Cohort Analysis
01 Definition
Cohort Analysis meaning: Grouping users by a shared start point and tracking their behavior over time.
Cohort analysis groups users by something they share, most often the period they first signed up or purchased, then follows each group across later time. It reveals retention and how behavior changes as a group ages. Unlike a single snapshot, it shows whether newer cohorts perform better or worse than earlier ones.
Why it matters
How Cohort Analysis fits the work
Cohort analysis separates the effect of time from the effect of when users joined, exposing retention trends that overall totals conceal.
In context
Cohort analysis showed that users who joined in March retained at 40 percent after 90 days, while the January cohort retained 30 percent.
Practical note
Make sure cohorts have comparable definitions and enough users, and account for how long each cohort has had to mature when comparing them side by side.