Customer lifetime value (CLV) is a critical metric used to estimate the value of each customer you acquire. It validates whether you’re actually producing a profit. Several companies strive to increase customer lifetime value because they believe it’s a good indicator of business performance.
The calculation of the CLV is dependent upon the margins you earn per unit of your product, the retention rate, and a set discount rate. Thus, you learn the net present value of one customer.
Since CLV is only an average, factors …show more content…
Instead, operate with the company’s cost of capital or Internal Rate of Return. IRR is “used to evaluate the attractiveness of a project or investment.”
The CLV calculation also presumes “customer profits are earned in arrears.” If that is not the case, make the necessary changes.
Invest in your customers’ happiness. By thinking about CLV and its assumptions, you can help refine your marketing and retention efforts.
Breaking Down CLV
Spending time on each element of the CLV model can be incredibly helpful. Here are the important concepts you should know:
Contribution Margin
The contribution margin per unit indicates to a company the profitability of each unit. Variable costs can manipulate this figure, depending on uncertain production expenses.
Churn Rate
Churn is a growth decelerator. Churn rate is the percentage of customers who end their relationship with your service during a specific time period. Maintaining a handle on your churn rate will help ensure the long-term growth of your business.
Retention Rate
One minus the churn rate is the retention rate. For instance, if you had 1000 customers last year and 450 are still customers this year, then your retention rate is …show more content…
Taking payment in advance or using annual contracts can make the retention rate difficult to calculate before possessing 18 to 24 months of data.
Retention rate is usually based on the assumption that the repurchase frequency is known. However, what if the repurchase frequency is not constant and depends upon a host of multiple factors? Repurchases are influenced by age of the customer, usage, income, and brand perception.
Different types of customers behave differently, so you should segment your customers to project how they 'll behave. Do you retain customers who buy your premium service at a greater rate? Is four purchases the average number that makes a customer stay longer?
Don’t assume that future customers will behave like your current customers, especially if you are rapidly expanding, changing your marketing, or adjusting your business model. Behavioral data can help you segment your customer base. This business intelligence could lead to follow up with individual customers who have a higher risk of churn.
You should focus on increasing customers over time. In fast-growing markets, market share may matter more than