What is Net Promoter Score (NPS)?
Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a customer loyalty metric based on a single question: "How likely are you to recommend this brand to a friend or colleague?" Respondents score 0-10, and NPS is calculated by subtracting the percentage of detractors (0-6) from the percentage of promoters (9-10).
Understanding Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Net Promoter Score condenses the complexity of customer sentiment into a single number ranging from -100 to +100. Its simplicity is both its greatest strength and its most common criticism. Promoters (scoring 9-10) are enthusiastic loyalists who drive referrals and repeat purchases. Passives (7-8) are satisfied but unenthusiastic—vulnerable to competitive offers. Detractors (0-6) are unhappy customers who can damage your brand through negative word-of-mouth and poor reviews.
For Shopify store owners, NPS serves as a leading indicator of business health. While revenue and conversion rate tell you how the business performed yesterday, NPS predicts how it will perform tomorrow. A declining NPS often precedes drops in repeat purchase rates and organic traffic by several months, giving you time to diagnose and address underlying issues before they hit your bottom line.
Implementing NPS effectively requires more than just sending the survey. Timing matters—asking immediately after delivery captures the unboxing experience, while waiting two weeks captures actual product usage satisfaction. Following up on individual scores matters even more. Reaching out to detractors to resolve issues can convert them into promoters, and asking promoters to leave a public review channels their enthusiasm into social proof that drives new sales.
NPS benchmarks vary by industry. E-commerce brands typically see scores between 30 and 60. Scores above 50 indicate strong customer loyalty. Scores below 20 suggest systemic issues with product quality, shipping experience, or customer service. More useful than the absolute number is the trend: a rising NPS over time, even from a modest starting point, indicates improving customer experience.
Why Net Promoter Score (NPS) Matters for E-Commerce
NPS directly correlates with organic growth potential. Promoters do not just buy more—they recruit new customers at zero acquisition cost through word-of-mouth referrals and authentic reviews. In an era of rising ad costs, a high NPS is a competitive moat that makes growth more efficient and sustainable.
For Shopify merchants, the operational value of NPS lies in its ability to segment follow-up actions. Detractor responses trigger service recovery. Passive responses identify improvement opportunities. Promoter responses become invitations to leave reviews, join loyalty programs, or participate in referral campaigns. This segmented approach turns a simple survey into an actionable customer engagement engine.
Related Terms
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
Customer lifetime value (CLV) is the total net revenue a business can expect from a single customer account throughout their entire relationship. It accounts for repeat purchases, average order value, and the duration of the customer relationship.
Review Velocity
Review velocity is the rate at which a product or store accumulates new customer reviews over a given period. It measures not just the total number of reviews, but how quickly new ones are added.
Social Proof
Social proof is a psychological phenomenon where people look to the actions and opinions of others to guide their own behavior, especially in situations of uncertainty. In e-commerce, it manifests as reviews, ratings, testimonials, purchase counts, and user-generated content that signal product quality and trustworthiness.
Post-Purchase Flow
A post-purchase flow is a sequence of automated communications and experiences delivered to customers after they complete a purchase. It typically includes order confirmations, shipping updates, review requests, cross-sell recommendations, and loyalty program invitations.
Sentiment Analysis
Sentiment analysis is the use of natural language processing (NLP) to identify and categorize the emotional tone expressed in text, classifying it as positive, negative, or neutral. In e-commerce, it is most commonly applied to customer reviews, support tickets, and social media mentions.
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