What analytics setup do we need for a consumer subscription product?
Ad platforms, product analytics and billing all tell different stories. You need them joined.
- Which tools?
- What should we track?
- Why don't numbers match?
Track a short list of product events: signup, first win, trial start, purchase, cancel. Capture the acquisition source at signup. Pull subscription and revenue data from billing and app stores. Join them so you can see paid conversion, retention and revenue by channel and signup month. Get consent where required.
The stack
| Layer | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Product analytics | Events and funnels |
| Attribution | Where users came from |
| Billing and store data | Revenue and renewals |
| Dashboard | Revenue by channel and cohort |
How we look at it at ShoutEx
We set up tracking plans, connect billing and build cohort dashboards. Analytics stack covers tool choice.
- Tracking everything.
- Ad platform numbers only.
- Billing data separate.
- No consent.
- Short event plan.
- Source captured.
- Billing joined.
- Consent handled.
What founders and platforms say
Here is what founders and regulators say.
Community summaries describe recurring themes in public threads, not individual posts. Vendor pages describe vendor claims, so test them on your own calls.
Read next
Go deeper in the ShoutEx guides, or check the sources behind this answer.
We'll set up tracking and cohort dashboards.
Book a call →Follow-up questions
Which product analytics tool?
One that handles events and funnels well.
Do we need a data warehouse?
Later, as sources grow.
How do we track iOS installs?
With Apple's privacy rules in mind.