How to Get More Returning Customers (Turning One-Time Customers into Loyal Fans)

While new customers are important for growth, long-term success banks on your brand converting a significant percentage of your buyers into returning customers.

This is where the real profit is. Returning customers cost less to sell to, convert at a higher rate, and spend more.

For each repeat sale, your operating and marketing costs related to that sale go down; and you keep a larger percentage of what the customer spends.

Someone who has bought from your brand more than once is also more likely to spread the word and tell others about your brand (leading to more high-margin word of mouth sales).

If you don’t have a regular flow of returning customers, you’re wholly reliant on first-order profitability, which is getting harder and harder to consistently achieve, with CACs steadily rising.

Brands that master the art of turning one-time buyers into loyal fans are the ones building businesses with staying power.

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Three Pillars of Retention (How to Increase Repeat Customers)

There are many things you can do to drive repeat sales (send an email; post a letter; knock on the customer’s door).

But building a profitable retention engine at scale comes down to three key pillars, which maximize the chance of newly acquired customers turning into loyal, repeat buyers.

Let's dive into these pillars now.

Pillar 1: Post-Purchase Experience

The moment after checkout isn't the end of the customer journey; it's just the beginning.

This is a critical window to put forward an amazing experience that gets customers excited to buy from you again.

Miss this window, and you become just another online brand, and you’ll need to invest all over again to rekindle the relationship.

Key touchpoints in the post-purchase experience include:

Post-purchase emails

Your post-purchase email flow (the same can apply for SMS and push notifications) plays a huge role in the customer experience.

• Order confirmation: Reassure and excite the customer.
• Shipping updates: Build anticipation.
• Unboxing guide: Educate them on how to get the most from their purchase.
• Personalized follow-up: Ask for feedback, introduce the next product.

The product experience

The best retention hack is a product—-and a product experience—that sparks joy.

When your customer has an awesome experience with your brand, they’re much more likely to come back.

• Invest in custom packaging, QR codes for exclusive offers to build an awesome unboxing experience.
• Surprise and delight: Free samples, handwritten notes, VIP discount codes. (Do the things that don’t scale.)
• User guides: Actively help customers get more value out of your product.
• Use post-purchase surveys to understand friction points and improve your buying experience.

Customer support

Support isn’t just about answering questions or solving problems.

It can be a revenue driver too (especially for complaints).

68% of people are willing to pay more to buy from a brand that’s known for great customer service, and 93% are more likely to make repeat purchases from a brand if they receive good customer service.

Even if the support request comes from a problem with the product or the order (such as a defect), dealing with a complaint in a positive manner (and going above and beyond expectations) can turn what would have been an unhappy customer into a new fan of your brand. 

Pillar 2: The Offer (Getting the Second Purchase)

The second pillar is the offer that convinces a one-time customer to buy for a second time.

Purchase #2 is a key milestone. Once you break this barrier, the floodgates open, so to speak, and it becomes much more likely this person will buy a third and fourth time as well.

So this should be your core goal—not getting someone to buy ten times and spend thousands of dollars with you, but just convincing them to buy twice.

The rest will take care of itself.

But to get a second purchase, you need to offer the customer a reason for them to buy again.

You can provide an amazing experience in the first purchase, and send beautifully constructed emails to the customer every week, but it won’t matter if there’s no good reason for them to make another purchase.

There are three ways to craft an offer that gets someone to come back and buy a second time.

Product offers

Let your products be a natural reason for the customer to buy again.

• They ran out and need to re-up (consumable products, such as supplements or beauty products).
• They loved the first and want to buy another (products where it makes sense for the customer to buy multiple units; apparel, yes. Mattresses, no.)
• Complementary products (cross-sell products that go well with the original purchase; accessories, non-competing product lines like pants and shirts.)

Convenience offers

Customers pay for quality; they also pay for convenience.

Is it convenient for them to buy from you again?

For example, subscription products work because they’re convenient. The customer doesn’t need to think about running out and then having to go and buy again; it happens automatically, saving them from having to think about it.

A mobile app works well here too, making it more convenient to buy again from you (by opening the app rather than searching and finding another brand via the browser).

Learn more: How Mobile Apps Affect Profitability for DTC Brands

Discount offers

The third type of offer is a discount or financial incentive.

In competitive categories this is often a necessity. And it’s usually worth it, as it’s cheaper to reach out to an existing customer (usually through low-cost channels like email or push), and because of the value of extracting that second purchase.

This could be a discount (15% off, $10 off), a free shipping offer, a “Buy One Get One”, a discounted bundle, or any other type of financial incentive.

This also includes loyalty programs, where the customer earns points (and eventually discounts or freebies) for making multiple purchases.

Your goal is to make it worth their while to buy their next shirt from you, not some other brand that pops up on their feed.

Timing it right

Timing your offer makes a big difference in whether you’re successful in getting the second purchase.

For most products, the sweet spot is within the first 30-60 days. But it depends on what you sell. 

If you’re offering add-ons (like accessories for a gadget), it’s best to promote them right after the purchase, while the excitement is fresh. 

For consumables like supplements or beauty products, wait until they’re likely to need a refill (e.g. 25 days after delivery if it’s a 30-day supply). 

And for higher-ticket items like apparel or electronics, give them time to fall in love with their first purchase before pitching the next one. 

Use data to figure out the right cadence, and test different timings to see what works.

Pillar 3: Long-Term Retention

The third pillar is your long-term retention strategy.

How are you keeping your customers engaged and coming back consistently?

This is where your owned channels print money over time. These channels work constantly to convert new buyers into loyal, returning customers.

Emails

• Regularly email your list (multiple emails per week.)
• Personalized product recommendations based on past purchases.
• Winback email campaigns for lapsed customers.
• Regularly test and optimize your emails.

SMS

• Costs more than email; use for VIP customers, high-value offers.
• Restock reminders for consumables.
• Some customers will respond better to SMS. Test this.

Mobile apps & push notifications

• Launch an app to create a direct line to your customers.
• Regular push notifications (multiple per week at least) keep your brand top of mind.
• App-exclusive offers and product drops.
• Goal is to build a shopping habit with your app. Make it the first place they go.

Communities & UGC

• Encourage customers to share their experience and tag your brand.
• Build a loyal following of fans on social media.
• Consider launching dedicated communities (e.g. Facebook groups) for followers of your brand.

Loyalty programs

• Exclusive discounts & perks for repeat customers.
• Reward customers for coming back and buying again.

Read more: Why Email, SMS & Push Are Your Brand’s Most Dependable Revenue Channels

Tactics to Boost Retention for Different Business Models

Not all retention tactics work for every business.

Craft your retention playbook to your product type:

High AOV, Low Frequency (Luxury, Furniture, Electronics)

For high-ticket items that people don’t buy often, focus on creating a white-glove experience. 

Offer concierge-level support, like personalized thank-you calls or product tutorials to help them get the most out of their purchase. 

Extended warranties and VIP programs are also great for building trust and loyalty. 

Send a thoughtful follow-up gift to encourage repeat purchases, especially around holidays or birthdays.

Low AOV, High Frequency (CPG, Beauty, Apparel)

For products with a lower average order value but higher purchase frequency, focus on convenience and engagement. 

Replenishment reminders via email or SMS are a no-brainer for consumables, and a “Subscribe & Save” option with flexible delivery can lock in recurring revenue. 

Apps work great at providing a low-friction, easy way for customers to come back and make subsequent purchases.

Gamify your loyalty rewards to keep things fun—think points for purchases, referrals, or social shares. The goal is to make buying from you a habit, not a one-off.

Seasonal & Trend-Driven Products (Fashion, Holiday Items)

If your products are tied to seasons or trends, you need to keep the excitement alive year-round. 

Offer pre-sale exclusives for repeat buyers to make them feel special, and use personalized styling recommendations via email or SMS to inspire their next purchase. 

And don’t underestimate the power of “surprise and delight”—toss in a bonus gift or a limited-edition item for returning customers to keep them coming back.

Execution Playbook: Quick Wins vs Long-Term Strategies

If your business is struggling to keep up with rising CACs and increasingly saturated acquisition channels, converting a greater percentage of your new customers to repeat buyers will make a massive difference.

Here’s a simple playbook to execute to first drive quick wins by addressing low-hanging fruit, as well as building a long-term retention strategy that sets your brand up for sustainable growth.

Quick Wins (Next 30 Days)

1. Set up win-back and second-purchase email flows. Use your email platform to automate these—trigger a “We miss you” email for lapsed customers and a “Thanks for your purchase, here’s your next deal” email for new buyers.
2. Implement post-purchase follow-ups (SMS and push notifications are best for this). Send a quick “How’s your [product] treating you?” message a week after delivery, with a link to customer support or a survey.
3. Audit your purchase flow and find opportunities to decrease friction and improve CX.

Long-Term Retention (3-12 Months)

1. Look at your product lines—is there a good reason for customers to buy multiple times? If not, consider launching new, complementary product lines. Set up a subscription model for consumable products.
2. Launch a mobile app to make regular purchases easy, and unlock push notifications for engaging past customers (check out MobiLoud for a way to do this with minimal effort and maximum upside).
3. Test and optimize your email flows—look, in particular, at the timing of your post-purchase follow-ups, and improve based on the findings.
4. Optimize your loyalty program with better perks. Look at your data to see what rewards drive the most repeat purchases, and double down on those. Add tiers or exclusive benefits to make it irresistible.
5. Build community around your brand; encourage happy customers to post about their experience, and share UGC across social media.

Retention is the key to long-term profitability. 

Acquisition is important, but turning new customers into repeat buyers is where the bulk of your profit comes from.

In this article we’ve given you an A-Z overview of how to build a high-margin brand by increasing return customer rate.

Use this playbook as a guide for your own brand to start relying less on expensive new acquisition and more on dependable, sustainable retention revenue.