2. Educational formats built strong reading depth
 

The “Mini Guide to Credit Cards” showed that users respond well to practical, non-promotional content. With a read-through rate of 46.5 percent and a click-to-open conversion of over 13 percent, it became one of the most balanced stories in terms of both reach and quality of interaction. It proved that storytelling inside the app could educate and convert at the same time.

3. Simplicity in structure supported deep engagement
 

Stories with short length, consistent pacing, and clear visuals outperformed others in terms of completion rate. They kept users moving through the content without friction. This pattern held across formats and helped establish a strong early benchmark for future iterations.

4. Local language drove higher activity
 

Stories published in Uzbek performed better across all key metrics. That included higher open rates, more clicks, and deeper reading. Localization was not just a translation task. It affected design choices, image selection, and tone — and it paid off in user behavior.

Key Insights

Stories in a banking app work best when they are direct and practical. Hamkorbank’s case showed a few clear takeaways.

1. Stories should answer questions users already have. When people need help with products, short visual content gets attention.
2. Language and cultural cues shape engagement. Stories in Uzbek performed better. Images with local relevance drove more interest.
3. Timing and placement matter. Content placed in loan or card sections reached users at the right moment.

Closing Thoughts

Stories became more than a content format. For Hamkorbank, they turned into a working channel for product communication. Because the launch was grounded in onboarding, the team had everything they needed to move forward. 

Now they publish independently, using the same system and logic we built together. This case shows how visual content can create real product value. Not just in media apps or ecommerce. But even in banking.