Repeat purchase rate (RPR) is the percentage of customers who make more than one purchase within a defined period. It measures how well a business keeps buyers coming back rather than relying on a constant stream of new ones. A higher RPR usually signals strong product fit, reliable fulfillment, and pricing that customers are willing to return to.
How to calculate it
Divide the number of customers who bought more than once by the total number of customers in the same window, then multiply by 100.
RPR = (customers with 2 or more orders / total customers) x 100
For example, if 400 of 1,000 customers placed a second order during the quarter, your RPR is 40 percent. Pick a period that matches your buying cycle. Consumer goods might look at 90 days, while wholesale accounts that reorder quarterly need a longer window.
Why it matters
Acquiring a new customer almost always costs more than keeping an existing one, so a rising RPR tends to lift margins and lifetime value. It is also a cleaner signal than revenue alone, because it separates genuine retention from one-off spikes. Tracking RPR over time tells you whether changes to product, service, or pricing are actually building loyalty.
RPR in B2B quoting on Shopify
B2B buyers rarely convert on the first quote and often reorder the same items on a schedule, so repeat behavior is central to the model. If you handle quotes on Shopify, watch how many buyers who accepted a first quote come back for a second. Treating quoting as an ongoing relationship, rather than a single transaction, is where retention gains come from. Keeping quote history, contacts, and past pricing in one place (closer to a CRM for quotes) makes it easier to re-quote a returning account quickly and turn a first order into a repeat one.