Reported lifetime value benchmarks for 2026 cluster like this: ecommerce averages about $168 per customer in year one and $480 cumulative over three years; mid-market SaaS medians land near $43,200 against an SMB median near $9,850.

Customer lifetime value (CLV, sometimes written LTV) is the total gross profit a business expects to earn from a single customer across the entire relationship, most simply calculated as average purchase value × purchase frequency × customer lifespan, then multiplied by gross margin.