04-08-2025
How Amazon Brands Can Turn One-Time Buyers Into Lifelong Customers
Jon Stojan is Founder of First North Marketing. We help e-commerce brands get their products seen, sold and celebrated.
Few challenges in modern retail are as daunting as customer acquisition. In the world of Amazon selling, the reality is straightforward: Winning a new customer costs significantly more than nurturing an existing one. That's why smart sellers focus on boosting customer lifetime value (LTV). That means getting more revenue from people who have already bought from you by giving them more reasons to stick around.
It is often said in marketing that people need to see your product or brand seven times before they commit to a purchase. This experience-accumulating journey underscores why every interaction with your customer matters. As the saying goes, familiarity is a powerful driver for conversion, and it becomes even more potent when you are targeting those who have already interacted with your brand.
The High Price Of First Impressions
Acquiring new customers is expensive. Every click on a sponsored product ad or every impression on a search results page is a small investment in a much larger strategy. But the insights are clear: Someone who's already bought from you is way more likely to do it again. In fact, the probability of selling to an existing customer is said to be up to 14 times higher than the probability of selling to a new prospect, according to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
So instead of pouring your entire budget into chasing cold leads, it pays to double down on the people who've already raised their hand and said yes. When you start focusing on LTV, your profit margins could start to look a whole lot better.
The Magic Of Multiple Touchpoints
In online consumer behavior, I've found repetition works. Like I said above, the rule of thumb is that people need to see your product or brand seven times before they buy. But the exact number doesn't matter as much as the principle: Familiarity builds trust, and trust is likely to lead to purchases. Your job is to stay visible long enough for that trust to kick in.
Say you're selling adjustable dumbbells. A shopper might spot them in a search while browsing for home gym equipment, then again in the 'related terms' carousel while looking at resistance bands. A few days later, they see your product featured on their Amazon home screen. After abandoning their cart, a retargeting ad brings it back to their attention. Finally, once they buy a yoga mat from your brand, your dumbbells show up as a recommended item. That's not overkill. That's smart sequencing.
Using Sponsored Display Ads To Cross-Sell
One of the smartest ways I've found that can help boost customer LTV on Amazon is by running sponsored display ads that cross-sell your other products. These ads are surprisingly flexible. You don't need to be selling consumables to make them work. Whether you offer five SKUs or 50, there's usually a way to show buyers something else they'll want next.
Let's say you're selling a leather journal. After the first purchase, you might follow up with an ad for a matching pen set, a refill pack of premium paper or a leather folio. If you're in the home fitness space and someone grabs resistance bands, you could hit them with a display ad for a foam roller or a set of push-up bars. You're not trying to squeeze more money out of the buyer. You're helping them go deeper into the world your brand offers.
Also, these ads don't just show up on Amazon. They pop up across other websites your customers visit, reminding them that you've got more to offer. That kind of subtle, well-placed nudge keeps your brand in the conversation when the next buying moment comes around.
Getting More Mileage With Brand-Tailored Promotions
Display ads are great, but they're not the only way to keep customers coming back. Brand-tailored promotions can give you a direct way to reward buyers and nudge them toward their next purchase. These aren't just one-off discounts or seasonal gimmicks. When done right, they feel personal. They show your customer that you actually get them.
Think of a beauty brand offering 15% off to people who have already bought the starter skincare kit. It's a nudge to try the serum or moisturizer from the same line. Or, imagine a pet brand offering a deal on senior dog vitamins to someone who picked up large-breed senior food a few months ago. Here, you're not just blasting out coupons; you're making smart suggestions based on what your customer already said yes to. That kind of relevance is what separates a forgettable brand from one people stick with.
A Smarter Way To Grow
You don't need a spreadsheet to know that getting a new customer costs more than keeping the ones you already have. The smart move is to build your strategy around existing buyers. Growth starts to get a lot more predictable when your marketing isn't just about grabbing attention, but about keeping it.
Cross-selling with sponsored display ads and layering in brand-tailored promotions is a simple but powerful combo. It can help your brand stay visible, your offers relevant and your customers coming back without the heavy lifting of cold acquisition every time.
As I see it, sellers who focus on increasing lifetime value are playing a more sustainable game. Instead of chasing one-off wins, they're building something with staying power. In the long run, the brands that win are the ones that treat every customer like someone worth keeping.
Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
