Amazon has an impressive customer retention rate—93% of Prime members renew after one year and 98% after two years. Yet, for most third-party sellers, the average repeat purchase rate is much lower, typically 20-40%, depending on the industry. While Amazon excels at keeping customers engaged, individual brands must work harder to retain buyers and foster loyalty.
Without a clear strategy, even satisfied customers may turn to competitors for their next purchase.
So, how do you fix it? This guide explores practical, proven strategies to improve customer retention and ensure your brand thrives on Amazon.
Why Retention Outweighs Acquisition for Growth
Repeat customers spend 67% more than first-time buyers. Many brands pour most of their resources into customer acquisition through PPC campaigns and running promotions. While this is essential for growth, focusing too much on acquisition can lead to diminishing returns if customers don’t return.
Why retention matters for Amazon sellers
For Amazon brands, customer retention impacts revenue, Amazon’s ranking algorithm, and organic visibility.
- Recurring revenue: Retained customers spend more over time and increase brand profitability
- Increased organic rankings: Amazon favors products with substantial sales velocity and repeat purchases
- Lower advertising costs: Loyal customers reduce dependence on expensive ad campaigns
- More reviews and social proof: Satisfied repeat buyers leave positive reviews, which drive conversion rates
- Higher customer lifetime value (CLV): Repeat purchases compound revenue over time, setting the stage for long-term success
Common Retention Challenges Amazon Brands Face
- Limited direct customer engagement: You don’t own the customer relationship like in a DTC model
- Lack of brand differentiation: Competing against thousands of similar products makes it harder to build loyalty
- Pricing competition: Customers can easily switch to another brand offering a lower price
- Stockouts and fulfillment issues: Running out of stock or delayed shipping creates friction for repeat buyers
Proven Strategies for Improving Customer Retention on Amazon
1. Build your brand presence
Most brands underestimate the power of a strong brand identity on Amazon. If customers recognize and trust your brand, they are more likely to return.
- Optimize your Amazon storefront: Treat your storefront like your own website, showcasing your entire product catalog, brand story, and promotions
- Use A+ Content and Enhanced Brand Content (EBC): Add high-quality images, videos, and comparison charts to create a premium shopping experience. Basic A+ Content can increase your Amazon sales by up to 8% and increase repeat purchases
Here’s the proof: SalesDuo helped Mint-X optimize A+ content, including product titles, descriptions, and images, contributing to a 290.35% increase in sales and a stronger repeat purchase rate.
- Consistent brand messaging: Ensure uniform branding across all ASINs, including product descriptions, images, and packaging
2. Use customer data for personalized marketing
How long does Amazon keep customer data?
Amazon retains customer order and transaction data for at least seven years, while personal information is kept for as long as necessary to fulfill business purposes and comply with legal obligations. This allows brands to analyze historical purchase behavior and optimize retention strategies over time.
Do note that Amazon deletes all data after 2 years of inactivity.
Amazon doesn’t provide direct access to customer emails, but you can still use Amazon Brand Analytics (ABA) and customer insights to your advantage.
- Track repeat purchase behavior and tailor remarketing campaigns accordingly
- Segment customers based on order frequency and value to create customized promotions and bundles
3. Implement Subscribe & Save for recurring purchases
Subscribe & Save program is one of the most effective ways to increase repeat purchases and drive Amazon customer retention. It’s particularly effective for replenishable products such as health supplements, household goods, pet supplies, and personal care items – products customers frequently repurchase but don’t want to order manually.
By offering automatic deliveries and exclusive discounts, Subscribe & Save creates a win-win scenario—customers save time and money while you secure consistent, long-term sales.
To get the most out of this feature:
- Offer tiered discounts to encourage higher commitment levels. Provide increasing discounts based on the number of items subscribed to, incentivizing bulk subscriptions
- Highlight convenience and cost savings in product listings. Use bullet points and lifestyle imagery to show how the product seamlessly fits into a customer’s daily routine.
- Monitor churn rates and adjust incentives. If customers are canceling subscriptions, evaluate the pricing and product bundling
- Use Amazon’s customer communication tools to send reminders about upcoming shipments, reinforce product benefits, and offer complementary product suggestions to increase the cart size
4. Use the “Buy Again’’ feature
Amazon tracks customer purchase behavior and highlights previously ordered items in a dedicated "Buy Again" section on the homepage, product listings, and cart reminders. This feature is a strategic tool designed to drive repeat purchases by using a customer’s order history. Shoppers can seamlessly reorder products they’ve previously bought, reducing the friction of searching for the same items again. The Buy Again button (with a ‘’Last purchased on…’’ tag) acts as a direct nudge to increase the likelihood of repeat purchases.
Integration with Subscribe & Save: The Buy Again feature also allows customers to seamlessly enroll in Subscribe & Save, offering additional savings and making it even easier for them to commit to recurring orders.
Check out what Niki Techen, a senior executive, says about the Buy Again feature on a LinkedIn post.
How to optimize for Buy Again visibility:
Ensure the products are consistently in stock, as out-of-stock items will not be shown under Buy Again. High fulfillment rates and fast delivery times also contribute to better positioning within the feature.
5. Bundle complementary products to enhance the shopping experience
Cross-selling and up-selling are two of the most effective strategies for increasing customer satisfaction, growing revenue, and enhancing Amazon customer retention. When executed strategically, these techniques increase order value and create a more seamless shopping experience for customers.
- Cross-selling suggests complementary products that enhance the original purchase
- Upselling encourages customers to buy a higher-end version of a product
Check out how SPAX uses cross-selling and upselling strategies to personalize the shopping experience, increase the cart value, and encourage repeat purchases.
Beyond just increasing revenue per order, these tactics contribute to customer satisfaction and long-term loyalty. By anticipating customer needs and curating relevant product bundles, you can simplify the buying process and position your brand as a go-to solution.
In addition, Amazon allows you to create virtual bundles and exclusive early access promotions for Prime members.
What types of exclusive deals can you offer to encourage repeat purchases?
Offer limited-time discounts, Buy One, Get One (BOGO) offers, exclusive bundles, or loyalty discounts for returning customers.
- Create Amazon Virtual Bundles: Offer complementary products together at a slight discount to encourage bulk purchases
- Cross-sell within product listings: Recommend related products under “Frequently Bought Together”
- Offer limited-time bundle discounts to incentivize bulk purchases
6. Engage customers with Amazon Live
Amazon Live allows you to connect with your audience in real time, providing an interactive and engaging shopping experience. Brands doing Amazon Live, in addition to static product listings, often see a 5X increase in engagement. By hosting live streams, you can show products, demonstrate their features, answer customer questions, and offer exclusive promotions, all of which encourage repeat purchases.
- Create exclusivity with limited-time offers: Introduce discounts and promotions available only during live sessions to encourage repeat purchases
- Strengthen brand identity: Host regular live sessions to create familiarity and engagement, keeping your brand top-of-mind for customers
- Tap into influencer partnerships: Collaborate with influencers on Amazon Live to reach a broader audience and establish credibility
Learn more about Amazon Live here.
7. Improve post-purchase engagement
The customer journey doesn’t end after the first purchase; how you follow up matters:
- Automate follow-up messages using Amazon’s messaging system to thank customers, provide usage tips, or FAQs
- Include inserts in packaging, like QR codes directing customers to warranty registrations, how-to videos, or exclusive VIP customer programs
- Provide exclusive discounts on your customers’ next purchase to encourage them to return
- Encourage product reviews and feedback to build trust and increase the likelihood of repeat sales
8. Build a long-term loyalty strategy
Amazon doesn’t offer traditional loyalty programs, but you can get creative:
- Offer exclusive early access to new products for repeat customers
- Run VIP discount campaigns for customers who have made multiple purchases
- Encourage satisfied customers to refer friends and family by offering rewards for successful referrals
- Leverage Amazon Attribution to drive external traffic and track repeat purchases from your own website
Key Metrics to Assess Your Customer Retention Efforts
Tracking repeat purchase behavior enables you to assess how frequently customers return. You can identify opportunities to improve retention through pricing adjustments, personalized marketing, or loyalty incentives.
How to check repeat purchase rate on Amazon
Use Amazon analytics tools to check detailed insights.
- If you’re a Vendor Central user, navigate to Reports > Analytics > Consumer Behavior Dashboards > Repeat Purchase Behavior to download your report
- If you’re a Seller Central user, go to Brands > Brand Analytics > Repeat Purchase Behavior to access the report
Track the following retention-focused metrics:
- Repeat purchase rate (RPR): The percentage of customers who make multiple purchases
- Customer lifetime value (CLV): The projected total revenue from a customer over time
- Churn rate: The percentage of customers who stop purchasing from your brand
- Average order value (AOV): Tracks whether returning customers are spending more per purchase
- Time between purchases: Understanding purchase intervals allows for more effective remarketing strategies
Improve Amazon Customer Retention With SalesDuo
Customer retention is crucial for long-term success on Amazon. With rising acquisition costs and increasing competition, focusing on retention strategies like catalog optimization and improved product page content is one of the most effective ways to drive sustained revenue growth.
For example, SalesDuo helped The Blissful Dog enhance product visibility and aggregate reviews, leading to increased conversions and repeat purchases.
With over a decade of experience in the Amazon marketplace and a team of ex-Amazon professionals, SalesDuo can help you build lasting relationships with your customers, ensuring long-term retention and sustained growth.
Schedule a call with a SalesDuo expert today to see first-hand how you can increase Amazon customer retention.
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About the Author
Meet Arjun Narayan, a Business Dynamo with two decades of conquering boardrooms and founding two companies that didn't just survive but thrived. When he's not navigating business strategies and delivery teams, you'll find him immersed in his love for cars and exploring new models, geeking out over tech trends, globe-trotting for new adventures, and occasionally pondering the mysteries of the universe over a good cup of coffee.
