What are Product Cohorts?
Product Cohorts segment your customers by the first product they purchased, then track their lifetime value and repeat purchase behavior over time. Instead of grouping customers by when they bought (like the standard cohort analysis), product cohorts group them by what they bought first.
This helps you answer critical questions like: Which products bring in the highest-LTV customers? Which product is the best "gateway" to repeat purchases?
Product Cohorts are available as a breakdown option within both the Cohort Analysis and Purchase Frequency dashboards.
How to Use Product Cohorts
Navigate to Lifetime Value > Cohort Analysis or Lifetime Value > Purchase Frequency.
In the controls panel, change Breakdown By from "Acquisition Period" to one of: Product Title, Product Type, Product Vendor, SKU, or Product Tags.
The heatmap will now show each product (or product type/vendor) as a row, with subsequent columns showing revenue or purchase behavior over time.
What You Will See
Cohort Size — How many customers made their first purchase with each product.
Revenue per Period — How much revenue each product cohort generated in subsequent months.
Cumulative LTV — The total lifetime value per customer, broken down by which product they purchased first.
Repeat Rate — What percentage of each product cohort made a second purchase.
Key Insights to Look For
Gateway Products — Products that lead to the highest 3-month or 6-month LTV are your best gateway products. Feature these prominently in acquisition campaigns.
High Volume but Low LTV — If a product attracts many first-time buyers but they rarely return, it may be a deal-driven or commodity product. Consider how to improve the post-purchase experience for these buyers.
Product Type Patterns — Use the product type breakdown to see if certain categories attract higher-value customers overall.
Single Product Orders — Enable the "Single Product Order" filter to isolate the impact of each product when it is the only item in the order.
Actions to Take
Allocate more ad budget to products that generate the highest long-term LTV, not just the most first-time sales.
Create cross-sell email sequences for low-LTV product cohorts to encourage a second purchase.
Use high-LTV gateway products as lead magnets in acquisition campaigns.
If certain product types bring in one-and-done buyers, reconsider whether they belong in your paid advertising mix.
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