Consumer Growth Metrics: A Visual Playbook

Use this page like a dashboard. Skim the scorecard, scan the charts, decide one action.

Scoreboard

Metric	What it tells you	Formula	Good	Great
Activation (D0/D1)	New users hit the aha moment fast	`core_action_users / signups`	35–45%	50%+
D1 Retention	Next-day habit formation	`active_day1 / day0_users`	30–40%	40%+
D7 Retention	Emerging habit	`active_day7 / day0_users`	15–25%	25%+
D30 Retention	Long-term value	`active_day30 / day0_users`	7–15%	15%+
Stickiness	How often they return	`dau / mau`	20–30%	30%+
LTV:CAC	Unit economics health	`ltv / cac`	3–5	5+
Payback (months)	Speed to recoup CAC	`cac / (arpu * margin)`	< 12	< 6

Category norms vary. Treat ranges as directional, not absolute.

Model	Activation	D1	D7	D30	DAU/MAU	LTV:CAC (good)
UGC / Social	40–60%	35–45%	20–30%	10–20%	30–50%	3–6
Subscriptions / Media	30–45%	25–35%	15–25%	10–20%	20–35%	3–7
Marketplaces	25–40%	20–30%	10–20%	7–15%	15–25%	4–8
E‑commerce	25–40%	20–30%	8–15%	5–12%	10–20%	3–5

Use the closest model to set expectations. Improve your weakest row first.

Cohort Retention Analysis

Track how each monthly cohort retains over time. Green = healthy (40%+), Yellow = concerning (30-40%), Red = poor (<30%).

Cohort	Week 0	Week 1	Week 2	Week 4	Week 8	Week 12
Jan 2024	100%	45%	38%	32%	28%	25%
Feb 2024	100%	48%	40%	35%	31%	28%
Mar 2024	100%	52%	45%	39%	35%	32%
Apr 2024	100%	55%	48%	42%	38%	35%
May 2024	100%	58%	51%	45%	41%	-

What to look for: Improving retention across cohorts (May > Jan) shows you're making progress.

The pattern: Each cohort stabilizes around 25-35% after initial drop-off. This is your core retained audience.

Retention Curve: The Moment of Truth

A flattening curve (green) means you've found product-market fit. A curve heading to zero (red) means fix retention before doing anything else.

Green curve (Good): Retention flattens above 20% after initial drop-off. This cohort found value and will stick around.

Red curve (Bad): Continuous decline toward zero. Users aren't getting value. Stop acquiring and fix the product.

Look for curves that flatten above 20–25% by ~week 12. If curves head toward zero, pause paid acquisition and fix retention first.

LTV:CAC Ratio: The Unit Economics Test

Your LTV must be at least 3x your CAC. Anything less and you're burning money on every customer.

Dying (1.5x)

Spending $100 to make $150. Unsustainable.

Risky (3.0x)

Barely sustainable. Improve retention.

Healthy (5.0x)

Strong unit economics. Scale up!

Rules of thumb: reach LTV:CAC ≥ 3 before scaling; best-in-class sustain 5+. Keep payback under 12 months (ideally < 6).