Retention Plateau

A retention plateau is the point on the retention curve where the decline stops and the curve flattens; those users who no longer leave and form the product's loyal core.

A retention curve usually falls steeply then eases; the point where it becomes almost horizontal is the retention plateau and the most important sign of long-term product health. A plateau means the product has a core of users who get durable value and stay; no plateau (a curve reaching zero) means the product eventually loses all its users, however much it acquires. The plateau's height matters more than merely reaching one: a plateau at 40% means 40% of every cohort stays for a long time. A common trap is declaring a plateau early; sometimes the curve looks temporarily flat but resumes falling with more data, so a plateau is valid only when confirmed over several consecutive periods. A low but real plateau beats an illusory high one.