BlueWave Capital is assessing the long$-$term value and customer retention of a software$-$as$-$a$-$service $($SaaS$)$ business. They utilize cohort analysis as a tool in their investigation. What is the fundamental application of cohort analysis in this context?

A$)$ Cohort analysis assesses the variance in behavior among users who subscribed during the same time period to assist in optimizing the user experience.

B$)$ Cohort analysis helps in identifying patterns in software feature usage among different customer groups to inform product development priorities.

C$)$ Cohort analysis is applied to determine the influence of seasonal trends on customer acquisition and churn rates.

D$)$ ohort analysis segments customers into groups based on their subscription start date to track and compare their behavior, retention, and revenue contribution over time.