Understanding Discrepancies in Month 1 Retention Metrics
Why do I see different 1 month retention numbers when I look at my data on a retention curve vs when I look at the data as a metric and specify retention group 'Month 1'?
Why do I see different 1 month retention numbers when I look at my data on a retention curve vs when I look at the data as a metric and specify retention group 'Month 1'?
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The difference in 1 month retention numbers between the retention curve and the metric view (with retention group 'Month 1') is due to how Mixpanel calculates and summarizes retention data in each view.- Retention Curve: This view shows retention for each cohort (e.g., users who signed up in a given week or month) across multiple time intervals. The numbers you see for 'Month 1' in the curve are typically the retention rates for each individual cohort at the 1-month mark. The "Average" row in the retention curve is a weighted average of all completed cohort buckets for that interval, not just a simple average. This means it takes into account the size of each cohort when calculating the overall average retention for 'Month 1' How is the “Average” row for Retention reports calculated?.- Metric View (with retention group 'Month 1'): The metric view shows the overall value for the retention trend for that time period. When you specify 'Month 1', Mixpanel displays the value from the last complete bucket for that retention group. If there isn’t a completed cell for the current day, Mixpanel uses the closest completed cell. This can result in a different number than the average shown in the retention curve, especially if your cohorts vary in size or if some buckets are incomplete What does the Metric view in the Retention Trends report show?.In summary: - The retention curve's 'Month 1' value is a weighted average across all completed cohorts. - The metric view's 'Month 1' value is the most recent (last complete) cohort's retention for that interval.This difference in calculation methods explains why you may see different 1 month retention numbers between the two views.
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