Retention curve
The shape shows how quickly users drop away and whether retention eventually stabilizes. Curves can use classic, rolling, or return-on-specific-period definitions, which answer different questions. Teams should compare like-for-like cohorts and segments, annotate product changes, and examine whether apparent improvements come from higher-quality acquisition or a better product experience.
What is Retention curve?
A retention curve plots the percentage of a starting cohort that continues to meet the retention definition over successive time intervals.
Why it matters
The shape shows how quickly users drop away and whether retention eventually stabilizes. Curves can use classic, rolling, or return-on-specific-period definitions, which answer different questions. Teams should compare like-for-like cohorts and segments, annotate product changes, and examine whether apparent improvements come from higher-quality acquisition or a better product experience.
Example
Weekly retention falls sharply after signup, then levels at 25% after week six, showing the product has a smaller stable retained audience.