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First-Time vs. Repeat Buyer Refund Share in German E-Commerce by Category — 2025

Results as of

Review Full Year 2025: First-time electronics buyers account for 10% of refunds but only 1.7% of orders

First-Time vs. Repeat Buyer Refund Share in German E-Commerce by Category — 2025Grouped bar chart comparing the share of orders placed by first-time buyers versus their share of refunded orders, across four German e-commerce categories in 2025. Electronics is the only category where first-time buyers are over-represented in refunds (10.1% of refunds vs. 1.7% of orders). In Fashion, Marketplaces, and Grocery, repeat buyers account for 97%+ of both orders and refunds.Grouped bar chart comparing the share of orders placed by first-time buyers versus their share of refunded orders, across four German e-commerce categories in 2025. Electronics is the only category where first-time buyers are over-represented in refunds (10.1% of refunds vs. 1.7% of orders). In Fashion, Marketplaces, and Grocery, repeat buyers account for 97%+ of both orders and refunds.
Grouped bar chart comparing the share of orders placed by first-time buyers versus their share of refunded orders, across four German e-commerce categories in 2025. Electronics is the only category where first-time buyers are over-represented in refunds (10.1% of refunds vs. 1.7% of orders). In Fashion, Marketplaces, and Grocery, repeat buyers account for 97%+ of both orders and refunds.
Info
Sample size
n = 67,929
Data date
Full Year 2025
Segment
All segments
Platform
Email
Market
Germany

Analysis

In every major German e-commerce category except electronics, refunds are overwhelmingly concentrated among repeat customers — which simply reflects that repeat buyers place the vast majority of orders. Electronics breaks this pattern decisively: first-time buyers represent just 1.7% of electronics orders but generate 10% of electronics refunds, a six-fold over-representation that strongly signals buyer's remorse. High-ticket electronics purchases — laptops, smartphones, audio equipment — involve less hands-on evaluation than in-store shopping, and new customers have no prior experience with the merchant to calibrate expectations. This pattern is consistent with broader industry findings that electronics returns are disproportionately driven by unmet expectations rather than defects. For electronics retailers, the post-purchase experience for new customers — unboxing communications, setup support, and a frictionless early return path — is the highest-leverage intervention to reduce churn and convert first buyers into repeat customers.

This analysis is based on public segment data. For deeper cuts, use our Enterprise interface.

Methodology

Shoppers are classified as first-time buyers if they placed exactly one order at a given merchant across the full 2025 observation window; repeat buyers placed two or more orders. The chart compares each group's share of total orders with their share of refunded orders within the same category. Categories with fewer than 20 refunded orders or fewer than 50 total orders are excluded. Fashion, Marketplaces, Electronics, and Grocery & Food met the threshold. The same shopper population is used for both the order and refund shares, so differences reflect genuine behavioural divergence rather than sampling artefacts.

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