Read a cohort table with customer reactivations
Distinguish continuous retention from customers who return later.
Define what active means each month
A customer can pay in month one, pause in month two, and return in month three. A continuous-retention measure excludes them after the pause. An active-in-month measure can count the reactivation.
Build a simple status table
For each original cohort, show active, paused, returned, and canceled when those states are reliable. Use the original cohort size as a stable denominator for the active-in-month rate.
Use the correct series for forecasting
A constant retention model may miss reactivation or seasonal use. For contribution, use observed active customer counts by month when available. Report assumptions when forecasting beyond the data.
Try a related tool
Estimate payback for a subscription cohort with monthly retention.
