Back to Glossary
Metrics & Analytics

Time to Value (TTV)

The time it takes for a new user to experience meaningful value from your product after signing up.

Definition

Time to Value measures how long it takes a new user to go from signup to experiencing the core benefit your product promises. A project management tool delivers value when the first project is organized. A CRM delivers value when the first deal is tracked. Shorter TTV means users are more likely to retain and convert.

Why It Matters

Every day between signup and value is a day the user might abandon your product. Users who never reach value will churn regardless of how good your product could be for them. Reducing TTV is one of the highest-leverage improvements you can make. It directly increases activation rate, trial conversion, and retention.

How It Works

Define what "value" means for your product based on the action or outcome that correlates with retention. Measure the median time from signup to that milestone. Analyze where users get stuck or drop off. Use onboarding emails, in-app guidance, and product improvements to remove friction and accelerate the journey.

Best Practices

  • 1Define value based on what predicts retention, not what you wish users did
  • 2Measure TTV by segment to find where different users struggle
  • 3Design onboarding emails to remove the biggest TTV blockers
  • 4Reduce required setup steps to the absolute minimum
  • 5Use progressive disclosure instead of front-loading complexity
  • 6Celebrate when users reach value to reinforce the behavior
  • 7Benchmark against competitors and continuously improve

Onboarding Optimization

Build email sequences that guide users to value faster. Track progress and send contextual nudges based on where each user is in their journey.

Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions

It depends entirely on your product. Consumer apps should aim for minutes. SMB SaaS might target hours or a day. Enterprise software might accept days or weeks but should still minimize it. The goal is always to reduce TTV compared to your current baseline.

They are closely related but slightly different. TTV measures the time to value. Activation measures whether the user reached value at all. You want high activation rate and low TTV. Both metrics tell you how well your onboarding is working.

Emails nudge users who have not completed setup, remind them to come back, provide tips for getting started faster, and remove blockers by answering common questions. Well-designed email sequences guide users through the fastest path to value.