Are you measuring time to (re)purchase?
The most underrated growth metric
Hi there,
For most e-commerce and app startups, subscriptions are the holy grail. But let’s be real, they’re not always realistic, and they’re rarely the first or second purchase.
When that happens, there’s one metric you absolutely need to obsess over (even though most don’t): time to repurchase.
For e-commerce, that’s the gap between orders 1 → 2
For apps with subscriptions, that’s the time to first purchase (download → trial → paid, sign-up → paywall)
Either way, it’s time to obsess about… time.
Why does this metric matter?
I recently audited a wellness scale-up with over 50% of customers repurchasing. The absolute dream, right?
But there was a catch: the average gap between orders 1 and 2 was 45+ days — even though the product should have been used up in 14–21 days.
Here’s why that hurts:
Payback period - Especially if you aren’t profitable on your first ad.
LTV - Quicker repurchase usually means customers are happier.
Cash flow - The longer it takes for customers to buy again, the more capital you need to front-load growth. Faster repurchase = faster recycling of revenue into growth.
Retention signal - If customers aren’t coming back when they “should,” it’s an early warning that product-market fit might be weaker than surface-level repurchase rates suggest, or that people simply aren’t forming the habit of using your product.
Referrals - While referrals often occur around the moment of first purchase, someone who regularly buys is more likely to recommend you. A long lag before repurchase means fewer touchpoints and a loss of excitement.
Ok, you get it, it really matters, but how do you improve this metric that has such a strong domino effect?
How can you improve time to (re)purchase?
It all starts with building trust. Customers won’t reorder quickly if they’re not confident your product works for them. Don’t assume a single purchase equals trust; part of the post-purchase journey is actively reinforcing that confidence and showing them they made the right choice.
Here are a few other ways to help shorten the gap:
Smaller Packs / Trials: It may seem counterintuitive, but offering smaller starter packs can help customers reach the “reorder moment” more quickly. This approach works especially well if you want them to experiment with different products and find what suits them best. Keep a close eye on LTV, as lower-priced offers can sometimes attract lower-quality customers.
Onboarding/Education: Ensure customers understand exactly how and when to use your product. Most “slow” repurchases in e-commerce are actually usage gaps. Consider setting a small challenge during onboarding (like a three-day streak in a gratitude app) or clearly highlighting the benefits of frequent usage to encourage habitual behaviour.
Post-Purchase Nudges: Use triggered emails or SMS to check in before the product is expected to run out. Make reordering truly effortless. Some brands even offer discounts based on store credit earned from previous purchases, giving customers an easy incentive to restock.
Long-Term Social Proof: Highlight success stories or user-generated content from customers who have been using your product over time. Even if new buyers haven’t experienced the full benefits yet, seeing long-term results helps them believe they will eventually.
Less Talk, More Action
Let me get real with you: the wellness brand I previously mentioned sent me collagen powder. I’ve had my fair share of these products before, which you can see by the half-full bags cluttering my cupboards and driving my husband absolutely nuts.
But this time? I finished the bag. And I actually paid for a new one, all within the repurchase window. What changed?
They suggested adding the collagen to my morning coffee. And here’s the thing: I never skip my morning coffee. Then it was a simple matter of habit built, product used, results noticed.
The takeaway? If you want people to actually stick with your product, make it part of an easy, repeatable habit. Suggest exactly when and how to use it so it fits effortlessly into their daily routine.
Recommendation
In every edition of Growth Waves, I also share a related resource to check out related to the week's topic.
If you’re wondering how to speed up time to repurchase, your post-purchase emails are a powerful lever. I wrote about this in 8 Dating Mistakes You’re Making in Your Post-Purchase Email Flows, where I compare common email mistakes to dating fails.
Think:
Lovebombing → sending too many emails too fast.
Ghosting → going silent just when your customer needs you.
Jumping the gun → asking for a review before they’ve even used the product.
The point? Just like in dating, timing and trust are everything. Nail the sequence, and you’ll build customer relationships that naturally lead to quicker, more consistent reorders.
The key takeaway: Reducing time to (re)purchase is often the fastest way to boost both LTV and payback—without increasing your ad spend.
It’s not usually tracked by default on most platforms (for e-commerce, I rely on tools like Polar Analytics, Triple Whale, or Lifetimely to get these insights), but that doesn’t make it any less crucial.
Till next week,
Daphne