Change over time
Cohort heatmap
- Change over time
What it shows
Retention by cohort and period, the standard view for subscription businesses.
When to use it
Use a cohort heatmap to compare the same acquisition groups as they age.
Worked example
A January cohort with 100 new customers and 68 active the following month has 68% month-one retention. February acquisitions must not be added to January’s denominator.
Data required
Cohort-defining event, activity criterion, period granularity, acquisition count and complete follow-up periods.
Checks and common mistakes
Mark immature periods as unavailable rather than zero. Show cohort sizes, use one colour scale and avoid comparing cells with different observation windows.
More accessible alternative
Provide the underlying cohort table with counts and percentages for screen-reader and exact-value access.