What is a cohort?

In mobile marketing, a cohort is a set of users grouped together by a common identifier, such as a certain geographic location, or users who installed an app within the same time period.

Why are cohorts important?

Cohort analysis is an essential part of mobile marketing because it allows marketers to compare data and use metrics that matter in a specific context. 

Once a user has installed an app, they have an engagement lifespan, which reveals trends you can change. However, in a constantly changing user base, your changes may not be noticeable, so you need to look at the same group of users over time to get a clearer picture of whether or not your changes have made an impact.

In addition to this, engagement rates vary between different users and between the various stages of your users’ lifespans. Thus, optimization will work on some groups but not others.

Cohorts also allow you to learn where your optimizations have worked. Cohort analysis can also bring clarity to what is yielding the best results and which channels are worth investing in when running simultaneous improvements and campaigns.