Everyone loves a returning customer. A returning visitor, on the other hand—a user who visits your ecommerce store, wanders around product pages, and perhaps signs up to your mailing list, often without making a purchase—can be a bit more frustrating.
But this customer segment, when targeted correctly, can be the low-hanging fruit of acquisition: Returning visitors already know your brand, its products, and, oftentimes, the pain point they’re solving. With a few subtle nudges as part of your marketing strategy, these anonymous browsers can become lifelong customers.
What is the returning visitor rate (RVR)?
The returning visitor rate indicates the number of people who visit your website more than once within a specified period.
Some analytics reports display returning visitors as a percentage of overall traffic. Unlike single-session visitors, the returning visitor keeps coming back to your ecommerce store.
Returning visitors vs. unique visitors
These ecommerce KPIs are related, but tell different stories about your website traffic based on visitor type:
- A returning visitor is a person who visits your online store more than once during a given time frame.
- A unique visitor is any person who visits your website at least once throughout the reporting period. They may or may not return within that time frame.
Let’s say you have 500 people browsing your website over a given week. Half of them revisit at least once. In this case, you’d have 500 unique visitors, with 250 of them being returning visitors.
Every returning visitor is also a unique visitor in that period, but not every unique visitor is returning. You’d use both numbers to determine RVR.
How to calculate the returning visitor rate
The formula is:
RVR = (Number of Returning Visitors / Total Number of Unique Visitors) x 100
Here’s a step-by-step example:
- Pull the total number of unique visitors and the total number of returning visitors from your analytics report for a chosen time window (like the past 30 or 90 days).
- Say your store had the following performance last month:
- Total unique visitors: 50,000
- Returning visitors: 15,000
- Now, apply the formula:
(15,000 ÷ 50,000) x 100 = 30%
In this case, your returning visitor rate for the month is 30%.
What is a good returning visitor rate?
A good RVR for ecommerce websites is around 30%—anything much higher might mean website visitors aren’t confident about making a purchase during their first session, which affects your conversion rate.
Perhaps they didn’t see enough social proof, the website wasn’t trustworthy enough, or they couldn’t figure out which product would best solve their problem. Either way, they didn’t become a customer there and then, but there’s still enough interest to revisit your ecommerce site.
An RVR below 30%, on the other hand, could indicate that first-time visitors don’t find what they’re looking for and never return, leading to a high bounce rate. These users weren’t captivated enough to purchase during their initial session and have yet to return. Work on increasing return visitor rates by driving one-time visitors back to your storefront.
How to track returning visitor rate
Using Shopify Analytics
You can track RVR in Shopify Analytics using the New vs. returningcustomers report, which displays the number of first-time and returning customers for a given period. Use the report to understand how many visitors are returning to your store and making purchases.
Additionally, the Returning customers report gives detailed data about customers who have placed two or more orders, helping you analyze repeat visitor behavior.
You can access these reports by navigating to Analytics > Reports in your Shopify admin and filtering the reports list by the “Customers” category to find the relevant reports.
Using Google Analytics 4
See how many new and returning visitors access your ecommerce store over a given period using the Retention report in Google Analytics 4.
Make the returning visitor metric more useful to your ecommerce business by excluding existing customers. Inside Google Analytics, create a new segment where revenue per user equals more than $1 to separate returning visitors who haven’t bought from returning customers who have.
These people are the low-hanging fruit: the segment showing clear interest in your products but who haven’t yet made the leap. The remainder of this article will focus on engaging this crucial customer segment.
Working with a Shopify Certified Technology Partner
Enlist the help of a Shopify Certified Technology Partner to gather more accurate data about website visitors. Pool data from various sources—including your Google Analytics, ecommerce website, social media profiles, and advertising accounts—in one dashboard to get greater visibility into how new versus returning users engage with your brand.
Popular options include:
Limitations of analytics and the role of unified data
While Google Analytics is a powerful starting point, it isn't entirely accurate for tracking returning visitors. Its limitations mean it’s less reliable when benchmarking returning visitor rates.
If a single user visits your website on their desktop and later again on mobile, Google Analytics won’t connect the two sessions.
The platform also can’t collect data from website visitors who regularly block cookies or use private browsing mode. Unless these returning visitors head back to your site using the same device and the same browser with cookies enabled, they’ll always be classified as a new visitor.
A unified commerce strategy is the best way to fix this. The new approach brings all your customer data together in one place to provide a single source of truth for your business.
When you connect information from your online store, social media pages, and ads, you get a much clearer and more accurate picture of who is truly a returning visitor.
How to increase return visitor rates
The first step in monetizing return visitors is to drive them back to your online store. A solid digital marketing plan can help encourage return visits.
- Run a quiz to collect first-party data
- Build a brand community
- Run retargeted ads
- Send cart abandonment emails
1. Run a quiz to collect first-party data
The most powerful tool in convincing a returning visitor to come back is personalized content. Collect that through first-party data, which is information submitted by a customer without any third-party involvement.
Jones Road Beauty, for example, uses Octane AI to host their “Find your shade” quiz. People who take the quiz during their first visit give the brand valuable customer data they can use to drive them back post-session, such as their:
- Demographics
- Skin tone
- Skin texture
- Product use case
Quiz-takers must enter their email address to receive personalized product recommendations.
That opens the door for Jones Road Beauty to deliver custom email marketing campaigns—including products best suited to each subscriber—that increase return visitor rates and conversions.
2. Build a brand community
Social commerce is booming. Social sales are on track to reach $100 billion in the US by 2026, and are projected to surpass $13 trillion globally by 2033.
This social commerce trend is a superb way to increase returning visitor rates. Start with popups and incentives that encourage first-time website visitors to connect with your brand on social media, where you share new content.
David Zhang, CEO of Kate Backdrop, says, “We also make sure to engage with our customers on social media so they can stay up to date with new product releases or discounts. Our Facebook VIP group is also a great way to keep customers engaged and part of our family. We offer exclusive discounts, sneak peeks, and other rewards that drive people to our website.”
Once people are on your email list but haven’t yet bought, entice them to opt into another platform in your multichannel marketing mix. For example, sunglasses retailer Tens emails their subscribers with an invite to follow the brand on Instagram:
Once you’ve got a first-time visitor inside your social media sphere of influence, use a variety of formats to drive them back to your online store. Simple ways to drive traffic from social media include:
- Syncing your Shopify store with Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok
- Hosting livestreams and tagging products from your store
- Reposting influencer- or user-generated content
“Integrating all of our sales channels within a single platform allows us to deliver a personalized, cohesive experience at every touchpoint, reflecting the seamless luxury that our customers expect from Venus et Fleur,” says Brendan Gorman, head of ecommerce at Venus et Fleur. “With Shopify's unified ecosystem, we can manage ecommerce, retail, and social commerce data in one place, giving us a holistic view of our customer journey.”
3. Run retargeted ads
Platforms like Google Shopping, Facebook, and Instagram offer tools that help merchants build remarketing campaigns at the single-product level. This approach zeros in on exactly what a previous visitor has shown interest in, including items they’ve previously viewed, bought, or added to their online shopping cart.
Create slight variations for retargeted landing pages—with only the headline or price adjusted—to add continuity to each campaign, ensuring the ad matches the page. Returning visitors are served up a unique experience with a clear connection at every step.
If your store is on the Shopify Plus plan, use Shopify Audiences to expand and sharpen your retargeting pool. Audiences uses aggregated, privacy-safe shopping behavior data from across the Shopify network to predict which people are likely to buy your products. It builds hashed audience lists you can export to platforms like Meta, Google, and TikTok to improve retargeting.
Supplements brand BUBS Naturals turned to Shopify Audiences after experiencing increased costs and difficulty finding new customers. “Shopify Audiences has helped us regain confidence with top-of-funnel advertising and reach qualified buyers with return on ad spend as high as 3x,” says cofounder TJ Ferrara. “The ability to leverage Shopify’s understanding of intent and create audiences focused on our products significantly enhances our acquisition efforts.”
4. Send cart abandonment emails
The ultimate goal is to turn every unique visitor into an email subscriber. Email marketing is considered the holy grail of marketing channels for several reasons—the largest being your ability to capture customer data and communicate with subscribers in one of the most sacred online channels: their inbox.
Take website activity into consideration and prioritize website visitors who have indicated they’re likely to buy. Almost 70% of all online shopping carts are abandoned. Automated cart abandonment emails to connect subscribers with the product pages they viewed during their most recent website session.
Email marketing services like Klaviyo and Yotpo integrate with Shopify to combine website activity with subscribers. Repromote the same items to remind people of the items they left mid-checkout and convince them to return to your website, like this cart abandonment email from Liquor Loot:
Successful cart abandonment emails don’t just remind people of the items they left in their cart. They also ease any prepurchase objections related to price, delivery, or product use cases. Liquor Loot’s cart abandonment email nails all three.
How to turn return visitors into buying customers
- Use scarcity and urgency
- Display dynamic content
- Expand on product descriptions
- Level up product photography
- Display social proof and trust signals
- Offer an incentive
- Enable one-page checkout
Once you’ve got returning visitors back on your website, here’s how to convert them into paying customers.
Use scarcity and urgency
In some cases, the returning visitor heads back to your ecommerce store with the intention to buy. Fear—namely, the fear of missing out on something better—holds some back. People crave security, wanting reassurance that they’re getting “the best,” whether that’s quality or price.
Nudge these people to purchase through urgency and scarcity. Give a time constraint on the exact product they’ve been looking at, such as:
- Limited-edition products
- Product drops with limited stock
- Time-sensitive coupons or discounts
Momofuku, for example, uses “get it while you can”-style messaging on their Facebook retargeting campaigns:
Open Spaces, on the other hand, promotes product drops to their email list. Returning visitors have an incentive to buy right now—the fact that only 500 units are available in each color variant—instead of waiting and likely forgetting.
Plus, in case their segment of returning visitors hasn’t yet built enough trust in the store to buy, Open Spaces details the design process for their products. Returning visitors see three unique selling points directly beneath the main call to action (CTA), acting as the final nudge to buy.
2. Display dynamic content
All traffic sources deliver returning visitors directly to your product pages, so optimizing them with this segment in mind is crucial.
Dynamic pricing lets you easily adjust prices to fit both supply and demand. When you call attention to changes in price—visually on-page or through email and retargeted offers—the returning visitor receives a fresh nudge to convert.
The same concept applies to any website content, from product descriptions to call-to-action buttons. Use dynamic content to switch up page content and provide returning visitors with a novelty experience—one that doesn’t interfere with the shopping experience of first-time visitors.
💡 Tip: Use the Nosto Shopify app to personalize product grids, banners, and CTAs in real-time for returning visitors, based on onsite behavior and segments. Use it to A/B test dynamic blocks and display recently viewed, back-in-stock, and price drop experiences.
3. Expand on product descriptions
Since returning visitors are already contemplating a purchase, the best thing you can do is help them make a good decision. Unlike first-time visitors, return visitors dig deep into copy, so giving them a full experience is enticing.
Returning visitors likely have several sites open at once, comparing prices and product specs. Don’t make this comparison process difficult. Instead, become the standard against which your visitor measures everything else.
Outdo your competition in comprehensiveness and transparency. A merchant can gain a serious edge against a competitor with an identical product simply by providing everything the visitor needs to know.
Because product specifications aren’t as sexy as descriptions, many ecommerce sites neglect them. Making them obvious, either by listing them immediately next to the product image or creating a clearly marked tab, makes it easy for returning visitors to confirm your product is the one they need.
Boll & Branch nails both specs—through their “Details” dropdown—as well as product descriptions that clearly communicate how their products differ from the competition.
💡Can’t find the right words? Shopify Magic, our built-in AI assistant, can instantly draft and expand descriptions, display spec bullets and benefits, and adapt tone to match your brand voice.
4. Level up product photography
Ecommerce visitors don’t have the luxury of interacting with your product in the flesh. They rely on visual cues, such as product images and videos, to make purchasing decisions. Make visuals personable, relatable, and vivid depictions of how much better off the visitor will be after buying.
“We make it easy for customers to visualize the products they are interested in,” Brian Lim says. “This means all our items have their respective photos—front and back, zoomed-in pictures, and corresponding descriptions. We also highlight any product features that might be relevant for the customer. For example, some rave bras have detachable straps for extra versatility. This helps our customers make an informed decision about their purchase.”
Simba demonstrates how to do this well. They sell mattresses—a high-value item that customers use daily. The purchase decision is a complex one, likely contributing to a high RVR. Simba uses product photography to show several elements of their product, from its spring technology to overall appearance, to help reconfirm to returning visitors that their mattress is worth investing in.
Steve Reid, cofounder and co-CEO of Simba, adds, “Many companies spread themselves too thin with too many different stores and worrying about too many different metrics. We win by listening to our customers, by only going into those markets that we believe we can execute in.”
5. Display social proof and trust signals
Reviews, ratings, and testimonials instill the confidence wary returning visitors need to make a purchase during their next session. Make what other people say dominant and include both quantitative and qualitative social proof.
Use trust signals throughout each touchpoint you have with a returning visitor. From the initial email to the checkout page, prove to a returning visitor that your brand can be trusted with a consumer’s hard-earned money through:
- Payment processor logos
- Free returns policies
- Money-back guarantees
6. Offer an incentive
An incentive gives the returning visitor one final push to convert during their next session. But coupons can slash profits. Combine that discount with an already expensive customer acquisition cost through retargeting, and some merchants won’t turn a profit until their returning visitor purchases multiple times.
Instead of defaulting to percentage discounts to win over a returning customer, experiment with using Shopify Scripts to promote other incentives such as:
- Free, fast, or carbon-neutral shipping
- Free upgrades
- Exclusive bundles
- Buy now, pay later options
- Buy one, give one donations
7. Enable one-page checkout
Long, complex checkout processes can deter up to 18% of returning visitors from completing their purchase. It’s the equivalent of falling at the final hurdle. You’ve done the hard work of getting a returning visitor back to your site and adding an item to their online cart.
One-page checkout, which simplifies the checkout experience, prevents your hard work from going to waste. Potential customers see the required information all on one page, like this one-page checkout example from Jones Road Beauty.
Simplify the checkout process even further with one-click checkout. Customers who’ve already purchased using a digital wallet—such as Shop Pay, PayPal, or Apple Pay—can use stored payment data to complete their purchase. The quicker a returning visitor can get through the checkout process, the less time they spend pondering their purchase.
📚 Read more: 5 Ways to Customize Shopify Checkout
The returning visitor: Conclusion
Returning visitors are low-hanging fruit in your customer acquisition strategy. They’re already aware of your brand and the products you sell. A sleek retargeting campaign and excellent on-page user experience can turn them into paying customers—regardless of whether it’s their first or tenth purchase.
The key is to personalize marketing campaigns that drive returning visitors back to your ecommerce store. Once they arrive, go all out on building trust and credibility. Whether it’s social proof, engaging product photography, or one-page checkout, reengaging previous website visitors can easily become your most profitable way of acquiring new customers.
Read more
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Returning visitors FAQ
What does a returning visitor mean?
A returning visitor is somebody who has visited your ecommerce website more than once. You can find this metric inside your ecommerce or Google Analytics dashboard.
What is a new visitor vs. a returning visitor?
A new visitor is somebody who is visiting your website for the first time. A returning visitor, however, has visited previously.
Why are returning visitors important?
Ecommerce merchants that track returning visitors have the bigger picture on how loyal customers are, and how optimized their websites are for conversions. People who return to an online store multiple times without buying can indicate the site doesn’t instill enough trust for them to convert or the traffic being diverted there isn’t qualified.
What is a good returning visitor rate?
A good returning visitor rate for most ecommerce sites is around 30%. The benchmark can vary by industry, with higher rates often seen in brands that have strong customer loyalty programs or subscription models.
