90% of Startups Are Missing This ONE Crucial Measure - Are you a part of the Statistic?
- gandhinath0
- Apr 10
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 13
Ever thought of asking this important question to your most loyal user -
"How would you feel if you couldn't use our product anymore?"
When 40% say they'd be "very disappointed," you've found your sweet spot.
Below that? Time to rethink.
When users find multiple ways to need your product, they stop looking elsewhere.
From User Choice to User Need
The truth is a casual choice becomes a habit that transforms to becoming a necessity, if the product consistently evolves and fits into users’ life, rather than asking them to adapt.
Look at an excerpt from Peloton CEO's 2025 Earnings Call - there is evidence of better outcomes with hard data of how constantly their product and services fit to ever-evolving user needs.
Reference:
Engaging in multiple fitness disciplines improves member outcomes. Variety drives higher subscription retention. Churn is 60% lower for subscriptions where members engaged with two or more disciplines per month versus just one — Peloton CEO
That's not just marketing talk for Peloton – it's proof that understanding what makes customers "very disappointed" if they lose access is worth millions in retained revenue.
Result?
• Multi-discipline users show 60% lower churn
• 6.4M members use the platform daily
• 13 different ways to become indispensable
Peloton keeps mastering the art of making their product indispensable to users' lives through innovating on products and experiences so that they can deliver even better outcomes. Your product can too!
Let's circle back to "Can your users live without your product?"
You know how some things just become part of your daily life - Think of these numbers as your product's "can't live without it" score. They show how many people would really miss your solution if it disappeared tomorrow.
Here's what it typically looks like as products grow:
Power Users | Regular Users | Casual Users | New Users | |
Validation Seekers ($1M-$2M ARR) | 30-50% | 15-30% | < 10% | 0-5% |
Traction Builders ($2M-$4M ARR) | 50-70% | 30-50% | 10-20% | 5-10% |
Scale Preparers ($4M-$7M ARR) | 70-85% | 40-60% | 15-25% | 5-15% |
Growth Accelerators ($7M-$10M ARR) | 70-90% | 30-50% | 10-20% | 5-15% |
Understanding your user’s needs and motivations through their lens:
Power Users find your product to be their go-to solution
Regular Users see consistent success but might still be building the habit
Casual Users see the potential but haven't fully changed their old habits yet
New Users have just started their journey, trying to see if your solution fits their needs better than their current way
If you know you have a product that fits into your users’ life, rather than asking them to adapt to features, that's a good start! As your product grows, more people should be saying "this is exactly what I needed" across all user types.
Where to Focus for Strong User Base?
Keep Building Habits relating to User Needs
Power Users: They've made your product essential. Learn why
Regular Users: Remove switching temptation
Casual Users: Deepen their need
New Users: Day one value; deliver must-haves first
Want to turn "nice-to-have" service into "can’t-live-without" service?
Let’s map out your product’s path to necessity - with numbers, not guesswork.
Use our free diagnostic tool to gain insights and identify areas for improvement.
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