Grow your ecommerce store · Shopify · 3 min read
How to Increase Your Returning Customer Rate on Shopify
Short answer
Shopify's analytics include a returning customer rate: the share of customers in a period who have ordered more than once. Raise it by improving the first order experience, sending a post-purchase email sequence, timing replenishment and cross-sell reminders, rewarding repeat buyers and making reordering effortless.
A store where customers buy once and disappear has to pay for every sale with new acquisition spending. A store with loyal repeat customers grows on top of its existing base. Shopify measures this with the returning customer rate.
Find your number
In Shopify admin, go to Analytics. The overview shows Returning customer rate for the selected date range, and customer reports break it down further. Look at the trend over 12 months rather than any single week, and compare the same months year on year to account for seasonality.
Know what's realistic for your category
Repeat rates depend heavily on what you sell:
- High natural repeat: coffee, tea, supplements, skincare, pet food, cleaning products
- Medium: apparel, accessories, hobby supplies
- Low: furniture, mattresses, big electronics
If you sell low-repeat products, focus on referrals and complementary products as much as repurchase.
10 ways to raise it
1. Make the first order excellent
Accurate product pages, fast shipping, nice packaging and proactive tracking updates. Disappointment kills the second order.
2. Send a post-purchase sequence
- Thank-you and what to expect
- How to use or care for the product
- Review request
- Personalized recommendation
Shopify's marketing automations or tools like Klaviyo handle this. See email automation for ecommerce.
3. Time replenishment reminders
If a product lasts about 30 days, remind customers a few days before they run out.
4. Offer subscriptions
For consumables, subscription apps let customers auto-reorder at a small discount. Easy pause and cancel keeps it friendly.
5. Create a loyalty program
Points, tiers or perks for repeat buyers. Shopify App Store loyalty apps integrate with checkout and customer accounts. Keep rewards simple and reachable.
6. Make reordering easy
Shopify's customer accounts let buyers log in with a one-time code and view past orders. A "Buy again" option in emails or accounts removes friction.
7. Cross-sell what fits
Recommend products that complement the first purchase. Our guide to cross-selling strategies has examples.
8. Win back lapsed customers
Segment customers who haven't purchased within your normal repurchase window and send a short win-back series.
9. Give great service
Fast responses and fair returns turn problems into loyalty. See ecommerce customer service.
10. Give people a reason to come back
New products, limited editions, seasonal collections, content and community. Customers return to brands that keep giving them something new.
Avoid discount dependence
Constant "10% off your next order" emails can teach customers to wait for discounts. Use incentives strategically: a welcome-back offer for lapsed customers, a perk for VIPs, but not a permanent discount on every order.
Track the right metrics
| Metric | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Returning customer rate | Share of customers ordering again |
| Second order rate | How many first-time buyers come back |
| Time to second order | When to send reminders |
| Repeat revenue share | How much revenue comes from returning customers |
The second order is the critical moment. Customers who buy twice tend to keep buying. Concentrate effort on getting first-time buyers to order again.
Ask why customers don't come back
Numbers show what is happening; customers tell you why. Send a short survey to one-time buyers after your usual repurchase window passes, or call a handful of them. Common answers include price, slow shipping, product quality and simply forgetting about the brand, each of which points to a different fix.
A 60-day plan
- Weeks 1-2: Audit the post-purchase experience (packaging, emails, tracking).
- Weeks 3-4: Build or improve the post-purchase and replenishment flows.
- Weeks 5-6: Launch a simple loyalty perk or subscription option.
- Weeks 7-8: Set up win-back emails and review results.
For the bigger strategic picture, see how to increase ecommerce LTV.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I find returning customer rate in Shopify?
In Shopify admin, open Analytics. The overview dashboard and customer reports show returning customer rate, which you can filter by date range.
What's a good returning customer rate?
It varies widely by category. Consumables like coffee or skincare naturally see far more repeat buying than furniture or mattresses. Compare against your own past performance first.
Does offering customer accounts help?
Accounts make reordering and tracking easier, and Shopify's newer customer accounts use one-time codes instead of passwords, which reduces friction.
Sources and further reading
Platform features, prices and policies change. Check the official help pages linked above before you act on a detail that matters to your store.