One Phone Call That Doubled Our Customer LTV (and Can Do the Same for Your Shopify Store)

Let’s talk about one of the most underrated growth levers in your Shopify business: a phone call. Yep. Not a slick retargeting ad, not a new landing page, not a conversion widget. A plain, old-fashioned, phone call.

We recently dug into the data at Bold and found something shocking. Customers who had one single interaction with someone on our team—usually a support call—were twice as likely to become active, repeat users. In some cases, the activation rate jumped from 23% to over 70%. We weren’t measuring how happy the interaction was. Just the fact that it happened.

So naturally, I started thinking… why aren’t more Shopify merchants doing this?

First-Time Buyers Are Just Leads, Not Customers

Here’s a truth bomb: if someone buys from your Shopify store once, that doesn’t make them a customer. They’re a lead. A tester. A curious clicker with a credit card. But until they reorder, they haven’t actually bought into your brand.

And yet so many store owners celebrate every first-time sale like it’s a lifelong commitment. It’s not. It’s a first date. Until they come back, you’re still in the friend zone.

The Activation Gap (And How to Close It)

The real metric you should be obsessing over is repeat purchases. Those are what transform a curious buyer into a true customer. And here’s where the magic happens: activation. That’s the stage where someone has not only tried your product, but connected with your brand, understood your value, and decided, “Yep, I’m in.”

A few proven ways to drive activation:

1. Over-Communicate During the Post-Purchase Window

The best time to win over a customer is immediately after they hit that buy button. They’re excited. Curious. Hopeful. That’s your window.

Send them multiple emails in the first 24 hours. Seriously. One right after purchase, another two hours later, maybe another at six hours. This isn’t overkill—it’s onboarding. Let them know what’s coming, how to use your product, how it’s made, what to expect, and why it matters.

Brands that nail post-purchase education see up to a 32% higher repeat purchase rate according to Omnisend. And those that send at least three post-purchase emails get 90.1% more orders per campaign.

2. Educate on Features (Even the Small Ones)

You don’t need to sell software to have “features.” A candle might come in a reusable glass jar. A granola bar might be perfect for hiking trips. A t-shirt might be pre-shrunk or sustainably dyed.

The more uses a customer finds in your product, the more value they perceive, and the more likely they are to come back. Feature usage equals stickiness. Educated customers are sticky customers.

3. Just Call Them

This is the fun part. Pick up the phone and call them. No agenda. Just check in.

“Hey, this is Jay from Jay’s Candles. I just wanted to make sure your order arrived safely and that you’re enjoying it. Any questions I can help with?”

That’s it. But the impact? Massive.

Our internal tests at Bold showed that customers who spoke to someone—just once—had a 2x higher activation rate. If your average customer LTV is $100, you’re leaving $100 on the table every time you don’t call.

Make It Easy to Track in Shopify

Want to test this in your own Shopify store?

Here’s what to do:

• Head to your Shopify admin > Orders

• Filter for orders shipped 5+ days ago

• Call those customers to check in

• In the customer profile, tag them with “Phoned”

• In a few months, compare LTV and reorder rate of tagged vs. untagged customers

I’ll bet my Shopify podcast reviews that the “Phoned” group wins on every retention metric you care about.

Want More Reviews Too?

People review people, not companies. When you make that personal call, it’s the perfect time to ask, “Hey, would you mind leaving a quick review? I’ll send you the link.” Offer a $10 coupon for the effort. It works.

The truth is, your Shopify success isn’t built on transactions. It’s built on relationships. And relationships start with conversations.

You don’t need to hire a massive support team or build complex flows. Just talk to your customers. The ROI speaks for itself.

Want to prove me wrong? Tag your phoned customers, run the report in 6 months, and let me know how it turns out.

And if I’m right? Leave me a five-star review on the Shopify1Percent podcast. I won’t say “I told you so”… but I’ll definitely be thinking it.