---
title: "How to get customers to buy again"
author: "Performetic Ekibi"
url: "https://www.performetic.com/en/blog/how-to-increase-repeat-purchases"
published: "2026-06-07T08:00:00.000Z"
updated: "2026-10-05T01:22:48.841Z"
---

# How to get customers to buy again

> To get customers to buy again, first use cohort analysis to see how many customers return after their first order, and when. Then segment customers with RFM by recency, frequency and spend, and send each segment a different message. Post purchase flows, replenishment reminders and a simple loyalty program are the most effective tools.

## How do you get customers to buy again?

You get customers to buy again by turning the experience after the first order into a planned process. Use cohort analysis to measure when customers come back, then RFM segmentation to decide the right message for each group. Post purchase email and SMS flows, reminders timed to product usage and a loyalty program are the core tools.

As ad costs rise, growing only through new customers gets harder. Persuading an existing customer to order a second time usually needs no extra ad budget, just the right message at the right time. This guide covers the steps we use, from measuring repeat purchase to increasing it.

## How do you measure repeat purchase rate?

The simplest metric is **repeat purchase rate**: customers with more than one order in a period divided by all customers in that period. But that single number does not show when customers return or how recent campaigns affected loyalty. For that you need cohort analysis.

### What is cohort analysis?

A cohort is a group of customers who placed their first order in the same period. A cohort table shows what share of each group ordered again in later months. Example table (numbers are hypothetical):

| First order month | Customers | Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 | Month 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1,200 | 6% | 9% | 12% | 18% |
| February | 1,050 | 5% | 8% | 11% | 16% |
| March | 1,400 | 4% | 6% | 8% | Not yet |

Values are cumulative, so 18% of the January cohort ordered at least once more within six months. The March cohort returns noticeably less. Customers acquired that month through a heavy discount campaign may not come back at full price. Cohort analysis reveals which campaigns bring loyal customers and which bring one time buyers.

All you need is an order list with customer ID, order date and order value. Shopify and similar platforms provide customer reports; for deeper analysis, export the data and build the table with a pivot.

## What is RFM segmentation and how do you use it?

RFM scores customers on three dimensions: **Recency** (time since last purchase), **Frequency** (number of orders) and **Monetary** (total spend). Each dimension gets a score from 1 to 5, and customers are grouped by their combined scores.

| Segment | Definition | Recommended action |
|---|---|---|
| Champions | Recent, frequent, high spend | Early access, VIP perks, review and referral requests |
| Loyal customers | Regular orders, medium spend | Complementary product suggestions, loyalty points |
| New customers | One order, recent | Usage guide, an offer aimed at the second order |
| At risk | Used to buy often, quiet for a while | Personal reminder, new product announcement |
| Lost | No orders for a long time, low frequency | Low cost win back attempt or list suppression |

RFM's value is that it lets you speak to each segment's needs instead of sending everyone the same discount. Discounting to champions is often unnecessary margin loss; exclusivity and early access work better for them.

## How should a post purchase flow work?

The odds of a second order are shaped by what happens after the first. An example post purchase flow:

1. **Order confirmation (immediately):** clear delivery information and a thank you.
2. **Shipping notification:** tracking link and expectation setting.
3. **2 to 3 days after delivery:** usage tips or a care guide. No sales pitch.
4. **7 to 10 days after delivery:** review request and a satisfaction question.
5. **Timed to the usage cycle:** a replenishment reminder, for example around day 25 for a product that lasts 30 days.
6. **30 to 45 days after the first order:** a complementary product suggestion.

We cover the technical setup of email and SMS flows in our [ecommerce email automations guide](/en/blog/ecommerce-email-automations). Respect consent rules for every message you send.

## Does every brand need a loyalty program?

No. Loyalty programs work best for products bought several times a year (beauty, food, pet supplies, apparel). For a product bought once a year, a great post purchase experience and a referral program usually beat a complex points system.

If you do build one:

- Keep the rules simple; customers should understand the value of their points in one sentence.
- Do not limit rewards to discounts; early access, free shipping or exclusive products are valuable too.
- Add program costs to your contribution margin, and compare repeat rates of members versus non members.

## What common mistakes block repeat purchases?

Repeat purchase often grows not through a new campaign but by fixing existing mistakes. The ones we see most:

- **Heavy first order discounts:** customers acquired at a deep discount struggle to return at full price and remember your brand as a discount brand.
- **Delivery experience:** late, damaged or not as described products kill the second order before it starts.
- **Same message for everyone:** sending one campaign to the whole list creates fatigue and unnecessary margin loss.
- **Painful returns:** customers hesitate to buy again from a brand that made returns hard.
- **Silence:** months without any valuable contact after the order means the customer forgets you.

## How much does a higher repeat rate change revenue?

Example: a brand acquires 10,000 new customers a year with an average order of $80. 20% of them place an average of 1.5 extra orders within the year.

| Scenario | Returning customers | Extra orders | Revenue from repeat orders |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current (20%) | 2,000 | 3,000 | $240,000 |
| Target (25%) | 2,500 | 3,750 | $300,000 |

In this example, a 5 point rise in repeat rate means $60,000 of extra revenue without extra ad spend. Because acquisition cost on these orders is minimal, most of it flows straight to contribution margin. It also changes how much you can spend on acquisition: as customer lifetime value grows, so does the cost you can accept on the first order.

## Key takeaways

- Measure repeat purchase with a cohort table, not a single number.
- Segment customers with RFM and send each segment a different message.
- Build the post purchase flow around delivery, usage, reviews and replenishment.
- Launch a loyalty program only for products bought several times a year, with simple rules.
- Calculate how small repeat rate gains change revenue and acquisition budgets.

If you want to uncover repeat purchase opportunities in your customer data, the Performetic team offers a free growth analysis through our [contact page](/en/contact).

## FAQ

### How do you calculate repeat purchase rate?

Divide the number of customers with more than one order in a period by the total number of customers in that period. If 2,000 of 10,000 customers ordered more than once this year, the rate is 20%. For a more useful view, track customers who first ordered in the same month as a cohort.

### What data do you need for RFM analysis?

For each customer you need the last order date, total number of orders and total spend. These three values come from your ecommerce platform's customer or order export. Score each dimension from 1 to 5 and group customers by their combined scores into segments such as champions, loyal, new, at risk and lost.

### When should you send a replenishment reminder?

Shortly before the product typically runs out, based on its average usage time. For a product that lasts about 30 days, around day 25 is a good starting point. To refine the timing, calculate the average time between first and second orders for that product from your order data.

### Do loyalty programs really increase repeat purchases?

They often help for products bought several times a year, but results are not guaranteed for every brand. To measure the effect, compare repeat rate and contribution margin between members and non members over the same period, and include the full cost of rewards and software in the calculation.

## Sources

- [Shopify Help Center: Customer segmentation](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/customers/customer-segmentation)
- [Shopify: RFM Analysis](https://www.shopify.com/blog/rfm-analysis)
- [Shopify: Customer Retention Strategies](https://www.shopify.com/blog/customer-retention-strategies)
- [Shopify: Customer Lifetime Value](https://www.shopify.com/blog/customer-lifetime-value)