Repeat purchase rate (RPR) is the percentage of customers who make more than one purchase from your store over a given time period. It measures customer loyalty and the ability of your brand to generate recurring sales from the same buyers.
Why Repeat Purchase Rate (RPR) matters
RPR is a key retention metric that reflects how well your products, customer experience, and marketing efforts encourage customers to return. A higher RPR reduces reliance on constant new customer acquisition, which is typically more expensive. In ecommerce, repeat customers often spend more over time, have higher average order values, and are more likely to refer others. Improving RPR can stabilize revenue, increase profitability, and create a more predictable sales forecast.
How Repeat Purchase Rate (RPR) works
RPR = (Number of Customers with 2+ Purchases ÷ Total Customers) × 100%. It can be calculated over monthly, quarterly, or yearly periods depending on your business model. For example, consumable goods brands may track monthly, while seasonal brands may track annually. Segmenting RPR by acquisition channel, product category, or campaign can help you identify which strategies generate more loyal buyers.
Example in ecommerce
A DTC skincare brand finds its RPR is 22% annually. They implement a subscription option, personalized reorder reminders, and loyalty points for repeat purchases. Within a year, RPR climbs to 32%, contributing to a steadier revenue stream and reduced marketing costs.
Common mix-ups
RPR is not the same as customer retention rate (CRR). CRR measures the percentage of customers who remain active over a period, while RPR measures how many actually make an additional purchase.
Best practices
- Implement post-purchase email flows with re-order reminders.
- Offer loyalty incentives for repeat purchases.
- Use personalized recommendations based on purchase history.
- Introduce subscriptions for high-frequency items.
- Track RPR by acquisition source to identify high-LTV channels.
- Test targeted win-back campaigns for lapsed customers.
- Optimize packaging and unboxing experiences to increase brand recall.
Industry benchmarks
- Typical ecommerce RPR ranges from 20-40%, with consumables on the higher end.
- Top-performing retention-focused brands can see 50% or more.
