Five Retention Moat Types

What keeps customers from leaving when a better option appears.

01
Data lock-in
Historical data accumulated over time has compounding value.
Switching cost: re-import + reprocess
02
Workflow
Daily habits and processes are built around the product.
Switching cost: retrain team
03
Network
Other teams, external partners, or customers depend on it.
Switching cost: coordinate externals
04
Ecosystem
Integrations, plugins, and APIs have own value.
Switching cost: rebuild integrations
05
Habit
Product is part of daily work identity.
Switching cost: identity shift