Understanding New and Repeat Customer %

New Customer % and Repeat Customer % can add up to more than 100%. This article explains why, and why Polar's new and repeat counts can differ from Shopify's.

Why the two rates can add up to more than 100%

Both rates depend on the date range you select. A customer who places their first order and a later order in the same date range counts as both a new customer and a repeat customer.

For example, a customer buys for the first time on 1 June and again on 10 June. If your date range is all of June, that customer counts once in New Customer % and once in Repeat Customer %, so the two rates together go over 100%.

A shorter date range makes this less likely, because fewer customers order more than once within it.

For the formulas behind each metric, see How are my metrics calculated?.

Why Polar's numbers can differ from Shopify's

Shopify Analytics labels some orders with a customer type of N/A, even when they come from a new or returning customer. Polar doesn't use Shopify's customer type field. Instead, it works out whether each order is new or repeat from the customer's full order history. Polar doesn't count every N/A order as new, so its new and repeat totals can differ from Shopify's.