Customer Churn and Lifetime Value Impact

Customer loss represents one of the most significant long-term costs of DDoS attacks. Studies show 33% of customers will consider leaving a service after a single significant outage. For subscription services with average customer lifetime values of $1,000-$5,000, losing even 5% of customers represents massive financial impact.

Trust erosion affects future sales beyond immediate customer loss. Potential customers researching services discover past outages through reviews and news articles. Conversion rates typically drop 10-25% for months following major incidents. For businesses acquiring customers through paid marketing, increased acquisition costs compound revenue losses.

Competitive disadvantage emerges as customers switch to available alternatives. Once customers establish relationships with competitors, winning them back proves difficult and expensive. Market share lost during attacks rarely returns completely. Industries with low switching costs face particularly severe competitive impacts from availability issues.

Customer support costs spike during and after attacks. Support ticket volumes increase 500-1000% during outages as frustrated users seek information. Each ticket costs $5-$15 to resolve through standard channels. Phone support generating $25-$50 per call sees similar volume spikes. Support costs for major incidents reach $50,000-$200,000 including temporary staff augmentation.