Difficulty in managing household information and expenses

I recently launched a small mobile app focused on household organisation and expense logging. Nothing revolutionary, just solving a simple problem: keeping family information and daily expenses in one place. We ran a small Google Ads test and got 100+ installs and 6 reviews. Here’s what I learned so far: # 1. Paid installs validate visibility, not value Ads can bring traffic, but they don’t guarantee retention. What matters more is: * How fast users understand the app * Whether they can take action within 60 seconds * If the first session delivers immediate clarity Early retention seems more important than total installs. # 2. Simple products are harder than complex ones The app is intentionally basic: * Manage family member information * Store household details * Log daily expenses * View monthly totals No AI. No predictions. No complicated budgeting tools. But making something *simple and clear* takes more thought than adding features. # 3. Positioning matters more than features If users think it’s “another budgeting app,” expectations change. Framing it as a **digital household notebook** feels more aligned with the real use case. # 4. Reviews are harder than installs We got 6 reviews out of 100+ installs. Now I’m thinking more about: * When to trigger review prompts * How to create moments of perceived value * Improving onboarding clarity For those building early-stage product: * How did you improve retention after initial paid traffic? * What worked best for turning first-time users into consistent users? If anyone’s curious, the app is called **Homebook** (Android live, iOS coming soon). Happy to share more details if helpful. Would appreciate thoughts from others building small utility products.