What Is Repeat Purchase Rate?
Repeat purchase rate tells you what percentage of customers buy more than once. It's the clearest signal of whether customers love your product.
Key Takeaways
- Repeat purchase rate = Customers who bought more than once ÷ Total customers × 100.
- A 30%+ repeat purchase rate within 12 months is strong for most eCommerce categories.
- The second purchase is the most critical — customers who buy twice are far more likely to buy a third time.
The formula
Repeat purchase rate is the percentage of customers who have made more than one purchase in a given time window (typically 12 months). If 1,000 customers made at least one purchase and 350 made more than one, repeat purchase rate is 35%. This is one of the cleanest signals of whether customers find enough value to return.
The second purchase is everything
Research consistently shows that customers who make a second purchase are dramatically more likely to make a third, and so on. The drop-off from first to second purchase is the steepest cliff in the customer journey. A business that can engineer that second purchase — through follow-up email, loyalty reward, product recommendation — dramatically improves its long-term economics.
What drives second purchases
Product quality (the fundamental driver). Post-purchase follow-up that creates an opportunity to buy again. Product range breadth (something else to buy). A subscription or auto-replenish option. Loyalty points from the first purchase. Timely replenishment reminders for consumable products. A memorable unboxing or delivery experience that makes the brand stick.
Monitoring over time
Track repeat purchase rate month-by-month. An increasing rate over time indicates your post-purchase strategy is improving. Segment by acquisition channel — some channels may systematically produce lower-quality customers with lower repeat rates, informing your channel investment decisions.