how to get user retention? which metrics could i use?
how to get user retention? which metrics could i use?
how to get user retention? which metrics could i use?
Measuring User Retention in Mixpanel
How to Measure Retention
Mixpanel's Retention report is the primary tool for tracking user retention. Here's how to build one: [Retention Report]
Define your Retention Behavior – Select two events: the starting event (e.g., "Sign Up Completed") and the return event (e.g., "Any Event" or a specific action like "Watch Video"). [Quick Start]
Choose a Measurement type:
Retention Rate – Percentage of users retained within a window
Unique Users – Absolute number of retained users
Property Sum – Total sum of a property (e.g., total watch duration)
Property Average – Average property value per user
Apply Filters – Narrow down by attributes like browser, platform, or geography.
Add Breakdowns – Segment results by cohort, browser version, country, etc.
You can also choose between two retention modes: [Track User Retention]
N-Day Retention – % of users who return on a specific day
Unbounded Retention – % of users who return on a specific day or any time after
Key Retention Metrics to Track
Metric | What it measures |
Retention Rate | % of users who continue using your product over a period |
Churn Rate | % of users who stop using your product (inverse of retention) |
DAU/MAU Ratio | Stickiness — how often users return relative to monthly actives |
D7 / D30 Retention | % of users still active 7 or 30 days after a starting event |
Reactivation Rate | % of lapsed users who return to the product |
Net Promoter Score (NPS) | Likelihood of users recommending your product (a proxy for loyalty) |
Tips for Defining a Good Retention Metric
Tie retention to value, not just logins. Track a meaningful action (e.g., "Complete a ride", "Watch a video") that signals users are getting real value. [Retention Primer]
Choose the right frequency. A messaging app should measure daily retention; a healthcare app might focus on weekly or monthly. [Retain Your Users]
Look for "magic number" behaviors. For example, users who add ≥3 tools to a dashboard may be significantly more likely to retain long-term — use Mixpanel's correlation analysis to find yours. [Predict Retention]
Analyze by cohort. Compare retention across user groups (e.g., by signup month, acquisition channel, or geography) to find what drives stickiness. [Retention Primer]
ℹ️ Tip: Mention @kapa.ai in the thread for follow-ups or DM the app for 1-to-1 help.
kapa.ai and how to get recorrent users?
Tracking Recurring/Recurrent Users in Mixpanel
There are a few approaches to identify and track recurring users:
1. Use the Retention Report (Recurring Mode)
In the Retention report, you can switch the retention type to "Recurring" (called compounded in the API). This tracks users who repeatedly return to perform an event, rather than just first-time returners. [Retention Query API]
2. Use the Frequency View
The Frequency report (available inside the Retention report) shows how often users return to perform an action. Toggle to Frequency mode and choose between: [Frequency View]
Cumulative Frequency – Users who did the event in at least X unique intervals
Non-cumulative Frequency – Users who did the event in exactly X unique intervals
This directly answers questions like "How many users came back 3 or more times in a week?"
3. Build a Cohort of Recurring Users
You can define a cohort for recurring users in the Cohort Builder: [Cohorts]
Example: "Users who performed 'Watch Video' at least once in two consecutive 7-day intervals"
Or: "Users who used the app on 5 out of the last 7 days"
Once saved, you can use this cohort as a filter or breakdown across all Mixpanel reports.
4. Lifecycle Analysis
You can also define specific recurring user types as cohorts: [Analyze User Engagement]
Retained users – Performed your value event at least once in two consecutive intervals
Resurrected users – Lapsed but came back
Power users – Performed your value event at a high frequency (e.g., 90th percentile)
ℹ️ Tip: Mention @kapa.ai in the thread for follow-ups or DM the app for 1-to-1 help.
kapa.ai how i get engagement?
Measuring User Engagement in Mixpanel
Key Engagement Metrics to Track
Metric | What it measures |
DAU/WAU/MAU | How many unique users perform a meaningful action daily/weekly/monthly |
DAU/MAU Ratio (Stickiness) | How frequently users return relative to monthly actives |
Feature Adoption Rate | % of users actively using specific features |
Frequency | How often users return to perform an action |
How to Measure Engagement in Mixpanel
1. Track DAU/WAU/MAU in Insights
To monitor active users over time: [Get to Know Your Users]
Open the Insights report
Select a meaningful event (e.g., "Watch Video")
Change the count from "Total Events" to DAU / WAU / MAU
Customize your date range
2. Use the Frequency Report
Inside the Retention report, switch to Frequency view to see how often users return and perform actions within a time window (e.g., unique days in a week or month). [Frequency View]
3. Segment Users by Engagement Tier
You can build cohorts to classify users by engagement level: [Analyze User Engagement]
Power users – Perform the core value action at or above the expected natural frequency
Core users – Perform it consistently but less frequently
Casual users – Perform it rarely or sporadically
Dormant users – Have not performed it within the retention window
Tips for Defining Engagement
Focus on meaningful actions, not just logins or app opens. Track events that signal real value (e.g., "Complete a ride", "Send a message"). [Retention Primer]
Match frequency to your product type — a messaging app expects daily engagement, while a healthcare app may expect monthly. [Retention Primer]
Strategies to improve engagement include adding use cases, increasing feature breadth, increasing visit frequency, and increasing session depth/intensity.
ℹ️ Tip: Mention @kapa.ai in the thread for follow-ups or DM the app for 1-to-1 help.