# Read subscription outcomes beside app acquisition

URL: https://storelift.net/guide/subscription-cohort-reading/
Language: en
Updated: 2026-10-02

Acquisition brings users into an app; subscription outcomes happen on their own timeline. Trials started this week and renewals completed this week may belong to different cohorts. Keep those populations separate when judging whether a listing change attracted suitable users.

## Investigation steps

1. Define the event being counted: trial start, first paid conversion, renewal, cancellation or another source-defined state. Retain the source's timing and account scope.
2. Group users by a compatible starting event and observation window where the data supports it. Allow the outcome window to mature before comparing a new cohort with a completed one.
3. Record product, pricing and onboarding changes beside acquisition changes. Subscription behavior cannot be explained by keyword position alone.

## Worked interpretation

Illustrative case: a recent acquisition cohort has many trials still in progress, while an older cohort has completed its trial window. Comparing their paid-conversion percentages immediately would penalize the newer cohort for outcomes that have not happened yet.

## Decision and next check

Use mature, comparable cohorts for outcome comparisons. When only account totals exist, report them as account totals and keep the causal question open. Do not attribute a renewal trend to a particular ASO keyword without a supported link between those populations.

## Related Storelift feature

Read App Store analytics: install sources for the available product data and its scope. Keep the app, storefront, period and measurement status with the observations used in your report.