In the world of digital products, data plays a central role. They make it possible to understand user behaviors, improve product performance and ensure sustainable growth. In this article, we'll explore the various categories of metrics used to track and optimize a digital product, their importance, and practical tips for using them effectively.

1. Acquisition Metrics

Acquisition metrics measure the effectiveness of efforts to attract new users. They are crucial for understanding the impact of marketing campaigns and optimizing advertising investments.

• Bounce rate : This is the percentage of visitors leaving a site after viewing a single page. A high bounce rate may indicate issues with content, design, or targeting.
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• Conversion rate : This metric shows the percentage of users completing a desired action, such as registering or making a purchase.
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• Customer acquisition cost (CAC) : This indicator calculates the total cost of acquiring a customer through marketing and sales efforts.
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• Distribution of traffic sources : Provides a breakdown of users' original sources, such as organic searches, referrals, or paid ads.

2. Activation Metrics

Activation metrics track how new users adopt a product. They help assess how easily users discover the value of a product.

• Time to generate value (TTV) : It measures how long it takes for a user to experience the key benefits of the product. A short TTV improves satisfaction and engagement.
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• Onboarding completion rate : Indicates the percentage of users who have successfully completed the product handling process.
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• Trial-to-pay conversion rate : Measures how many users who have tested the product become paying customers.

3. Engagement Metrics

Commitment is a key indicator of the relationship between users and the product. These metrics make it possible to assess the frequency and quality of interactions.

• Daily Active Users (DAU) : Number of unique users interacting with the product every day.
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• Monthly Active Users (MAU) : Number of unique users interacting with the product each month.
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• Stickiness rate : Calculated as the DAU/MAU ratio, it shows how often users interact with the product. The higher the rate, the more engaging the product.
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• Length of sessions : Average time spent by a user on the product during a session.

4. Retention Metrics

Retention measures the ability of a product to keep users active over an extended period of time.

• User retention rate : Percentage of users who continue to use the product after a specified period of time.
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• Unsubscribe rate (churn) : Percentage of users who stop using the product over a period of time.
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• Customer health score : Combination of several indicators such as use, satisfaction and interactions with the support to globally assess the customer-product relationship.
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5. Revenue Metrics

These metrics make it possible to monitor the financial performance and profitability of a product.

• Monthly Recurring Income (MRR) : The amount of predictable revenue each month for a subscription-based product.
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• Customer lifetime value (CLV) : Total revenue generated by a customer throughout the duration of their relationship with the company.
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• Expansion income : Additional revenue from existing customers, via upsells or cross-sells.

6. Sponsorship Metrics

Sponsorship is essential to measure satisfaction and the viral effect of the product.

• Net promotion score (NPS) : Measures how likely it is that a user will recommend the product to others.
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• Virality coefficient : Shows how many new users are acquired through referrals.
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• Referral conversion rate : Percentage of referrals who become active users.

Conclusion

Analyzing and optimizing the metrics of a digital product is essential to understand its performance and improve the user experience. These indicators, when monitored rigorously, enable informed decisions to be made that benefit both users and the business. A strategy based on data is therefore essential to build a powerful and sustainable digital product.

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