The repurchase cycle describes how often a customer repurchases a product. It depends largely on what you sell: shampoo, a bag of coffee, or a box of contact lenses have short, predictable cycles; a household appliance has a long one.

While the reorder lead time is the average number, the repurchase cycle is the complete pattern: how often, which products, and with what frequency.

Why does it matter?

Understanding the repurchase cycle allows you to plan ahead. Instead of sending out random promotions, you reach out to each customer when they're most likely to make another purchase.

It also helps you spot anomalies: if a customer with a 30-day cycle hasn't made a purchase in 60 days, something has changed, and you should take action.

How is it calculated?

Formula: average number of days between consecutive purchases of the same product or category, per customer or for the entire customer base.

For example, if customers who purchase a supplement make repeat purchases on days 28, 30, and 32, the repurchase cycle for that product is (28 + 30 + 32) ÷ 3 = 30 days.

Story mode

Diego buys dog food from an online store about every 30 days. The store knows this, and on the 26th, it sends him a WhatsApp message with his usual product ready to order.

Diego makes a purchase in a minute. The store didn't have to offer a discount—it just happened to be at the right time.

How to Use It with Data4Sales

Data4Sales uses each customer's consolidated purchase history to analyze their repurchase cycle:

• The "days until next purchase" model estimates when each customer is likely to return.
• Repurchase flows are triggered at the right time via WhatsApp, email, or SMS.
• Product affinity provides recommendations for items that are often purchased together.
• Orbis Copilot tells you in natural language what the cycle is for a given category.

Related terms

• Time to reorder
• Days until the next purchase
• Buyback
• Product Affinity