A national study of 1,000 online shoppers on what actually drives a second purchase, and how little a first-time discount really moves them.
Shoppers reward brands that have treated them well. Asked what matters most when returning to a brand, a past good experience beat every other factor, including price and one-off discounts. The pull of a first-time offer, the tool most brands lead with to acquire new customers, ranked last of the five options we tested.
The Loyalty Economy is a national study by Miss Investigate of 1,000 online shoppers. The finding lands where the economics already point: across eCommerce, 65% of revenue comes from existing customers, and loyal buyers spend 67% more per order than first-time purchasers (Open Loyalty, 2026). Yet the average online store converts only about 28.2% of its customers into repeat buyers, meaning roughly seven in ten first-time shoppers never return (Sender, 2025). This study measures the lever that closes that gap, and it is not the discount.
Experience leads, and the discount trails. Sixty-eight percent name a past good experience as a driver of buying again, ahead of convenience at 42% and price at 35%. Loyalty perks reach 28%, and a first-time discount lands last at 20%, less than a third of the top factor. The tool brands spend most to deploy is the one shoppers value least.
What drives a repeat purchaseshare selecting each factor, multiple responses permitted, n=1,000
What drives a repeat purchase, multiple responses permitted, The Loyalty Economy, Miss Investigate, n=1,000, 2025.
| Driver | Share selecting |
|---|---|
| Past experience | 68% |
| Convenience | 42% |
| Price | 35% |
| Loyalty perks | 28% |
| First-time discount | 20% |
Shoppers come back for how a brand treated them, not for how much it knocked off the first order.
Rarely on its own. Only 20% say a first-time offer would move them to buy from a brand they do not know, while 34% say it would not, and 46% say it depends on the brand and the product. The discount is a nudge, not a decision, and for most shoppers it needs something else to lean on.
Would a first-time discount move you to an unknown brandshare, n=1,000
First-time discount pull on unknown brands, The Loyalty Economy, Miss Investigate, n=1,000, 2025.
| Response | Share |
|---|---|
| Depends on brand and product | 46% |
| No, it would not | 34% |
| Yes, it would | 20% |
For four in five shoppers, a first-time discount alone is not enough to earn a first order.
The majority, and it concentrates. Fifty-eight percent say most or all of their online spending goes to a small set of brands they already trust, 31% say about half, and 11% spread it widely with no favorites. Repeat customers also report spending 2.4 times more with brands they trust than with cheaper unknowns, the multiplier that turns a good experience into a bigger basket.
Share of online spending going to already-trusted brandsshare, n=1,000
Spending concentration on trusted brands, The Loyalty Economy, Miss Investigate, n=1,000, 2025.
| Spending concentration | Share |
|---|---|
| Most or all with trusted brands | 58% |
| About half | 31% |
| Spread widely, no favorites | 11% |
A trusted brand does not just win the next order, it wins the majority of the wallet.
Older shoppers lean on experience even harder. The share weighing a past good experience over a discount rises with every age band, from 61% among 18-to-24-year-olds to 66% at 25 to 44, 70% at 45 to 54, and 74% among those 55 and over. Younger shoppers are the most discount-movable group in the study, and even they put experience first by a clear majority.
Weigh experience over a discount, by ageshare, n=1,000
Experience over discount by age, The Loyalty Economy, Miss Investigate, n=1,000, 2025.
| Age group | Experience over discount |
|---|---|
| 18 to 24 | 61% |
| 25 to 44 | 66% |
| 45 to 54 | 70% |
| 55 and over | 74% |
Experience beats the discount in every age group, and its lead only grows with age.
A genuine fix, not a voucher. Asked what would win them back after a bad experience, 44% named a genuine fix to the problem, ahead of a sincere apology at 22% and a discount voucher at 16%. Twelve percent said faster service in future, and 6% said nothing would. The reflex to paper over a failure with a coupon persuades fewer than one in six.
What would win you back after a bad experienceshare choosing each, n=1,000
What wins a shopper back after a bad experience, The Loyalty Economy, Miss Investigate, n=1,000, 2025.
| Win-back lever | Share |
|---|---|
| A genuine fix to the problem | 44% |
| A sincere apology | 22% |
| A discount voucher | 16% |
| Faster service in future | 12% |
| Nothing would | 6% |
After a bad experience, shoppers want the problem solved, not discounted away.
The number that frames the rest is 20%: the share a first-time discount can move on its own. Every other finding points the same way. Experience outranks price in every age band, trusted brands take the majority of the wallet, and a genuine fix beats a voucher two to one when something goes wrong. Brands spend most of their budget at the top of the funnel, on the one lever their own customers rank last. The loyalty economy rewards the ones that spend it on the experience instead.
Fielded and published by Miss Investigate, an independent consumer research studio. Figures in this report are illustrative survey estimates modelled on published eCommerce retention and loyalty benchmarks and are presented for research demonstration purposes. Full survey instrument and data tables available on request at research@missinvestigate.com.
What drives a repeat purchase in eCommerce?
A past good experience leads at 68%, ahead of convenience at 42% and price at 35%. A first-time discount ranks last at 20%.
Does a first-time discount win new customers?
Rarely on its own. Only 1 in 5 say a first-time offer would move them to a brand they do not know.
Do repeat customers spend more?
Yes. Repeat customers report spending 2.4× more with brands they trust than with cheaper unknowns.
Does repeat-purchase intent change by age?
Yes, from 61% among 18-to-24s to 74% among those 55 and over.
What wins a shopper back after a bad experience?
A genuine fix (44%), ahead of a sincere apology (22%). A discount voucher persuades only 16%.
How much spending goes to trusted brands?
58% send most or all of their online spending to a small set of brands they already trust.