How to Calculate SaaS Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
To determmine your SaaS CLV, follow these steps:
- Calculate your ARPA. This is your total monthly recurring revenue divided by the number of active customers you have. For example, if your monthly recurring revenue is $50,000 and you have 500 customers, your ARPA is $100. Tooltip: What is ARPA?
- Determine your customer churn rate. This is the percentage of customers who cancel their subscriptions during a given period, usually monthly. For example, if you lose 10 out of 500 customers in a month, your churn rate is 2% (10 / 500 = 0.02). Tooltip: What is Churn Rate?
- Calculate CLV. Divide your ARPA by your customer churn rate. For example, with an ARPA of $100 and a churn rate of 2%, your CLV is $5000 ($100 / 0.02 = $5000). This is the estimated total revenue a single customer will generate during their entire relationship with your business.
Notes: When calculating CLV, ensure you are using consistent time periods for both ARPA and churn rate (e.g., both monthly or annually). Also, the churn rate can fluctuate, so consider using an average rate over a longer period to get a more accurate view of CLV.