Part five · Running it · Chapter 14

THE FIRST-USE SCORECARD

One page, every week, for the numbers between the order and the reorder. Each one moves before revenue does.

The reorder rate is a lagging number. By the time it moves, the cohort that caused it is three months old. The page below shows the same story weeks earlier, while you can still change it for the next cohort.

NumberDefined asWhat it catches
Used by day 7 and day 14Share of first-time buyers delivered in the cohort, corrected for who answeredA box, shipping or first-move change that slowed the start
Median time to first useDays from delivery, by monthly cohortThe trend, without the late tail pulling it around
Still unused at day 30Count and share, by cohortThe people the next fix is for
Repeat gap180-day repeat rate of early users minus non-users, for cohorts old enoughWhether use still drives reorders, and the size of the prize
Plan captureShare of orders where the buyer gave a when-and-where planA broken confirmation-page prompt
Education reach by weekShare of the cohort who opened or clicked each spaced messageA sequence that stopped firing or lost its audience
One-tap reorder shareReorders placed from a saved cart, reorder link or subscription, over all reordersSearch costs creeping back in
Reorder regularityShare of repeat buyers whose last gap was within a quarter of their usual gapHabit forming, or not
Resentment signalsCancel reasons, reviews and tickets mentioning “trapped,” “can’t cancel” or “tricked,” per 1,000 orders; chargebacksCaptivity turning into grievance
Holdout differencesPlan prompt and survey holdouts versus everyone else, on first use and reordersWhat your interventions caused, not just what happened

Put the first-use numbers next to revenue, or nobody will look at them.

Two rules for the page

First, every rate carries its cohort and its denominator. “68% used it” means nothing without “of 2,140 first-time buyers delivered in August, corrected for survey response.” Second, the holdout row is not optional. Without it, the page tells you what happened and lets everyone claim credit. With it, you know which of the chapters you acted on did the work.

Reading it

Read first use by cohort, never blended: a promotion that brings in less committed buyers slows first use for that cohort without any fault in the box. And expect the repeat gap to shrink as first use improves. The people you move into early use were the less keen ones, which is why chapter 2’s tool asks for the causal share.

Do this

This is one chapter of Used, Not Bought, which is free and readable in full on a single page with no form in front of it.