Quick answer
Time to value (TTV) is the time between a customer starting with a product, usually sign-up or purchase, and the first moment they get the benefit they came for, such as a first report, first sale or first completed task.
Formula: TTV = time of first value event − time of start event (report the median and P75 across new customers)
What is time to value?
Time to value (TTV) measures how long a new customer waits before the product pays off for them: from sign-up (or purchase) to the first time they get what they came for. The shorter it is, the fewer people give up during a trial or onboarding.
Define both ends as events:
- Start:
sign_up, trial start or purchase. - Value: the first moment of real benefit, which differs by product: first report viewed with real data, first invoice sent, first order received, first lesson completed.
Use the median and P75
Time to value has a long tail: some people sign up and come back weeks later. The average gets pulled up by them. Report the median for the typical customer and the 75th percentile for the slow ones, and count separately the share who never reach value within the trial.
A sample comparison
Sample data for one month of new sign-ups:
| Onboarding path | Sign-ups | Reached value | Median TTV | P75 TTV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Started from a template | 820 | 64% | 0.5 days | 2 days |
| Started from blank | 1,380 | 41% | 4.0 days | 11 days |
| All | 2,200 | 50% | 3.2 days | 9 days |
The template path reaches value eight times faster and far more often. The next step is clear: offer templates first, and find out why 1,380 people skipped them.
How to shorten time to value
- Templates and sample data, so people see a working result before setting anything up.
- Defer settings that are not needed for the first result.
- One guided first task instead of a tour of every feature.
- Remove waiting, such as manual approval or slow data import.
- Follow up people who stall at a step with a targeted message.
Measuring it in TapCub
Build a two-step funnel from the start event to the value event with a window as long as your trial. The results show the median time from the previous step and the median time to complete, and a breakdown by property (such as onboarding path) compares groups. Related: onboarding metrics.
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Product Adoption Consultant
Explores customer onboarding, live conversations, and self-service, turning common usage questions into practical guidance and improvements.