Should I calculate this by cohort?

Yes. A single blended number hides everything. Measure repeat rate by acquisition month and by channel. Meta-acquired customers often repeat at half the rate of email or organic. If you scale paid without seeing that, you will overestimate LTV and overspend on CAC.

What is the difference between repeat rate and retention rate?

Repeat rate measures the share of customers who purchased more than once. Retention rate measures the share still active at a given point in time. Repeat rate is simpler and better for quick reads. Retention curves matter more for subscription brands.

Does this include refunded orders?

Best practice is to exclude fully refunded orders. A customer who placed two orders and returned one did not truly repeat. Most ecom platforms let you filter order status before pulling the number.

How often should I check it?

Monthly, rolling 12 months. Any faster and normal seasonality will confuse you. Any slower and you will miss a creeping drop until the damage is done. Chart it as a line so you catch the trend before the absolute number scares you.

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Repeat Purchase Rate Calculator

See what share of customers come back for a second order. The best leading indicator of a brand with durable economics. If this number is stuck under 20 percent, paid acquisition will never be profitable.

Repeat Purchase Rate = Customers with 2+ Orders ÷ Total Customers × 100

Customers with 2+ orders

Total unique customers

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How to use this Repeat Purchase Rate Calculator

Repeat purchase rate is the cleanest single read on whether your brand has product-market fit. Acquisition costs rise every year. The brands that survive are the ones where a meaningful share of customers come back without being re-acquired through paid. A number above 30 percent within 12 months usually means your LTV will support aggressive growth. Below 15 percent and you are stuck renting customers.

Pick a consistent window. Most brands use 12 months, but supplements and consumables should measure 60 or 90-day repeat because the replenishment cycle is faster. Whatever you pick, hold it constant so the trend line is real. Cohort it by acquisition channel too: Meta customers often repeat at half the rate of organic and email customers, and pretending otherwise inflates your LTV:CAC.

To lift the number, focus on the first 30 days after purchase. That window is where habits form. A great unboxing, one genuinely useful email, and a reorder reminder moves the needle more than a loyalty program ever will.

Frequently Asked Questions

For most DTC brands, 25 to 30 percent over 12 months is healthy, 35 percent or higher is top-tier. Consumables and supplements should target 40 percent or more inside 90 days. Apparel often sits at 20 to 25 percent annually because replacement cycles are longer.

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