Method

How we assemble peer sets, define metrics, and write trend notes for app analytics benchmark reporting.

Peer set rules

We start with inclusion criteria you can defend in a meeting: primary category, overlapping price band, shared markets, and at least twelve months of history. Titles that look impressive but fail those tests stay on a watch list, not in the core roster.

Each roster has a substitute list. When a title pivots genre or leaves the store, we document the replacement date and reason so quarter-to-quarter charts remain comparable.

Metric definitions

Before drafting, we lock definitions for active users, retention windows, ARPU, and paying-user conversion. Those definitions appear as a short glossary in every pack so later readers are not renegotiating terms mid-discussion.

Notebook and printed charts used while drafting a methodology note

From intake to briefing

  1. Kickoff captures the decision questions, markets, and available exports.
  2. Peer set proposal is reviewed and signed off before charting begins.
  3. Draft report separates observations from recommendations in distinct sections.
  4. Review lead challenges wording that overstates certainty.
  5. Final pack and live briefing close the cycle; materials remain yours.

Want this method applied to your app?

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