Marketing and ecommerce leaders face relentless pressure not only to find new customers, but to keep them coming back to build sustainable growth.
Many focus too much on finding new customers. But smart organizations know that getting existing customers to buy again is more profitable and costs less. These repeat customers often make up almost half of a store's sales.
With online tracking becoming more limited and customers expecting better experiences, creating good relationships after the first purchase matters more than ever.
If you're having trouble getting customers to return and buy again, this guide can help. We'll show you 14 proven ways to increase repeat purchases and grow your business.
The power of repeat purchases
Repeat customers help businesses grow in a more stable way. Shopify reports a 59% increase in returning shoppers over the past two years.
These repeat buyers keep returning, with the 10% of customers spending twice as much per order. Because of this, more ecommerce brands are now creating a better balance between finding new customers and retaining existing ones.
But here's the challenge: to keep customers coming back, you need to understand them. And the way we collect customer data is changing in a big way.
Third-party cookies are going away
Third-party cookies used to be important for tracking what people do online and showing them targeted ads. New regulations are making collecting and using this kind of data harder.
Private browsing and requiring customer permission before collecting data make third-party data less accessible and harder to use, so brands are finding new ways to understand their customers.
Using your own customer data instead
First-party data—information you collect directly from customers—is becoming more valuable. This includes data from website visits, purchase history, and email sign-ups. When you have a direct relationship with customers, you can personalize their experience without crossing privacy boundaries.
Creating a complete picture of your customer
To get the most from your customer data, it helps to have a unified customer view. For example, Shopify offers a system that unites all customer browsing, purchasing, and order information from different sales channels. Combining all these interactions into one dataset, businesses can leverage predictive customer analytics to improve messaging, products, and the overall customer experience.
Encouraging repeat purchases, supported by good first-party data, builds customer loyalty and makes your marketing more effective.
Why do customers make repeat purchases?
Customers come back to the same brands for both practical and emotional reasons. Understanding these motivations helps businesses build lasting customer relationships.
Here's what drives repeat purchases:
- Loyalty programs: Points, bonuses, and membership tiers give customers good reasons to return. Special experiences and early access can also make them feel valued beyond earning points.
- Convenience and habit: Easy shopping with quick checkout, saved payment details, and flexible shipping encourages repeat sales. Once shopping with a brand becomes routine, switching requires effort some customers avoid.
- Better pricing: Exclusive discounts make customers feel like privileged insiders. Special deals, bundles, and subscriptions create financial benefits for returning customers.
- Brand connection: Some customers feel deeply rooted emotional bonds with companies, a concept known as brand love. Consistent quality and service form this connection and drive loyalty.
14 strategies to drive repeat purchases
1. Create a points program to incentivize customer actions
Points programs are by far the most popular type of program, with 90% of loyalty program owners reporting a positive ROI. Since you can incentivize and reward customers for virtually any micro-action (such as product reviews or social sharing), points programs make it easy to encourage repeat purchases.
This makes loyalty programs cost-effective, as acquiring repeat business through loyal customers costs significantly less than acquiring new customers.
For Inkbox, a Shopify merchant that inspired a worldwide obsession with temporary tattoos, this meant targeting the way a repeat customer thought about and related to the brand.
With a desire to move away from one-off conversions, Inkbox started to focus on retaining the steady customer traffic they had acquired through their points program, Inkfam.
By targeting the most immediate opportunity post-purchase—namely, connecting with the brand and sharing about them on social—Inkbox was able to increase their repeat purchase rate by 80% in one month. Their customer retention strategy not only maximized the value of each customer, but also built lasting emotional relationships in the process.
Baby Tula is another brand that put this strategy into action. They place an icon for the Collector’s Club, their points program, front and center through a chat-like CTA box across their online store.
“We added Smile,” says Baby Tula’s marketing manager, Jessica Carlson, “because it was an all-in-one solution, with VIP, loyalty, and referrals. We initially wanted a referral program to increase referrals; however, the VIP program is great for customers to share branding of our Collector’s Club.”
Collector’s Club is Baby Tula’s first rewards program. In one month, their 85,500 program members earned 4.21 million points and redeemed 1,084 rewards, at a 24% redemption rate.
Shopify's robust app ecosystem makes implementing loyalty programs like these straightforward, with numerous integrations available to support various loyalty program structures.
By positioning your points as having significant value, you encourage customers to earn and spend them quickly so as not to miss out. The trick to keeping this perceived value high is making sure that customers always have points to spend.
2. Grow your customer base through referral programs
In an industry driven by aggressive price competition and increasing noise from ads, prospective shoppers are looking for voices they can trust. Getting your best customers to recommend your store can have the same impact in their social circles as a celebrity endorsement.
This is the result of a phenomenon known as “social proof.” When we see others behaving in a certain way, we begin to act in a similar way, because we prefer to do things that have already been done or have already worked in the past.
A referral program works by incentivizing existing customers to share your brand with others, creating a social precedent that encourages new customers to share and engage. It’s a strategy with the potential to save thousands in advertising spend—you can focus on growing your business instead of paying for traffic.
Make your referral program even more successful by optimizing it for repeat purchases. That means the incentive for shopping with you should be at least as good as the incentive for your existing customer.
Shopify merchant Allbirds, for example, rewards loyal customers with $15 off any future purchase when they refer a friend. New customers also get $15 to spend.
No matter where you choose to promote referrals, don’t treat your program like an add-on. Building it into your existing rewards and marketing structure will help establish its value and get more of your customers excited to take advantage of it.
3. Improve customer retention through VIP programs
A VIP program differs from a traditional referral program because existing customers are motivated by the pursuit of higher status and increasing rewards through gamification. As they move up through the ranks of the program, repeat purchasers get experiential or emotional rewards that increase in value, such as:
- Invitations to special events
- Early access to new products
- “Choose your own sale” days
The status associated with moving through a brand loyalty program also creates an extremely high switching cost. The strong sense of community and brand identity your customers unlock can’t be bought anywhere else. And as people begin to see themselves as part of a larger group they identify with, they’ll be more likely to fully commit to your brand.
Jane Iredale is a good example of a VIP program that encourages repeat purchases. The merchant worked with Yotpo to create their Beauty Rewards program—a tiered system that awards customers with points each time they interact with the brand.
The reward tiers are split into three categories—the latter of which, called Enthusiast, requires people to spend more than $650. These loyalty program members get early access to special offers, a consultation with a beauty advisor, and access to triple points events in return for their loyalty.
It’s a strategy that’s paid off for Jane Iredale. According to Yotpo, the merchant has increased customer loyalty by 60%. They also experienced a 40% increase in repeat purchases,since people enrolled in their VIP program were constantly incentivized to make repeat orders.
4. Stay in touch through email marketing
Email marketing isn’t just a tool to engage people who’ve joined your mailing list without buying. Create a segmented email campaign that targets previous shoppers, keeps your products top of mind, and reminds customers of the value you offer.
Content that engages this customer segment includes:
- New product launches
- Exclusive discounts
- Upcoming sales or promotions
Personalize your email campaigns based on customer data you’ve already collected. If an existing customer has already bought your soap, cross-sell or upsell complementary products like refill packs or hand sanitizers.
LaCkore Couture is one brand using previous purchase data to broadcast relevant offers. Founder Erin LaCkore says, “Rather than sending generic post-purchase emails, we meticulously segment our customers based on their past purchasing behaviors and tailor our content to resonate with them.
“For instance, a customer who previously purchased a birthstone pendant may receive an email showcasing a matching ring or earrings, accompanied by the story behind the stone,” Erin says. “This not only showcases related products but also adds a touch of personalization, educating and enticing the customer simultaneously.”
“It’s not about suggesting another product, but about weaving a narrative our customers feel connected to,” says Erin. “People appreciate thoughtfulness, and when we show them that we remember and value their previous choices, they feel more inclined to shop with us again.”
5. Provide exceptional customer service
For many online shoppers, the chatbot or “Contact Us” page on an online store is the first point of call when they’re stuck during the purchasing journey. Ecommerce customer service teams often prioritize new customers for the thrill of converting them.
But it’s not just new customers that rely on your customer service team for support. Some 89% of people are likely to make another purchase after a positive customer service experience, making it a huge opportunity to increase repeat sales and customer retention rates.
Good American shows how great customer service pays off. Their unified online and in-store experience helped them achieve an impressive 91.69 Net Promoter Score, showing high customer satisfaction and loyalty. This approach has also led to lower return rates in their stores compared to online sales.
Train your staff to be knowledgeable, friendly, and attentive to repeat customers’ needs. They should respond promptly to inquiries and resolve any issues quickly and satisfactorily. Prove to existing shoppers that you’re using their customer feedback to improve.
6. Launch a subscription service
Keep customers coming back to your business with an ecommerce subscription model. It charges people a set amount per week, month, or year for a regular supply of products. Beyond providing convenience for customers, subscription services are powerful retention drivers that significantly increase customer lifetime value.
Subscription models have seen remarkable economic growth in recent years, with consumers increasingly preferring the convenience and predictability they offer. One report estimates that subscription sales will reach nearly $530 billion by the end of 2025.
Shopify apps like Recharge and Loop Subscriptions can trigger orders and bill a customer’s card on file according to the subscription frequency they opt for during the registration process.
“Increasing repeat purchases from shoppers is all about making their experience better,” says Emily Onkey, cofounder of Aplós. “Our subscription model does just that. It gives customers a regular supply of what they love and adds extra goodies, making them happy.”
Emily says that subscription models not only increase repeat purchases, but improve the relationship between brand and customer: “Because it’s a long-term deal, we get to know our customers better, provide excellent service, and keep them coming back for more.
“Our subscription model isn’t just about convenience; it’s about creating lasting relationships and keeping customers excited about what we offer.”
7. Provide personalized experiences and product recommendations
Almost half of shoppers say they like it when stores offer experiences made just for them. When businesses show customers products picked specially for them, people often come back to shop more.
Take Ruggable's "Rug Quiz" as an example. Customers answer a few quick questions about what they like, and Ruggable suggests rugs that match their style and needs.
People who take this quiz are four times more likely to buy something. Ruggable even lets customers upload pictures to get matching suggestions. It's like having a personal shopper online
“We found that if we can get someone to take our Rug Quiz and answer all the questions, our conversion rate will be four times higher because the tool helps to select the right product to fit their style.”
Daniel Graupensperger, MarTech Product Director, Ruggable
To do this well, businesses segment customers with similar habits. They might look at:
- Purchase behavior: Find out "who's buying what" to understand which customers are most likely to purchase specific products.
- Location: Target customers in specific countries, states, provinces, or general areas.
- Email engagement: Sort by actions like who opened emails, clicked links, or subscribed to newsletters.
- Custom attributes: Group by unique data you've added to customer profiles.
This segmentation helps stores spot patterns, like which groups keep buying certain products or who spends the most. They can then send special offers to the right people.
With Shopify Segmentation, segments automatically update as you add new customers and as their information changes over time. So your data stays current without extra work.
This approach works because it makes each customer feel understood. The more you know about your customers, the better you can suggest things they'll actually want. This makes customers more likely to stay loyal and keep shopping with you.
8. Upsell at checkout
Suggesting extra items when customers are buying can boost your AOV and revenue. For example, say a customer adds a pair of running shoes to their cart and proceeds to checkout.
Your system can automatically display an offer for moisture-wicking running socks for $12 (regular price $20). These socks are designed to work with the running shoes to prevent blisters and improve comfort.
When shoppers are already ready to buy, they're more likely to add something else if it goes well with what they're getting.
To automate this process, Shopify offers dedicated checkout upsell apps like:
- Selleasy: Offers frequently bought-together product bundles to lift AOV
- ReConvert: Uses AI recommendations to make relevant upsells and cross-sells at checkout
- CartHook: Allows businesses to create targeted post-purchase offers with one-click checkout
9. Use a high-performance checkout
A quick and easy checkout process can make all the difference in completing a sale. Even with great products in the cart, customers might leave if checking out feels difficult.
This is why high-performance checkout options like Shop Pay can improve your business. Shop Pay stores customer payment and shipping information securely, allowing for one-click purchases without re-entering details. This cuts checkout time from minutes to seconds.
Research shows Shop Pay works better than traditional and other fast checkout methods:
- More return customers: After using Shop Pay once, shoppers are 77% more likely to buy again from any Shopify store. This shows that an easy checkout builds trust and brings customers back.
- People prefer it: When available, 68% of Shop Pay users choose it—showing they clearly prefer the speed and ease it offers.
- Sells more products: Shop Pay can convert up to 50% better than regular guest checkouts because it saves billing and shipping details, making the process much smoother.
- Beats other fast checkouts: Shop Pay performs at least 10% better than other quick checkout options, giving a 5% boost in late-stage conversions when offered.
Take Monos, a travel and lifestyle brand, as an example. The brand upgraded to Checkout Extensibility, which works with Shop Pay, and saw much faster checkout times. This led to up to 50% better conversion compared to their old guest checkout.
“Speed is a big part of the reason we went with Checkout Extensions in the first place. Faster checkouts make buyers more confident in their purchases, which helps us improve conversion and reduce checkout abandonment.”
Jake Fox, Senior Ecommerce Developer at Monos
By using Shopify's checkout technology, Monos also saved lots of development time, letting them focus on running their business and giving customers great experiences.
When you offer a fast, high-performance checkout, your customers feel confident and satisfied, resulting in more sales, better customer loyalty, and a stronger brand image.
10. Offer B2B as a channel
Selling directly to other businesses (B2B) alongside your regular customer sales can boost your revenue through increased repeat purchases.
Businesses naturally order more frequently and in larger volumes than individual customers. Many outdated wholesale buying processes are now being replaced with modern online solutions, making these repeat orders easier to capture.
Businesses that add B2B on Shopify typically see:
- Up to 70% more self-serve orders within six months
- 3.2 times more frequent reorders compared to regular customer orders
What B2B on Shopify offers
B2B on Shopify helps meet these higher expectations by using Shopify's strong experience in online selling. With it, you can:
- Create custom experiences for each business buyer (special pricing, product access, payment options)
- Run both your B2B and regular customer stores from one dashboard
- Set up automatic features like reorder reminders, saving you time to focus on customer relationships
Brooklinen, which sells luxury bed linens, saw more and more B2B orders coming in as they grew, especially from hotels. Before using B2B on Shopify, they handled wholesale orders manually, which took a lot of time.
After switching to Shopify's B2B system, they:
- Let business customers place orders themselves
- Kept the same easy-to-use shopping experience across all their websites
- Freed up 80% more time to build better customer relationships instead of handling paperwork
Because they use the same platform for all their stores, Brooklinen can easily track data about orders, buyers, and when items need to be reordered. This helps them send personalized messages and timely restock reminders—very important in the hotel business, where running out of supplies isn't an option.
11. Create brand partnerships
Working with other brands can help you offer more products, reach new customers, and enter different product areas. By partnering with brands that complement yours, you can use each other's strengths and promote together without spending a lot on new inventory or storage space.
Shopify Collective makes brand partnerships easier and more scalable. Amanda Engelman from Shopify explains, "Whether you want to try new product types, release a joint product, or build a marketplace with chosen sellers, you can do it all through Shopify's network using Shopify Collective. You can increase order values, customer lifetime value, and new sales without big upfront costs or needing lots of resources."
With Shopify Collective, you can:
- Add products without risk: Sell partner products on your store without paying for inventory or warehouse space.
- Create co-branded campaigns: Work with other brands on limited-edition items or themed collections. This gets customers excited and helps your brand stand out.
- Build a mini-marketplace: Invite specific sellers to show their products alongside yours—a great way to offer more variety and keep customers coming back.
- Streamline operations: Because Shopify Collective uses Shopify's existing seller network, adding partner products is usually much easier than traditional methods.
Using Shopify Collective can help you increase how much customers spend per order and how much they spend over their entire relationship with your brand, all while cutting the usual costs of expanding your product line.
12. Create seamless experiences through unified commerce
Shoppers today want easy shopping no matter where they buy—online, in a store, or both. To give them this, you need a unified system for all your sales channels that keeps product info consistent, tracks inventory accurately, and remembers customer details.
Businesses using Shopify POS see sales grow by 8.9% on average, showing how powerful this approach can be.
A single platform makes shopping smoother. By connecting online and in-store sales, you can:
- Keep your brand and product details the same everywhere, building trust
- Manage all your inventory in one place and avoid running out of stock
- Understand your customers better, allowing for more personal service that builds loyalty
Tecovas, a modern Western-wear brand with over 30 stores, shows how this works. They're known for "radical hospitality," offering extras like free boot shines and drinks to make shopping special.
- Easy shopping across channels: Using Shopify POS, Tecovas connects online and in-store inventory so customers find what they want anywhere.
- Real-time stock updates: Tecovas uses RFID technology for 99.5%+ accuracy in tracking products. Since Shopify POS connects to their main system, any purchase immediately updates inventory counts.
- Consistent, personal service: By having all data in one place, Tecovas staff can see customers' purchase history and preferences, allowing them to give personal recommendations both online and in-store.
Customers want a reliable experience no matter how they shop with you. With a unified approach, you can provide top-tier shopping experiences that encourage repeat purchases.
13. Build retargeting campaigns for existing customers
Retargeting campaigns help you sell more to people who already know your store. These shoppers have visited your website, signed up for emails, or bought from you before.
They're more likely to buy again than new visitors. But finding and reaching these shoppers can be tricky. That's where Shopify Audiences helps.
Shopify Audiences is an ad-optimization tool that leverages insights from the entire Shopify network to help you find and convert buyers on top advertising platforms. It enhances your retargeting efforts in several key ways:
- Get twice the value from your ads: When you use Shopify Audiences Retargeting Boost lists, you can get up to two times more orders for every dollar you spend on marketing compared to other retargeting methods. This means your ads reach people who are ready to buy again.
- Find new customers for half the cost: While bringing back past shoppers is important, Shopify Audiences also helps you find new customers without spending as much. By finding people who are similar to shoppers across all Shopify stores, you can stretch your marketing budget further and still get quality leads.
- Better reach your existing customers: The "Existing Customer" audience list has 40% more actual existing customers than regular ad platform lists. This means you can show relevant ads to your most loyal shoppers.
Shopify Audiences gives you different types of lists for each stage of the customer journey, from people just learning about your store to loyal customers. This helps you match your ads to specific goals (like bringing back customers who haven't bought in a while).
After you pick your target lists, Shopify Audiences connects right to platforms like Facebook and Google. You don't need to manually upload anything, your ads go straight to the people most likely to buy.
14. Use the Shop app
Another effective way to boost repeat purchases is through the Shop app, one of the world’s most popular shopping apps. Made by Shopify, it combines a large network of shoppers with a digital wallet. This helps store owners connect with interested shoppers, while controlling costs.
The Shop app:
- Helps shoppers find you: People often open the app to track their packages. While doing this, they discover new brands or remember stores they've bought from before. When your products appear here, you can reach customers who are ready to buy without spending a lot on ads.
- Gets customers to buy again faster: According to our data, the top 100 brands using the Shop app see customers buy again up to 6.3 times faster than those who only sell through their Shopify website. This means more frequent orders and stronger relationships with your customers.
- Makes checkout easier: The Shop app includes Shop Pay, a digital wallet that speeds up checkout. This smoother experience helps turn browsers into buyers who might otherwise leave without purchasing.
The Shop app keeps customers updated about their order status in real time. While checking these updates, customers see gentle suggestions to keep browsing or look at other products from your store. This creates an ongoing cycle of interest that can increase your repeat sales.
Using the Shop app's network of motivated shoppers, you can grow your business more naturally, encourage customers to buy again sooner, and keep your brand in customers' minds
Increasing repeat purchases starts with understanding the modern customer and their journey
Repeat customers drive sustainable growth by providing steady revenue and stronger relationships. Today's shoppers expect personalized experiences tailored to their preferences, seamless shopping across all channels (online, social media, and physical stores), and self-service options for managing their own shopping journey.
By connecting all your sales channels into one system, you create a smooth experience in which customers can shop however they prefer. Shopify can provide the tools to create these experiences, from personalized marketing automation, B2B features, and POS systems that work with your online store.
Looking for the best Shopify enterprise plan for your long-term growth? Talk to our sales team today.
Read more
- 17 User-Generated Content Examples and 5 Tactics to Grow $15M+ in Annual Sales
- Why You Should Consider Ecommerce Subscriptions for Your Online Business
- A Strategy for Human Resources in our Current Climate
- Resources to Help Merchants Get Online Fast, Optimize Stores, and Scale
- Scaling a Global Ecommerce Business: Three Keys from $100M+ Enterprises
- Is Your Agency 'The One'? An Inside Scoop on Finding a True Partnership
- The Secret Holiday Ecommerce Strategy to More Campaigns & Sales in 2021
- International Ecommerce Strategy: New Tools to Simplify Global Growth for High-Volume Businesses
- Multi-Channel Order Management for Multi-Million Dollar Growth
FAQ on repeat purchases
What is the word for a repeat purchase?
A repeat purchase is often called a "reorder" or "repurchase." Customer retention metrics track these recurring transactions as part of measuring loyalty.
What are repeat purchases?
Repeat purchases happen when customers buy from you again after their first purchase. These show that customers like your products and want to keep shopping with you.
What is an example of a repeat buyer?
A repeat buyer is someone who buys shampoo from the same store every few months. Another example is a coffee lover who orders from the same coffee shop each week.
How to drive repeat purchases?
Create loyalty programs that reward customers for shopping with you. Send personalized emails, provide great customer service, and make checkout easy for customers to come back.
