A cohort is a set of users grouped under the same conditions during the same period. Cohort exploration defines cohorts on a weekly/monthly basis and visualizes in grid form how many times each cohort revisited in subsequent weeks/months. This data allows you to compare at what point users churn after their first visit and whether the retention of users acquired in a particular week or month is higher or lower than in other periods.
It is useful when measuring the effect of service improvement on a cohort basis. For example, if you deployed UX improvements in a particular month, check to see if the retention of the subsequent cohorts has improved compared to the previous cohort. By dividing the cohort for each advertising channel into segments, you can identify which channels bring users with high long-term retention.
Key takeaways
- Define cohorts on a weekly or monthly basis and visualize retention by period in grid form.
- You can choose between acquisition-based cohorts (date of first visit) and re-engagement-based cohorts.
- Segment comparison allows you to view cohort retention by channel, device, and campaign side by side.
- You can choose from several calculation methods, such as retention value and absolute number of users.
- GA4 Screen Location: Explore > Select the 'Cohort Exploration' template.