add first the key metrics could be a data card that can show comparison of last period, and amongst those registered/logins - showing breakdown of first/return user in past X month /since tracking start could be one, and/or breakdown by user properties kapa.ai
I understand you're looking to create a metrics dashboard in Mixpanel that shows comparisons between time periods and breaks down users by first-time vs. returning users. Based on the knowledge sources, here's how you can implement this:
Key Metrics with Period Comparisons
Mixpanel allows you to create key metrics dashboards with period comparisons. You can use the "Compare to Past" feature to see how your metrics are performing compared to previous periods: 1. In your Insights report, click on the Compare to past button at the top of your graph 2. Select the time period you wish to compare to (previous day, week, month, quarter, year, or custom date range) 3. You can view the "Percent Change over Baseline" to see the lift of your current metrics over the past periodDocs / Reports Overview
First-Time vs. Returning Users Breakdown
For breaking down registered/login users by first-time vs. returning users: 1. Create an Insights report focusing on your login or registration events 2. Use the Breakdown feature to segment your users 3. You can track first-time users specifically, which Mixpanel defines as "any user who arrives at your website or app for the first time"As Gwenda Lim explains in Mixpanel's learning resources, analyzing first-time versus returning users can provide valuable product insights not readily available when looking at all users simultaneously. This analysis can help you understand: - How first-time users convert through sign-up - What is first-time versus returning user retention - What traffic sources your first-time users come fromLearn to Use Mixpanel: Tracking First Time Users
User Properties Breakdown
You can further break down your users by any user properties you're tracking: 1. In your Insights report, select the Breakdown button 2. Choose the user property you want to segment by (location, device type, etc.) 3. This will group your results by the selected propertyFor more sophisticated analysis, you can use Mixpanel's "Custom Buckets" feature to organize high-cardinality segments into meaningful groups, which helps with organizing outliers or drilling deeper into particular ranges.Docs / Reports / InsightsYou might also want to consider using Mixpanel's templates, particularly the "Company KPIs Dashboard Template" which offers nine out-of-the-box, fully customizable reports that can help you measure key growth, engagement, and retention metrics.Mixpanel's Company KPIs Dashboard Template
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I'll explain first-time versus returning user retention in Mixpanel and suggest approaches for comparing these user groups.
First-time vs. Returning User Retention
First-time user retention measures how many users who visit your product for the first time come back after their initial visit. Returning user retention measures how frequently your existing users come back to your product.First-time user retention is not zero - it's measuring whether those new users come back after their initial visit. As explained in Mixpanel's learning resources: > "First-time users are defined as any user who arrives at your website or app for the first time – you have never seen this user before. It is important to know who is a first-time user versus a returning user in terms of measuring your metrics." Learn to Use Mixpanel: Tracking First Time Users
Comparing First-time vs. Returning Users
Comparing first-time vs. returning users with Weekly Active Users (WAU) in a line chart can be valuable, but there are better approaches:
Better Approach: Retention Analysis with Cohort Comparison
Instead of just plotting WAU, I recommend using Mixpanel's Retention report to compare these user groups: 1. Create a Retention report 2. Define your retention behavior (e.g., "Any Event" as both first and returning event) 3. Create two cohorts: first-time users and returning users 4. Use these cohorts to compare retention curvesThis approach will show you how each group retains over time, which is more insightful than just active user counts.> "Compare retention across custom cohorts—new users vs. power users vs. casual users, for example." Why marketers should choose Mixpanel over Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
Additional Recommendations:
1. Unbounded Retention: Use unbounded retention to see if users come back anytime after their first visit, not just on specific days. > "Unbounded retention captures users who come back on a specific time unit—a month, for example—or after, while N-Day retention looks only at users who come back within the specific time period." Mixpanel Community: Top posts from 20212. Analyze Activation Funnels: Look at how first-time users progress through your activation funnel compared to returning users. > "We built a funnel to analyze the likelihood of each user gaining insights from their data in Mixpanel and reaching that aha moment." How to find product-market fit with data3. Segment by User Properties: Break down retention by user properties to understand what factors influence retention for each group.This approach will give you much deeper insights than simply plotting WAU for both groups on a line chart.
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