How to grow repeat purchases for an ecommerce store

The 30 days after a first order is when a customer is most engaged with your brand — waiting until they've forgotten you is the most common mistake.

First step: Build a 4-email flow: order confirmation follow-up with usage tips, a check-in at day 14, a review request at day 21, and a soft second-purchase nudge at day 30.

Tools

Klaviyo or Omnisend

Effort

1 day

Cost

Included in email plan

For consumables, a reminder that arrives a week before the product runs out converts far better than a generic 'we miss you' email sent on a fixed schedule.

First step: Work out average days-to-repurchase from your order data, then set a flow to trigger an email 5–7 days before that point.

Tools

Klaviyo (based on product/purchase date properties)

Effort

Half a day

Cost

£0

Loyalty points give customers a reason to come back to you specifically rather than the cheapest competitor, but only pay for one if you have enough repeat-eligible customers to justify the monthly fee.

First step: Install a loyalty app once you have 500+ customers. Start simple: points per pound spent, redeemable for a discount. Skip tiers and gamification at first.

Tools

Smile.io or Loyalty Lion

Effort

1 day setup

Cost

£29–£99 a month

Giving your best customers first access to new products or sales rewards loyalty without needing a permanent discount structure.

First step: Segment customers with 2+ orders in Klaviyo and email them a new product 48 hours before the general list.

Tools

Klaviyo segments

Effort

2 hours per launch

Cost

£0

Turning a one-off buyer into a subscriber locks in repeat revenue without you having to win them back each time.

First step: Add a subscribe-and-save option (10–15% off) at checkout on your top consumable product only — don't roll it out store-wide until you see uptake.

Tools

Recharge or Skio

Effort

1 day setup

Cost

£0–£99 a month plus app fee

SMS open rates beat email for short, time-boxed nudges like restocks or 48-hour offers, but it's easy to overuse and burn the list.

First step: Collect SMS opt-in at checkout, then send no more than 2 messages a month — restock alerts and one seasonal offer.

Tools

Postscript or Klaviyo SMS

Effort

Half a day setup

Cost

£20–£50 a month plus per-message cost

A well-timed personal-feeling email asking for feedback and mentioning a relevant second product outperforms generic 'shop again' blasts.

First step: Send a founder-voice email 45 days post-purchase asking how the product's working out, with one relevant recommendation based on what they bought.

Tools

Klaviyo

Effort

2 hours

Cost

£0

Customers who haven't ordered in 90–120 days are recoverable; past 6 months, response rates drop sharply.

First step: Build a win-back flow triggered at 90 days of inactivity: a check-in email, then a modest incentive (10%) only if the first email gets no response.

Tools

Klaviyo

Effort

Half a day

Cost

£0