90-day repeat purchase rate
Repeat Purchase Rate Benchmark: 90-Day Repeat Rate for DTC Brands
As of May 2026 adtribute customer panel Next update: Monthly, with a three-month cohort maturity lag
The monthly median 90-day repeat purchase rate across the DTC brands in our panel, from real ad spend and Shopify orders rather than surveys or platform averages.
What is a good repeat purchase rate for e-commerce? As of the May 2026 cohort, the median 90-day repeat purchase rate across the DTC brands in our panel is 12.03 percent, down 0.2 points from 12.21 percent a year earlier. The middle half of these brands sits between 9.31 percent and 17.27 percent.
Key takeaways
- The 90-day repeat purchase rate is the share of a month's new customers who place a second order within 90 days, measured cohort by cohort.
- As of the May 2026 cohort the median is 12.03 percent, down 0.2 points from 12.21 percent a year earlier, with the middle half of brands between 9.31 percent and 17.27 percent.
- Since January 2025 the median has ranged from 10.65 percent (December 2025) to 14.55 percent (September 2025), down 0.1 points over the full window.
- The series is a balanced panel from January 2025: the same brands in every month, so the line moves because the market moved, never because the panel changed.
The data
| Period | Lower quartile | 90-day repeat purchase rate (median) | Upper quartile |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | 9.31% | 12.03% | 17.27% |
| Apr 2026 | 8.79% | 12.59% | 17.25% |
| Mar 2026 | 9.11% | 12.07% | 16.97% |
| Feb 2026 | 9.39% | 11.80% | 18.39% |
| Jan 2026 | 9.02% | 11.88% | 18.62% |
| Dec 2025 | 7.55% | 10.65% | 15.57% |
| Nov 2025 | 8.13% | 11.75% | 16.95% |
| Oct 2025 | 9.45% | 13.52% | 20.70% |
| Sep 2025 | 10.13% | 14.55% | 20.26% |
| Aug 2025 | 9.51% | 13.30% | 19.73% |
| Jul 2025 | 9.86% | 13.35% | 17.57% |
| Jun 2025 | 9.55% | 13.39% | 17.28% |
| May 2025 | 9.21% | 12.21% | 16.57% |
| Apr 2025 | 8.78% | 12.24% | 16.04% |
| Mar 2025 | 9.09% | 11.50% | 15.91% |
| Feb 2025 | 8.90% | 12.38% | 16.57% |
| Jan 2025 | 9.50% | 12.14% | 18.21% |
By industry
Latest month, same methodology, each computed from its own balanced panel.
| Segment | May 2026 | vs all industries | vs a year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 12.03% | - | ▼ -0.2 pts |
| Beauty & personal care | 14.57% | +2.5 pts | ▲ +1.2 pts |
| Fashion & accessories | 11.11% | -0.9 pts | ▼ -0.5 pts |
| Health & nutrition | 11.91% | -0.1 pts | ▼ -1.2 pts |
| Home & living | 11.41% | -0.6 pts | ▲ +0.4 pts |
What this means for e-commerce and DTC brands
CAC tells you what a customer costs, AOV what they spend, and the repeat rate whether they come back, which is where DTC economics are decided. A rising repeat rate lets a brand tolerate rising acquisition costs, while a falling one means CAC inflation hits the P&L at full force. Compare your own cohort curves against the band before setting next year's lifetime value assumptions.
What this benchmark does not tell you
The series lags by three months because a cohort needs 90 days to mature. Repeat behavior is measured within the same shop only. Subscription, consumables and durables brands have structurally different repeat curves, so the median is a market gauge rather than a target. The panel reflects adtribute's customer base, which skews toward growth-stage direct-to-consumer brands.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good repeat purchase rate for e-commerce?
For the DTC brands in our panel, a median 12.03 percent of new customers place a second order within 90 days, measured for the the May 2026 cohort cohort. The middle half of brands sits between 9.31 percent and 17.27 percent. By industry, the median ranges from 11.11 percent in fashion & accessories to 14.57 percent in beauty & personal care. Consumables and subscriptions run well above the median, durables and gifting below it.
How do you calculate repeat purchase rate?
Take all customers whose first order falls in one month, then count how many of them order again within 90 days of that first order. Repeat purchase rate = repeat customers ÷ new customers in the cohort × 100. Example: 400 of 3,000 new customers ordering again within 90 days is 13.3 percent. A fixed window matters: rates measured over a year or over all time are far higher and not comparable.
What is the average repeat purchase rate?
The median 90-day repeat rate in our panel is 12.03 percent, and the top quarter of brands reaches more than 17.27 percent. Figures of 20 to 40 percent quoted elsewhere usually measure a longer or undefined window.
How can I increase repeat purchase rate?
Most second orders happen in the first weeks, so the post-purchase sequence matters most: a timely replenishment or cross-sell email, an offer tied to the product's usage cycle, and a subscription option for consumables. Measure each monthly cohort separately, because an overall repeat customer rate hides whether newer cohorts come back less often than older ones.
What is the difference between repeat purchase rate and retention rate?
Repeat purchase rate asks whether a new customer orders a second time within a fixed window. Retention rate asks whether customers are still active over a longer period, often measured month by month for subscriptions. Repeat rate is the earlier signal: a weak 90-day rate shows up long before annual retention numbers do.
Why does the series lag three months?
A cohort needs 90 days before its repeat rate is final. Publishing younger cohorts would understate repeat behavior and then revise upward every month, so the newest cohort is always three months old.
Where does this benchmark come from, and how often is it updated?
It is aggregated from the connected ad accounts, first-party tracking and Shopify orders of a subset of adtribute customers, all direct-to-consumer brands. The panel is balanced, the same brands in every month since January 2025, so the line moves because the market moved, not because the panel changed. Only medians and quartile bands are published, never a single brand's value, and the series updates every month.
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