The percentage of total orders placed by customers who have purchased before.
| Metric | Definition |
|---|
| RC Orders | Orders placed by customers with at least one prior purchase |
| Total Orders | Complete count of all orders in the period |
| customer_type = returning_customer | Filter applied to identify repeat buyers |
| Metadata | |
|---|
| Type | Percentage |
| Data Source | Shopify |
| Aggregation | Ratio |
Example
Your store processed 2,450 orders in March with 1,470 from returning customers:
| Customer Type | Orders | Share |
|---|
| Returning Customers | 1,470 | 60% |
| New Customers | 980 | 40% |
How It Works
Shopify tracks whether each customer has previous orders. Returning Customer % divides orders from customers with at least one prior purchase by total orders. A high rate signals strong customer loyalty and retention.
When to Use
| Scenario | Action |
|---|
| Measuring retention success | Higher % indicates loyal customers placing repeat orders |
| Evaluating LTV potential | Strong repeat rates suggest healthy customer lifetime value |
| Seasonal trend analysis | Compare % across periods to spot retention changes |
| Balancing acquisition vs retention | Use alongside New Customer % for complete picture |
| Metric | Relationship |
|---|
| New Customer % | The inverse (100% − Returning Customer %) |
| Orders | Total orders (the denominator) |
| Returning Customers | Distinct repeat buyers |
| Returning Customer Gross Revenue | Revenue from repeat buyers |
