# The member journey across web and app

The member journey is how people move from a first video on a brand's website or app to joining, posting, and buying, managed in your Business Account.

On Genuin, people engage with content and communities directly inside the websites and apps you own. They do it through embedded video experiences, feeds, and your hosted social experience, so engagement, data, and trust stay on your properties instead of on external platforms.

The engagement model feels familiar to users, like a social feed. It stays controlled and governed by you, adapts to behavior and context, and turns engagement into measurable outcomes. This page is part of Onsite; for the whole product, see [Onsite: what it does and where to start](https://begenuin.com/developers/browse-by-products/onsite/onsite-what-it-does-and-where-to-start).

## Stages of the journey

Engagement doesn't happen by chance; it comes from designing each stage on purpose. Each stage builds on the one before it and moves users from passive viewing to active, long-term participation.

| Stage | What happens |
| --- | --- |
| Discovery | A user first sees your content through a contextual placement. |
| Exploration | The user browses the available feeds and communities. |
| Participation | The user interacts with, reacts to, and contributes to content. |
| Personalization | Feeds adapt to the user's behavior. |
| Action | Engagement ends in a purchase or another conversion. |
| Retention | Relevant, continuous experiences bring the user back. |

## Discovery

Users usually enter the experience through placements on your site or app. Common entry points are:

- Home pages.
- Category or discovery pages.
- Product detail pages.
- Editorial or campaign pages.
- Your hosted social experience.

A placement can render as a video grid, a carousel, or a vertical or infinite feed. Learn more in [Build a placement with styles, sections, and variables](https://begenuin.com/developers/browse-by-products/onsite/how-a-brand-can-get-started-with-placements-in-business-account).

![The Style editor of a placement in your Business Account, with a Style Title, a Trending Products section, and Style Personalization tied to categories such as Pharmacy & Wellness.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/lnrtvsvr/development/924ad24786b218427fadec5bb4d642fc0631bf3d-1870x911.png)
*Each discovery placement gets its style and categories in your Business Account.*

Genuin uses contextual relevance, such as page type, content theme, and user behavior, to surface the most fitting content at each entry point. Discovery feels intentional, not random.

![The Explore screen of the mobile app, with a search button and Trending categories such as Entertainment, Lifestyle, and Business, and an empty area below them.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/lnrtvsvr/development/0aef545644524c94242a87cc8cb323d959c30ca8-720x1600.png)
*In the app, Explore opens on trending categories.*

## Exploration

Once users engage with a placement, they enter video-first feeds built for both web and app. Users can:

- Scroll through short-form and long-form videos.
- Discover related content automatically.
- Move between content items without friction.

Three things power these feeds: community and group relevance rules, the placement's configuration, and performance and engagement signals.

![The embed editor in your Business Account for a carousel tied to the Pets community and the Pet Deals & Finds group, with a video preview and Headline settings.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/lnrtvsvr/development/c002252848fa3ef1b178fdc4b0e659385ad1cd14-1861x909.png)
*A web carousel draws its videos from the community and group you pick.*

The experience stays dynamic and personalized while staying aligned with your goals and governance.

![The mobile app's Home feed playing a full-screen video from @Begenuin, with like, comment, and share buttons and community chips such as Innovative Leadership with a Join button.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/lnrtvsvr/development/535e329fdd0158ed1269469efd0ff87626adf916-720x1600.png)
*The app's Home feed plays videos full screen, with communities to join below each one.*

## Joining communities and groups

As users explore, Genuin prompts them to join communities or groups that match their interests:

- **Communities** cover broader themes, such as Fitness, Reviews, or Lifestyle.
- **Groups** organize content by topic, format, or campaign.

Joining gives users personalized feeds, deeper engagement, and ongoing participation across visits. It turns anonymous viewers into identifiable members, which makes continuity and long-term relationships possible. To set them up, see [Create communities and groups](https://begenuin.com/developers/get-started/any-business/create-communities-and-groups).

Joining a private community or group sends a request. Admins accept or reject it under **Moderate** > **User Requests**, or **Auto Accept** accepts it without review.

![The Post Details page in your Business Account for a Mattress Firm video, with Posted in highlighted to show its community, Smart Shopper Hub, and its group, general deals.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/lnrtvsvr/development/26cb6fe6cb599ab70d6cba6abff55da6cab6b209-1860x911.png)
*Every post sits in a community and one of its groups.*

![The mobile app's community list, with Communities and Groups (29) tabs, Create a New Community, and Walmart communities such as Tech & Electronics, each with Mod tools.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/lnrtvsvr/development/03249ed68d99df67bfebf8b237baa87bd4d0598e-540x1200.png)
*The app lists communities and groups on separate tabs.*

## Engagement

Engagement uses familiar, intuitive actions. Users can:

- Like or react to videos.
- Comment and join discussions.
- Respond to other members.
- Keep discovering related content.

Because all engagement happens on your own properties, you get first-party insight into user behavior without relying on third-party social platforms.

![The Post Details page in your Business Account for a Carlist.my video, with the Analytics panel highlighted, showing views, Sparks, comments, shares, reposts, and clickthroughs.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/lnrtvsvr/development/5a678aa4d36fbe90b1019c4b9d8635a8319c2f92-1856x918.png)
*Business Account counts each post's views, reactions, comments, and clickthroughs.*

![The mobile app's Home feed playing a video with a Double tap to react to videos hint, like, comment, and share buttons, and community chips with a Join button.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/lnrtvsvr/development/df58652962744915470237cee344dfe01b92fcc1-540x1200.png)
*In the app, double-tap a video to react to it.*

## Participation

Depending on the permissions you configure, users can also contribute:

- Post videos.
- Add comments or replies.
- Take part in community conversations.

Each group sets **Who can post in this Group**. With **All community members**, every member can post. With **Group Members only**, only group members and community admins can.

All user-generated content goes through curation and moderation workflows, so it stays safe, relevant, and in line with your brand guidelines. Communities become two-way spaces, not passive content feeds. Learn more about [moderation baselines and the queue](https://begenuin.com/developers/browse-by-products/control/moderation-baselines-and-queue).

![The Import Videos page under Curate in your Business Account, with Social Import, Uploads, and Clip it highlighted above videos awaiting to post in the Car Enthusiasts Hub community.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/lnrtvsvr/development/8916b818c7ba0b0f33bc778bbcd03b4bd61144ef-1882x914.png)
*Imported videos wait in curation before they post to a community or group.*

![The video camera in the mobile app, ready to record, with Upload, Scale, and Timer controls and Video, Audio, and Text modes.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/lnrtvsvr/development/ffd13f2b925d872edc7406f0fb20ed723561bc0f-540x1200.png)
*Members record or upload a video to post it.*

## Personalization

As users interact more, Genuin adapts the experience to them.

Personalization draws on:

- The communities and groups a user joined.
- Engagement behavior: views, likes, and comments.
- Content consumption patterns.

The result is more relevant feeds, faster discovery of meaningful content, and higher retention and repeat visits. Personalization adapts, but you keep control over relevance rules, visibility, and placement logic. Learn more in [Personalization and relevance: how Maya ranks every feed](https://begenuin.com/developers/get-started/any-business/personalization-and-relevance-how-maya-ranks-every-feed).

## Commerce and action

When you enable commerce, engagement connects to action. Users might see:

- Shoppable videos.
- Product highlights in feeds.
- Calls to action inside content.

Users move from inspiration to purchase without leaving the experience, so engagement becomes a measurable business outcome. Learn more about the [Shoppable Carousel Placement](https://begenuin.com/developers/browse-by-products/onsite/shoppable-carousel-placement).

## What you manage in your Business Account

Users experience the journey on web and app, and you manage and tune it in one place, Business Account. There, you control:

- Placement configuration and layout.
- Community and group structure.
- Content ingestion and curation.
- Moderation and governance rules.
- Personalization and relevance logic.

Keeping management in your Business Account gives users a consistent experience, keeps governance and brand safety strong, and lets operations scale across platforms and teams.

## Design the journey

- Start with contextual discovery, not generic feeds.
- Use communities and groups to give the experience a clear structure.
- Encourage participation gradually so new users aren't overwhelmed.
- Balance personalization with brand governance.
- Connect engagement to an outcome, such as commerce, loyalty, or retention.

## See also

- [How the member experience works](https://begenuin.com/developers/browse-by-products/onsite/introduction-of-community-member-experience)
- [Build a placement with styles, sections, and variables](https://begenuin.com/developers/browse-by-products/onsite/how-a-brand-can-get-started-with-placements-in-business-account)
- [What a social experience adds to your website or app](https://begenuin.com/developers/browse-by-products/onsite/why-should-you-add-a-community-to-your-website-or-app)
- [How users discover and engage with your content](https://begenuin.com/developers/browse-by-products/control/how-users-engage-with-brand-content-and-communities-across-the-network)