What is cohort analysis, and why does it matter more than a single repeat-rate number?
Cohort analysis groups customers by when they first bought and tracks how each group behaves over time - so instead of one blended '35% repeat rate,' you see that your January cohort retained 42% at month 3 while April retained only 28%. That gap is the actual signal: it tells you a creative, offer or supply-chain change hurt retention, which a single average number will always hide. Build the table by acquisition month and months-since-first-order before you trust any repeat-rate headline.
Go deeper
3 resources, 3 link-checked.
📄 Article
✓ Link checkedFreeBeginner
The clearest plain-English walkthrough of what a cohort table actually is and how to read one - rows, columns, cells - before you touch a tool or a spreadsheet formula.
Pairs the cohort-analysis explainer with current 2026 category benchmarks, so you're not just learning the method but immediately checking your own numbers against it.
A hands-on 'how to actually build this in Shopify' guide - bridges the gap between understanding cohort analysis conceptually and producing one from your own store data this week.
