Amazon sellers face intense competition, so retaining existing customers is important for repeat sales. Customer retention, the ability to keep buyers coming back means building loyalty that leads to repeat purchases.
In practice, loyal Amazon customers will repeatedly choose your brand and products over others. Focusing on retention is usually more cost-effective than constantly acquiring new buyers: repeat customers tend to have higher average order values (AOV) and lower acquisition costs.
By nurturing relationships with existing customers, Amazon sellers can stabilize revenue, improve lifetime value (LTV), and make marketing more efficient.
Retaining buyers “reduces the effort needed to reach new customers, which can improve your Amazon advertising performance. Repeat customers are essentially pre-qualified: they already trust your brand and often buy more than once.
For example, one analysis found that product categories with high repeat purchase rates can dramatically boost recurring revenue. In short, a good retention strategy means fewer churned customers and more consistent sales over time.
Key Retention Metrics on Amazon and How to Track
Measuring retention starts with the right metrics. Key figures include Repeat Purchase Rate (RPR) and Repeat Customer Rate, which reflect how many buyers come back.
1. Repeat Purchase Behavior Report
In Amazon Brand Analytics, the Repeat Purchase Behavior report shows the percentage of orders and sales driven by repeat buyers . It also tracks Repeat Customer Count (the number of unique buyers who purchased more than once) and the share of revenue from those customers.
Under Seller Central → Brands → Brand Analytics, the “Repeat Purchase Behavior” report provides detailed retention data. To access it, log into Seller Central, select Brands in the main menu, then click Brand Analytics. In the Brand Analytics interface, choose Consumer Behavior Analytics → Repeat Purchase Behavior from the list.
Once opened, the report defaults to a “Brand View”, listing each of your brands with columns for total orders, repeat sales, repeat units, and repeat customers.
For example, “Repeat Ordered Product Sales” shows the dollar amount from orders where customers purchased your product more than once . Likewise, “Repeat Customer Count” shows how many unique buyers have reordered. Adjacent columns give “Change vs. Prior Period” and “% Share of Total Sales/Units/Customers” to see trends. For instance, if your brand had 38 repeat units out of 1404 total units, the Repeat Orders Percentage would be 2.7%.
To drill down, sellers can switch to “ASIN View” at the top of the report. This breaks retention metrics down by individual product (ASIN) . You can also set the time frame (e.g. weekly, monthly, quarterly) using the dropdown and apply filters to see specific periods or brands. The data usually refreshes within 72 hours, so you get up-to-date repeat purchase stats. Finally, Amazon lets you export the report (click “Generate Download”) to analyze it offline.
Tracking these Brand Analytics reports regularly is crucial. For example, you might use the data to identify top-reorder SKUs. If one product shows 42% of its sales coming from repeat orders, you know it has a loyal following. Armed with that knowledge, you can ensure it’s always in stock and create loyalty offers around it. By contrast, a product with very low repeat share might need improved quality, packaging, or marketing to boost loyalty.
2. Customer Loyalty Analytics
Track metrics like Average Order Frequency (how often customers reorder), Customer Lifetime Value (LTV), and Time Between Orders (TBO). Monitoring these helps sellers understand loyalty. For instance, a high RPR (e.g. 30%+ of orders from repeat buyers) indicates many customers come back, signaling strong retention.
Amazon itself highlights these metrics. The Customer Loyalty Analytics dashboard in Amazon Brand Analytics, (available to brandregistered sellers) segments buyers into loyalty tiers (Top Tier, Promising, At-Risk, Hibernating) and tracks how many are new, potential, or repeat customers. In this report, “Repeat Customers” is defined as the total number who ordered your brand’s products more than once during the time period.
Under Seller Central → Brands → Brand Analytics, the “Customer Loyalty Analytics, report provides detailed retention data.
These analytics help quantify retention. For example, if you are selling the consumables and your Repeat Purchase Rate is 1.35% (Refer to image above), then you need to work on subscribe and save or discounts to increase the repeat purchase rate.
Proven Retention Tactics for Amazon Sellers
Having the data is step one but its useless without implemention. Top retention strategies on Amazon include programs and promotions that reward loyalty, as well as excellent customer experience. Here are key tactics.
1. Amazon Brand Tailored Promotions
This is the most direct method for increasing customer retention because it allows you to move away from “spray and pray” coupons and instead offer exclusive discounts to specific shoppers based on their history with your brand.
Under Seller Central → Advertising → Brand Tailored Promotions, you can access and create promotions.
When you create a promotion in Seller Central, you will be asked to select a specific goal. Each goal has different audience segments tailored to that objective.
Goal 1: New Customer Acquisition
While this sounds like an acquisition tool, it plays a vital role in the retention lifecycle by capturing high-intent shoppers before they drift to competitors.
- In-Market Customers: Audiences actively researching products in your specific category in last 7 days but who have not bought yet.
- Views Remarketing: Shoppers who have clicked on your brand or products recently but have not purchased in the last 12 months.
- Brand Cart Abandoners: Customers who added your product to their cart in the last 30 days but haven’t purchased yet.
Goal 2: Customer Retention
This is the core of your loyalty strategy. These options allow you to reward your best customers to keep them coming back.
- One Time Customer: Customers who purchased selected products exactly once in the last 12 months but did not purchase in the last 30 days.
- Repeat Customers: Customers who purchased selected products more than once in the last 12 months but did not purchase in the last 30 days
- Brand Followers: Brand followers have clicked to follow this brand on Amazon.
Goal 3: Re-engagement
Use this to win back customers who are showing signs of churn or have stopped buying from you entirely.
- Lapsed Customers: Customers who previously purchased from you but have not bought anything in the last 12 months.
Goal 4: Cross-sell
This strategy increases Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) by introducing your existing buyers to other products in your catalog.
Complementary Product Remarketing: Targets customers who viewed or purchased products that frequently sell alongside your items (e.g., targeting a customer who bought your shampoo with a discount for your conditioner).
For instance, looking back at the example in the previous section where we identified 1,864 cart abandoners: this is a “hot” audience. Because these shoppers are already familiar with your brand and showed high intent, you should target them by selecting the New Customer Acquisition goal. This is often the quickest win for generating immediate orders.
Conversely, if your data reveals a low repeat purchase rate, you should focus on the Customer Retention goal. Specifically, target the Repeat Customers audience (shoppers who ordered more than once in the last 12 months but not in the last 30 days). This tactic is highly effective for consumables such as toiletries, supplements, or pet food that require regular replenishment.
While Amazon requires a minimum discount of 10% for these promotions, a standard offer may not be enough to win back lost sales. To effectively convert Cart Abandoners, we recommend applying a discount of at least 20% to provide the necessary nudge to finalize the purchase.
2. Subscribe & Save
This Amazon program lets customers sign up for automatic, recurring deliveries of everyday products (e.g. vitamins, toiletries). Subscriptions give a built-in incentive for loyalty Amazon offers up to 15% discounts for subscribers and ensure predictable repeat sales.
Under Seller Central → Advertising → Coupons → Create a new Coupon → Select coupon type → Subscribe & Save, you can access and create S&S coupon.
In fact, Subscribe & Save can be a powerful retention engine: “Subscribe & Save is a great way to encourage loyalty and gain recurring sales you can count on.
By enrolling your eligible SKUs, you effectively lock in repeat orders from interested buyers. Sellers should ensure Subscribe & Save items are competitively priced and consistently available, since customers rely on uninterrupted service.
3. Time-Limited Deals and Bundles
Creating bundle offers or limited-time discounts can keep customers coming back. For example, Amazon lets brands create Virtual Bundles (two to five complementary items sold together under one ASIN).
Under Seller Central → Brands → Virtual Bundles, you can access and create Virtual bundles.
Bundles can encourage customers to repurchase multiple products from your brand at once. Likewise, limited-time combo deals (e.g. “Buy 2, get 10% off”) give an extra reason to reorder and buy in volume.
Amazon’s “Frequently Bought Together” listings (market basket) can be optimized by setting bundle discounts on those combos. By incentivizing customers who buy one product to also try another, you create habit loops: a buyer who regularly needs one item can seamlessly add others.
4. Remarketing and Amazon Advertising
Amazon Sponsored Display Ads can help rekindle interest among past customers. With custom audiences of people who have viewed only or purchased your products, you can serve display or video ads to remind them of your brand.
Amazon defines remarketing as “engaging audiences who have already interacted with your brand” to encourage them to take further action.
When you create Amazon Sponsored Display ads you will select ‘Remarketing audience” and you will typically see two dynamic segments to choose from:
- Advertised Products: This targets shoppers who visited your specific product detail pages. This is your main retargeting audience, people who are already familiar with your brand.
- Similar to Advertised Products: This targets shoppers who viewed other products similar to yours (likely your competitors). This allows you to steal traffic from rival brands by showing your ad to high-intent buyers in your category.
The lookalike window defines how far back in time Amazon looks for these views. You can adjust this window typically between 14 to 90 days:
14-30 Days: Best for lower-priced impulse buys. The lead is “hot” and the product is still fresh in their mind.
60-90 Days: Better for high-ticket items where customers take weeks or months to make a decision. This casts a wider net to bring back shoppers who may have started their research months ago.
Amazon customer retention strategy means combining the right metrics, analytics, and marketing tactics to keep buyers returning. Key tools like Amazon Brand Analytics provides data to sellers to measure loyalty (repeat orders, RPR, etc.) and turn that data into action.
Programs like Brand Tailored Promotions, Subscribe & Save, strategic coupons and bundles, and remarketing campaigns and re encourage repeat business. At the same time, outstanding customer service, quality products, and continued engagement build the trust that makes customers stick around.
FAQ About Amazon Customer Retention
How do I measure customer retention on Amazon?
You can measure retention using Amazon Brand Analytics in Seller Central. The Repeat Purchase Behavior report tracks how many unique buyers purchase more than once, while the Customer Loyalty Analytics dashboard segments buyers into tiers (such as Top Tier or At-Risk) and calculates your Repeat Purchase Rate (RPR).
What is the best discount strategy for Amazon Cart Abandoners?
While Amazon requires a minimum discount of 10% for Brand Tailored Promotions, data suggests you should offer at least 20% off to effectively convert “Brand Cart Abandoners.” This higher discount provides the necessary nudge to finalize the sale for these high-intent shoppers.
What are the audience goals in Amazon Brand Tailored Promotions?
When creating a Brand Tailored Promotion, you can select four specific goals:
- New Customer Acquisition: Targets cart abandoners and recent observers.
- Customer Retention: Rewards repeat buyers and brand followers.
- Re-engagement: Targets lapsed or at-risk customers who haven’t bought recently.
- Cross-sell: Targets customers who bought complementary products.
How does the Amazon Subscribe & Save program help sellers?
Subscribe & Save increases Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) by allowing shoppers to sign up for automatic, recurring deliveries of everyday items like toiletries or vitamins. It builds habit loops and locks in repeat orders, often offering customers a discount of up to 15% in exchange for their loyalty.
What is the difference between “Advertised Products” and “Similar to Advertised Products” in remarketing?
In Amazon Sponsored Display remarketing, Advertised Products targets shoppers who visited your specific product pages (retargeting). Similar to Advertised Products targets shoppers who viewed competitor items in your category, allowing you to capture high-intent traffic from rival brands.
