Why are customers not reordering my product?
Answer
Usually because something they noticed only after using it at home made the second purchase feel unnecessary: a small flaw, a price that stopped feeling worth it, or a promise that did not show up. People can like a product and still have one of these problems, so you find them by asking people who have used the product for a while what they would change, and whether they would buy it again.
People can like a product and still not buy it again
In a home-use study of a sauce with 207 people, most qualities were rated “just about right”, yet 42 percent found it too thin. (Foods, 2024) The study did not follow what people bought next, but a flaw like that rarely reaches the brand, and it does not have to be big to end the reorder.
Small things at home decide
The verdict is often a sensory detail you would never see in a sales report: 36.4 percent of people re-wash clean clothes that do not smell clean. (Herz and others, 2022) A leaking cap, a scent that reads medicinal, a texture that turns sticky in humid weather: each is small, and each can end the reorder.
Why ratings will not tell you
Ratings come mostly from happy reviewers: in a study of Amazon reviews, 72 to 78 percent of ratings were four stars or more. (Hu, Pavlou and Zhang, 2009) And more stars pick the better product only 57 percent of the time. (de Langhe, Fernbach and Lichtenstein, 2016)
Why it matters so much
Repeat buyers are what make a consumer business cheaper to run. Nykaa’s existing customers’ share of its beauty sales rose from 55 percent to 70 percent between FY2019 and FY2021, while marketing fell from 12.85 to 6.94 percent of revenue. (Nykaa IPO prospectus)
How to find out
- Ask people who fit your buyer and have used the product at home for about two weeks.
- Ask whether they would buy it again, and at what price.
- Ask what they would change, in their own words, and rank the answers by how serious they are, not only by how often they come up.
- Check whether the promises on the pack still felt true after use.
What this means for your brand
Fix what people raise most, and re-check before you spend more on bringing new buyers in. The sample report shows a ranked criticism section and how a complaint and the repurchase answer fit together.
Sources
- Torán-Pereg and others, Foods (2024) (opens in a new tab), home-use study of a hot sauce.
- Herz and others (2022) (opens in a new tab), smell and laundry.
- Hu, Pavlou and Zhang (2009) (opens in a new tab); de Langhe, Fernbach and Lichtenstein, Journal of Consumer Research (2016) (opens in a new tab).
- Nykaa IPO prospectus (opens in a new tab).