3 Amazing New vs. Return Customer Reports in Shopify

Want to truly understand your new and returning customer behavior in Shopify? In this episode, Frank Schaefer, one of our dedicated Account Managers, shares his three favorite reports for diving deep into these critical metrics.

Connect with Frank Schaefer on LinkedIn:  

 / frankjschaefer  

1. First-Time vs Returning Customer Sales (default report)

This report is always one of the cornerstones of my marketing efforts. You need to know the number of new customers you're acquiring to calculate important metrics like CAC and determine the success of your paid ads.

↳ In the Shopify dashboard, click on 'Analytics' and then the sub tab 'Reports'. In the bar to filter reports, type in first-time and you'll see this report show up.

2. AOV by Customer Type (custom report)

Ever wondered what the buying habits of your first-time vs. returning customers look like? This report will give you a TON of insights. One of my clients (pictured below) has a new customer AOV that's almost 2x their return customer AOV.

↳ To create this report, go to dashboard, click 'Analytics', and then click 'view report'. I start here simply because I like this base template. From here, click on the column button and tick the box next to 'average order value', 'customer type', 'customers', 'average units ordered', and anything else you'd like. Then, click 'save as' to come back later!

3. Customer Type by Sales Channel (custom report)

One of my clients sells online and in their retail store. They were experiencing a decline of new customers and we couldn't pinpoint whether it stemmed from a decline in online or retail.

Thus, this report was born that gives you a breakdown of new vs. returning customers for each of your sales channels.

↳ To create this report, go to dashboard, click 'Analytics', and then click 'view report'. From here, click on the column button and tick the box next to 'customer type' and 'customers'. Viola! You can now see the breakdown of customer type by sales channel. Don't forget to hit save.

If you've ever struggled to piece together the full story of how new and returning customers differ for your Shopify store, this episode has the solutions you need.

00:00 Intro

00:31 - Default New vs Returning Customer Report

04:18 - New vs Returning Customer Average Order Value (AOV) Report

08:10 - New vs Returning Customers by Sales Channel Report

09:51 - Filtering and Saving Reports