Read cohort retention
The Cohort Analysis dashboard groups customers by acquisition month and shows what percent of each cohort comes back to buy again in subsequent months.
Step-by-step
Section titled “Step-by-step”- Open Explore → Retention → Cohort Analysis.
- Set the date range to cover the cohorts you want to evaluate. The matrix shows acquisition months on the y-axis and time-since-acquisition on the x-axis.
- Read the row direction: cohort retention curves. Newer cohorts on top, older below.
- Compare cohort rows. A newer cohort that retains better than older cohorts at the same age is a positive signal.
What to look for
Section titled “What to look for”- Improving retention across cohorts — each new cohort shows higher repeat rates than the previous, at the same age.
- Declining retention — newer cohorts retain worse. Suggests product-market-fit, audience-quality, or onboarding issues.
- Pricing or promo events — cohorts acquired during heavy discounting often retain worse.
Pair with LTV Trends
Section titled “Pair with LTV Trends”Cohort retention tells you what percent come back. LTV Trends tells you how much they spend over time. Both together describe customer value.
Common questions
Section titled “Common questions”The most recent cohorts have very few data points.
Expected — they haven’t had time to retain. Their full retention curve emerges over the next several months.
Why is one cohort an outlier?
Most often: a promotion, channel mix shift, or PR event during that acquisition month. The cohort’s retention behavior often reflects those acquisition dynamics.