Product & SaaS
What is Cohort?
A cohort is a group of users who entered the product in the same period — the base for retention, churn and LTV analysis.
Cohort analysis avoids the mistake of looking only at aggregate numbers, which hide what's happening. The Jan/2026 cohort may retain 50%; the Jun/2026, 80%. Aggregate shows a bad average; cohorts show the product IMPROVED.
Standard metrics: retention by day/week/month since entering the cohort. Visualized in a triangular table (rows = cohorts, columns = periods). It's the definitive view to assess if product changes retain better.
Frequently asked questions
Why cohort and not aggregate average?
Average hides trend: recently better product mixes with old worse one. Cohort reveals the real product direction.
Cohort period: weekly or monthly?
Weekly for frequent-use products (Slack); monthly for long cycles (B2B enterprise). Choose what reflects real usage cycle.