Understanding New vs Existing Customers

What is New vs Existing Customers?

New vs Existing Customers tracks the breakdown of your sales between first-time customers and returning customers.
In Acanthis, this metric compares the current month's customer split against the previous month’s results to identify changes in buying patterns.

• New Customers: People purchasing from your store for the first time.

• Existing Customers: Repeat customers who have purchased from you before.

This breakdown is updated automatically as new transactions occur.

Important:
To ensure the data is accurate, make sure your e-commerce platform is properly connected to Acanthis through the Integrations section.

Why is New vs Existing Customers Important?

Understanding the balance between new and returning customers gives you essential insights into both your growth and retention strategies.

Key reasons this metric matters:

• Business Growth: A strong flow of new customers signals effective marketing and brand awareness efforts.

• Customer Loyalty: A healthy base of returning customers often means better customer satisfaction, loyalty, and higher lifetime value.

• Sales Forecasting: Returning customers tend to buy more frequently and spend more, helping create more predictable revenue streams.

• Marketing Strategy Alignment: Helps you decide whether to prioritise acquisition, retention, or both.

How New vs Existing Customers Helps Your E-commerce Business

Tracking this metric allows you to:

• Identify if you're relying too heavily on either new or existing customers.

• Tailor marketing efforts based on customer lifecycle (e.g., welcome offers vs loyalty programs).

• Detect shifts in customer behaviour early (e.g., decline in repeat purchases could signal product or service issues).

• Improve customer experience to increase lifetime value and retention
  

How New vs Existing Customers is Set Up in Acanthis

In Acanthis, the New vs Existing Customers metric:

• Is automatically calculated based on your e-commerce transaction data.

• Displays both the current month's split and a comparison to the prior month.

• Requires no manual setup, configuration, or target-setting.