Repeat visitors are eight times more likely to make a purchase from a Web site than first-timers, according to Web analytics firm WebSideStory.
In the first quarter of 2006, repeat visitors to consumer merchant sites converted to a sale at a rate of 12.6%, compared to just 1.5% for new visitors. Data was compiled from the behavior of 240 million Internet visits to Web sites that use WebSideStory’s HBX Analytics platform.
Return business is particularly crucial in the computers and electronics category, where repeat visitors converted to purchase at a rate of 23.1%, compared to a new-visitor conversion rate of 1.5%. By comparison, the conversion rate for repeat visitors at apparel sites was 7.6%, although that was still about six times the rate for new visitors to those sites (1.4%).
“while it has long been known that repeat visitors make better customers than new visitors, this data shows exactly how much better,” said Ali Benham, senior digital marketing consultant for WebSideStory. “For marketers of e-commerce sites, this data further drives home the importance of building customer loyalty online.”
