The ratio of orders from first-time buyers compared to all orders in a given period.
New Customer Order Ratio = New Customer Orders ÷ Total Orders
| Metric | Definition |
|---|
| New Customer Orders | Count of orders placed by customers making their first purchase |
| Total Orders | Count of all completed orders in the selected period |
| Metadata | |
|---|
| Type | Ratio |
| Data Source | Shopify |
| Aggregation | Ratio |
Example
Your store processed 1,247 orders in January with 623 from new customers:
| Metric | Value | Interpretation |
|---|
| New Customer Orders | 623 | First-time buyers |
| Total Orders | 1,247 | All orders |
| NC Order Ratio | 0.50 | 50% acquisition mix |
How It Works
Shopify identifies new customers by checking if the order is their first completed purchase in your store. The NC Order Ratio divides these first-time buyer orders by your total order count, giving you a decimal between 0 and 1 that represents your acquisition mix.
When to Use
| Scenario | Action |
|---|
| Balancing growth vs. retention | Target 0.3–0.5 ratio for healthy DTC businesses |
| Evaluating acquisition campaigns | Rising ratio during campaigns confirms new customer reach |
| Diagnosing declining revenue | Low ratio with flat sales suggests retention issues |
| Seasonal planning | Compare ratios across holiday periods to set expectations |
| Metric | Relationship |
|---|
| New Customer % | This ratio expressed as a percentage (× 100) |
| Returning Customer % | The inverse (1 − NC Order Ratio) |
| New Customers | The numerator count |
| Total Orders | The denominator count |
| New Customer Revenue Ratio | Revenue version of this metric |
