The Secret to Recurring Sales on Shopify in 2025
Stats show that by 2040, all purchases will be made online. And while 2040 seems too far, there is no better time to start now!
With increasing competition in every sector, businesses are fighting hard to stay relevant and retain their customers. That’s where we step in to make things easier for you. Recurring sales can be a game-changer for your Shopify store, providing a steady revenue stream and fostering customer loyalty that keeps your business thriving.
Why Do Recurring Sales Matter in 2025?
Well it is quite simple - they are your ticket to steady, predictable revenue in an ever-competitive market. The best example of this is Netflix or Amazon Prime - they ensure their users keep coming back to them without constant re-marketing efforts.
For a Shopify store, recurring sales mean you can build a loyal customer base while focusing on scaling other parts of your business. For instance, a skincare store can offer monthly subscription boxes, ensuring customers never run out of essentials.
Recurring sales are your secret to thriving business and sustainable growth on Shopify in 2025.
How to Calculate Repeat Purchase Rate in Shopify in 2025?
Understanding your repeat purchase rate (RRR) is important for measuring customer loyalty and success of your strategy.
The formula to calculate RPR is:
Repeat Purchase Rate = (Number of Customers Who Made More Than One Purchase ÷ Total Number of Customers) × 100
For example, if 200 out of 1,000 customers made multiple purchases, your RPR would be:
(200 ÷ 1,000) × 100 = 20%
Track this metric in your Shopify analytics to evaluate how well your store retains customers and identify areas for improvement in your sales strategy.
6 Proven Tactics To Get Recurring Sales in Shopify in 2025
Now that you have a basic understanding of what exactly is recurring sales and how to calculate them, we will move on to discuss some practical tips that you can use to get a higher repeat purchase rate.
#1 Build Strong Customer Loyalty Programs
Building a strong loyalty program for your customers is the most effective way to retain them and encourage repeat purchase.
It’s like giving your most loyal customers a VIP pass, making them feel special and recognized for their ongoing trust in your brand.
Reward loyal users
Give your clients incentives that truly speak to them as a way to express your gratitude. For instance, brands like Starbucks, offer rewards through their app, like a free drink after a certain number of purchases. This encourages repeat business and keeps clients interested.
Keep your offers simple and easy to grasp
A successful loyalty program is one which is easily understood by your target customer. Take Sephora’s Beauty Insider program as an example—they’ve simplified their tiers and rewards so customers always know where they stand and what they’re working towards.
Avoid complicated systems that can overwhelm your customers. Instead, opt for a transparent approach—like offering a discount on the next purchase after a certain number of visits.
Use promotional techniques to spread the word
Your loyalty program needs to be actively promoted if you want your customers to participate. Share details through email newsletters, social media, or even in-store signage.
If you run a neighbourhood café, for instance, post a sign at the counter informing customers about your punch card system for free coffee or send an email with a loyalty discount for those who haven't signed up yet.
Tailor experience
Personalizing experience can boost customer loyalty and satisfaction. Think of Amazon’s “Recommended for You” feature, which shows customers tailored product suggestions based on previous purchases. A clothing store could offer personalized discounts on specific items the customer has shown interest in or previously bought.
This personal touch makes the customer feel valued, and more likely to make repeat purchases.
#2 Email Marketing
As zero party data becomes increasingly important in recent times, personalization holds a very important place for your Shopify store success. Your audience will respond more favourably to customized email campaigns that make use of past interactions, preferences, and behaviours.
In addition to drawing attention, personalized emails boost interaction and encourage greater recurring business.
Clothing companies like ASOS, for instance, provide tailored product recommendations based on past browsing or purchase trends. They deliver highly relevant emails that promote repeat business by examining information like the customer's size, preferred styles, or things they have previously expressed interest in.
#3 Categorize Your Customer Base
When you categorize your target customers, you get the opportunity to target smaller groups of customers with relevant content. In addition, categorization also offers the ability to cross-selling or upselling.
If this approach is not followed, a Shopify store ends up offering the same kind of products to every customer. As a result, you won’t get the expected results.
Here are few basic principles that you need to keep in mind when segmenting target customers:
- Location
- Gender
- Spending habits
- Socio - economic group
#4 Offering An Exceptional Customer Service
No matter how great your product is, you need to offer the best customer service to retain your users. As per a study conducted in 2023, 88% of shoppers agree that for them, customer service is equally important as the kind of product or service a brand sells.
The entire journey a customer has with your company, influenced by each interaction across several touchpoints, is known as the customer experience (CX).
These experiences influence how customers perceive your brand.
Actively listening to customer feedback and integrating it into your CX can foster a deeper emotional connection with your audience.
Starbucks is a great example of this, since they use user feedback to enhance their mobile app and personalize loyalty benefits. By paying attention to their customers' preferences—for example, adding additional vegan alternatives in response to demand—they develop an experience that appeals to their audience, fostering brand loyalty and strengthening emotional bonds.
#5 Use The Power of AI
You can use artificial intelligence (AI) to give your customers a genuinely customized experience in real time. AI helps you better understand each person's preferences by facilitating one-on-one conversations that are more relevant and customized to them.
This in-depth knowledge allows you to make more accurate product recommendations and provide tailored messages that subtly persuade people to buy.
Furthermore, real-time personalization goes beyond simply suggesting products. For example, when a customer reaches out for support, your customer service team can instantly access their previous interactions and preferences, making it quicker and easier to assist them. This not only enhances the customer’s experience but also significantly improves satisfaction.
#6 Make Sure To Add A Return Policy To Your Shopify Store
It is proven that approximately 67% of customers check the return page before completing payment. And since this is a high number, you need to make sure to give them exactly what they want.
An easy and simple return policy helps decrease cart abandonment and foster confidence with potential customers. In addition to reassuring customers, providing hassle-free returns improves their shopping experience and urges them to finish their purchase.
Make sure your return policy is simple, transparent, and prominently displayed on your Shopify store.
How to Launch an Effective Customer Retention Plan?
Let us go through ways on how to kickstart effective customer retention strategies.
#1 Create A Detailed Profile For Your Customer
Personalizing your marketing experience plays an essential role in improving your customer’s overall experience. It not only makes them feel valued, but also increases their chances of making repeat purchases.
One of the most effective ways to scale this personalization is by creating detailed customer segments and profiles. It allows you to target the right customers with the right messages.
This personalization can be done through REM analysis, which stands for Recency, Frequency, and Monetary Value.
Here’s how each element works:
Recency - Consumers are more inclined to interact with your brand if they have recently made purchases. Sending them a personalized message or offer while they're still thinking about you can convince them to make another purchase.
Frequency - The likelihood that a customer will make another purchase from you increases with the frequency of their transactions. Focusing your retention marketing on these frequent buyers increases your likelihood of converting them into loyal customers.
Monetary Value - Higher AOV (average order value) customers have a higher potential return on investment. These high-value customers are ideal candidates for cross-selling and upselling efforts, making them a priority for retention strategies.
#2 Implement Loyalty Programs Based On Customers
A well-designed loyalty program is a powerful tool for attracting, retaining and rewarding your most loyal users. Although it may seem tempting to design a program with substantial discounts as a means of attracting new customers, concentrating only on discounts will not result in sustained client loyalty.
Rather, you should create a program that genuinely aligns with the tastes and values of your most active users—those who, according to your RFM study, have high monetary value, frequency, and recency.
Giving these valuable customers meaningful rewards is essential. Consider providing experiences that make them feel special rather than depending just on conventional discounts.
This could include early access to exclusive product releases, invitations to VIP-only events, or access to a private customer community. These rewards go beyond price reductions and help foster a deeper emotional connection with your brand.
Furthermore, your loyalty program must be easy to use, maintain, and genuinely beneficial to your clients. The goal is to create a smooth experience that enhances their relationship with your brand without being overwhelming to maintain.
Before designing a loyalty program, make sure that you keep the following points in mind:
- The program must be easy to set up.
- Is any coding required and your in-house team will be able to manage everything?
- Make sure to access relevant data to refine strategies as per the circumstances.
#3 Make Sure To Add Automated Retention Campaigns
Once you’ve established customer segments and launched a loyalty program, it’s time to leverage the data you've gathered to set up automated retention campaigns.
Shopify Flow, for example, allows Shopify Plus users to automate workflows that trigger personalized actions based on customer behavior. This automation not only saves time but also ensures a more tailored, timely experience for your customers.
Here are a few automated retention campaigns you can implement:
Upgrades to VIP Tiers
When a customer qualifies for a higher VIP tier by earning or spending a certain amount, an automated email can notify them of their new status. Emphasize the advantages they have already obtained and motivate them to keep purchasing in order to gain additional benefits. This fosters a feeling of exclusivity and encourages more interaction.
Replenishment Reminders
For businesses that offer products with repeat purchase cycles, like beauty or consumable goods brands, setting up replenishment reminders can help keep customers coming back. By automating these messages to alert customers when they might be running low on their favorite items, you remind them to restock, increasing repeat sales.
Requests for Product Reviews
Send post-purchase emails automatically to customers requesting product reviews by using email automation platforms like Klaviyo. Make sure that you include a time delay in these emails to ensure they arrive after the customer has had a chance to use the product.
By rewarding customers with loyalty points or discounts for leaving reviews, you maintain customer engagement while also fostering product trust.
#4 Nurture Customer Relationships with Post-Purchase Support
The relationship with your customer does not really end with completion of payment. The most successful brands recognize the value of staying engaged after a purchase, ensuring customers feel supported and valued.
Offer post-purchase communication
After a customer has finished placing their order, include them in customized communication channels after the purchase. These could be personalized emails or SMS updates that provide useful information such as product care tips, how-to guides, or setup instructions.
Build trust through follow-ups
Reaching out after a sale, whether to confirm satisfaction, address potential issues, or simply thank them for their purchase, shows genuine care.
For example, brands like Apple often send follow-up emails asking for feedback and offering support for any product-related concerns. This gesture fosters trust and signals that your relationship extends beyond the transaction.
Provide value
Make your customers’ lives easier by providing additional resources, such as FAQ sections, video tutorials, or exclusive content related to their purchase. For instance, a fitness brand could share workout plans or nutritional advice that complements the purchased products, adding extra value and deepening customer engagement.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to increase repeat rate on Shopify?
To increase repeat purchase rate on Shopify, implement loyalty programs, provide exceptional customer support, personalize shopping experiences, use email marketing for re-engagement, and offer exclusive deals for returning customers.
How to get consistent sales on Shopify?
To achieve consistent sales on Shopify, focus on optimizing your store's SEO, leveraging email marketing, offering excellent customer service, running targeted ads, and creating a smooth, engaging shopping experience.
How do you create a repeat sale?
To create repeat sales, focus on exceptional customer experience, personalized communication, loyalty programs, timely follow-ups, exclusive offers, and consistent value through quality products and meaningful engagement.
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