GrowthPhysics is a data-driven development company that leverages monetary modeling, engineering, and advertising and marketing to ship outlier development for shoppers. Our proprietary monetary fashions and seasoned full-stack development workforce analyze and determine the precise development program in your present development stage to execute and optimize the complete funnel.
Read on for his or her visitor contribution to the Iterable weblog to learn the way their RFM methodology can change the best way you have a look at buyer lifetime worth.
The aim of each client model is to maximize buyer lifetime worth (LTV). Short-term relationships with clients find yourself costly. Brands are higher off constructing long-lasting relationships that profit the group and the shopper.
Part of this course of means figuring out which clients are probably the most useful to retain. In our retention observe at GrowthPhysics, we suggest a Recency Frequency Monetary (RFM) framework that’s the secret centerpiece to optimize stronger buyer relationships.
Below we define precisely what the RFM methodology entails and a straightforward 5-step implementation course of to present how you need to use data-driven buyer segmentation to enhance your LTV.
The Power of RFM for Customer Lifetime Value
Simply put, RFM is a dynamic buyer scoring methodology for assigning every buyer a worth primarily based on historic buy information. For instance, direct-to-consumer (DTC) manufacturers’ clearest sign of worth is a purchase order.
However, the RFM methodology makes use of three conduct attributes of a purchase order to dig deeper right into a buyer’s worth to a model:
- R = Recency of buy
- F = Frequency of buy
- M = Monetary worth of buy
When it comes to buyer lifetime worth, RFM allows manufacturers to perceive their clients’ actions at a extra granular, segmented degree. In flip, the messaging and promotions will be tailor-made to the decided worth within the RFM methodology. This enhanced visibility into behavioral information offers manufacturers actionable insights.
In observe, RFM appears to be like a bit like this:

Example of how RFM can section clients into personas.
A typical RFM implementation assigns a worth of 1 to 5 for every of the Recency, Frequency, and Monetary attributes. The 5x5x5 matrix leads to 125 buyer segments you see right here on the left. Based on the assigned values, clients are additional segmented into buckets.
In our observe, we bucket the segments into a worth spectrum of 8 personas primarily based on variations of three buyer varieties: VIP, Regular, and New Customer. The gradations of buyer kind permit you to personalize content material and messaging by bucket in a means that extra intently aligns with the shopper’s conduct.
Customer lifetime worth insights at this degree make it exponentially simpler to shortly spot optimistic or detrimental motion alongside the RFM spectrum to strengthen relationships and mitigate churn.
Exciting, proper? Here’s how straightforward it’s to execute with GrowthPhysics and Iterable.
A 5-Step Process For Maximizing Retention
Our overarching goal in retention engagements is to maximize your buyer lifetime worth.
To get there, this 5-step implementation course of combines the ability of RFM with Iterable’s cross-channel capabilities on prime of a Shopify, Webflow, or customized stack to profit from your relationships with clients.
Step 1: Install RFM Framework
The heavy lifting is to implement an RFM machine studying mannequin to section clients. There are loads of DIY blogs and whitepapers on this material utilizing Python and pandas.
The aim is to enrich your Iterable occasion with RFM artifacts, segments and personas, so entrepreneurs can create messaging methods primarily based on RFM focusing on. Here is how we do it.
We make RFM implementation straightforward. If you might be on Shopify, merely set up our GrowthPhysics Shopify app and immediately have RFM carried out in your retailer.
We enrich the shopper desk with an rfm object with two properties:
We use rfm.persona
inside Iterable for value-driven message focusing on. While we inject rfm.rating
into UTMs for downstream segmentation evaluation inside analytics platforms (see step 4).

The RFM rating and persona are added to the shopper desk.
Step 2: Inject Data Personalization Attributes
Just RFM alone doesn’t allow a extremely personalised and related messaging technique. Attributes used straight by way of handlebar injection or not directly by way of handlebar logic are perfect for personalization inside an RFM framework. One such attribute for DTC manufacturers is a buyer’s favourite product or favourite class primarily based on buy conduct.
Our app augments the shopper desk with a favorites object.
favorites.product.*
favorites.class.*

To improve personalization, “product” and “category” will be added to the shopper desk as properly.
From right here, you possibly can straight inject a buyer’s favourite product into the messaging. You may even suggest a brand new SKU primarily based on the shopper’s favourite class or different merchandise primarily based on a favourite product’s or favourite class’s buy correlation.
Step 3: Catalog and Data Feeds
Product catalogs and related information feeds, resembling climate, present extra info not accessible within the Customer Properties. These information feeds can add additional personalization parts or related context into the messaging expertise.
For instance, a climate context can be utilized to present completely different merchandise inside a favourite class.

Weather will be added as context to present clients with an much more personalised expertise.
Step 4: Design Dynamic Templates
After the groundwork is accomplished in Steps 1 by way of 3, designing templates with dynamic information by way of handlebars and conditional sections by way of handlebar logic is barely restricted by the methods a marketer can conjure.
The scale of personalization by way of dynamic templates RFM allows inside Iterable is astounding. In our expertise with clients, a single, well-designed template can serve all eight personas concurrently with persona-driven copy—all whereas presenting personalised merchandise.

Dynamic templates will be designed to serve every persona.
Step 5: Leverage Semantic Data Models
The final step is probably the most important as a result of it gives the info suggestions loop mandatory to drive choices. We leverage semantic information fashions (SDM) within the UTMs of our Iterable templates.
A semantic information mannequin is a extremely structured, intentionally-designed naming conference. The energy in semantic information fashions is within the downstream utility, as they are often parsed into a number of columns in Excel after which pivoted to arrive at information insights.
Segmentation evaluation utilizing SDM allows you to make smarter choices by visualizing adjustments in promotional fatigue, provide elasticity, income contribution, and extra.

Semantic information fashions enable you visualize adjustments in buyer conduct.
With all 5 steps in place, you’re able to repeatedly monitor the completely different segments of your RFM framework and act shortly to stimulate longer, extra personalised relationships together with your clients.
Segmentation at Its Finest
As entrepreneurs, we’re all the time on the hunt for extra perception into our clients’ conduct. What drives their buy choices? What makes them tick?
RFM gives that granular, individualized perception by way of value-based segmentation. It’s straightforward to implement and simply built-in into your cross-channel advertising and marketing methods. Once carried out, RFM will be utilized as shortly as your subsequent promotional marketing campaign.
When taking a look at your buyer lifetime worth and methods to enhance it, RFM is that secret weapon you possibly can’t afford to ignore.
Customer lifetime worth is essential to a memorable buyer expertise. Learn extra about LTV at Activate Live on April 7!