Shopify Customer Retention Benchmarks: What’s a ‘Good’ Retention Rate in 2025?

If you run a Shopify store, you’re probably tracking sales and new customers. But what really separates steady growth from constant struggle is how many of those buyers actually come back. In 2025, Shopify customer retention is the metric that quietly powers the most profitable stores.

What’s a “Good” Retention Rate for Shopify Stores?

For most small Shopify brands, a 20–30% repeat purchase rate is a realistic and healthy benchmark. Consumables and brands with strong loyalty programs often hit 35% or more. If you’re under 15%, it’s a warning sign that your customer retention needs work.

But averages don’t tell the whole story—your product type, price point, and follow-up strategy all play a role. The key is to measure your ecommerce retention rate consistently and watch how it changes as you make improvements.

What to Fix ASAP for Higher Retention

If your retention rate is lagging, focus on these areas first for the fastest results:

• Speed up your support: Slow replies drive customers away. Quick, helpful answers build trust and make people more likely to return.

  
  

• Personalize your follow-ups: Generic emails and SMS rarely work. Use your customer data to send relevant messages at the right time.

  
  

• Don’t overuse discounts: Relying on constant discounts can hurt your brand and margins. You can boost ecommerce retention without even using a discount by improving your post-purchase experience instead.

  
  

• Abandoned carts: Many stores lose easy sales here. Set up automated, friendly reminders—don’t just send one email and call it done. There are cart abandonment solutions that work without being pushy.

What to Improve Over Time

Once you’ve handled the basics, move on to these longer-term retention boosters:

• Build trust: Customers buy again when they believe in your brand. Focus on transparent shipping, clear returns, and consistent quality. Over time, building a brand people trust pays off in repeat business.

  
  

• Set up a retention system: Don’t rely on random campaigns. Creating an ecommerce customer retention system means mapping out each touchpoint, from first purchase to re-engagement months later. Or use Evolvoom.io, it has a system set up for you.

  
  

• Track the right metrics: Beyond just repeat purchase rate, look at customer lifetime value, churn, and engagement. Use your CRM or Shopify’s analytics to spot trends and opportunities.

How to Calculate Your Retention Rate

Here’s a simple way:
Count how many unique customers placed more than one order in the last 12 months, then divide by your total number of customers. For a step-by-step breakdown, check out how to measure your ecommerce retention rate using Shopify’s built-in tools.

Automating Retention (and Saving Your Time)

Manual follow-up is exhausting and inconsistent. Automating your Shopify customer retention flows with an AI-powered system frees up your time, ensures no customer slips through the cracks, and personalizes every message based on real behavior. With Evolvoom.io, you can recover lost sales, nurture inactive buyers, and track every step of the journey—in one platform.

Final Takeaway

If you’re hitting a 20–30% repeat rate, you’re on the right track. If not, prioritize support speed, personalize your follow-ups, and fix your abandoned cart flow right away. Over time, invest in trust-building and a real retention system. The result? Less stress, higher profits, and a business that grows on autopilot.