analytics
Cohort Analysis
Comparing user behavior by grouping users based on when they were acquired or by shared characteristics.
What Is Cohort Analysis?
Cohort analysis is an analytical method that groups users into segments (cohorts) based on a shared characteristic, most commonly their acquisition date. By tracking how each cohort behaves over time, teams can compare retention, engagement, and monetization patterns across different groups. For example, users acquired in January can be compared against users acquired in February to see which group retained better after 30 days.
Applications in ASO and App Analytics
Cohort analysis is invaluable for isolating the impact of changes to an app or its marketing strategy. When a new onboarding flow is launched, comparing the retention curves of pre-change and post-change cohorts reveals whether the update improved user retention. Similarly, cohorts can be segmented by acquisition channel to determine which sources deliver the highest-quality users. This insight helps ASO and marketing teams allocate budgets more effectively and focus on channels that drive sustainable growth.
Building Effective Cohorts
Beyond time-based cohorts, teams can group users by behavior (first action taken), geography, device type, or subscription status. Behavioral cohorts are particularly useful for understanding which early actions correlate with long-term retention. Most analytics platforms support cohort analysis natively, making it accessible for teams of all sizes to implement and act on the findings.