The Costly Retargeting Problem: Why You Keep Buying the Same Customer Over and Over Again
Are you familiar with this scenario? A customer places an order in your shop, is satisfied, and disappears again. Four weeks later, you place Facebook or Google ads to bring them back. They click, buy again, and the cycle starts all over. With every repeat purchase, you pay again for the same customer.
The problem isn't that retargeting doesn't work. In fact, it works very well. The problem is that it's an endless, expensive cycle. Every purchase costs you advertising budget, even though the customer is already satisfied with your service.
Imagine: a satisfied customer who likes to buy from you has to be “bought” again via Facebook or Google before they make their next purchase. It's like having to explain the way to a regular customer in a restaurant every single time. Inefficient and expensive.
Three building blocks break this cycle permanently:
• Shopping apps for direct access without Google detours
• Subscription models for automatic repeat purchases
• Bonus programs with redeemable credit as a purchase incentive
Apps: The direct line to your customers
Apps offer convenience that browsers cannot match. Once installed, customers are permanently logged in. No forgotten passwords, no abandoned purchases on the login screen. This significantly reduces barriers to purchase.
In addition, an app creates psychological proximity. Your shop icon sits next to WhatsApp, Instagram, and other apps used daily. This presence in your customers' everyday lives is priceless—no retargeting pixel can replace it.
Push Notifications: Reach Without Click Costs
Push Notifications: Reach Without Click Costs
Push notifications are one of the biggest advantages of having an app. They achieve significantly higher open rates than newsletters: while newsletters average around 22–25% open rates (Source: Email Marketing Benchmarks 2024), push notifications typically reach 40–60% and can even go up to 90% (Source: Push Notification Statistics 2025). They appear directly on the lock screen, reaching customers instantly—without competing for attention in a crowded email inbox.
Practical example:
A pet food shop sends a push notification saying “Running low on dog food?” exactly four weeks after the customer’s last purchase. This level of timing precision is rarely matched by retargeting ads.
Another major benefit: push notifications don’t cost you a cent per click. While you pay for every click on a Facebook ad, push notifications allow you to reach your entire app audience for free. For instance, with 1,000 app users and a 50% open rate, you can reach 500 customers—without spending a single cent on advertising.
What Pushly Does for You
Pushly creates real apps for Android and iOS with your colors and logos, push notifications, real-time synchronization with your shop, and even an integrated bonus point system for JTL customers. After registering, you install the extension, complete the initial setup, and Pushly creates the apps and uploads them to both app stores without you needing any technical expertise.
The difference to other solutions: you get real apps, not just a mobile website in an app shell. This means better performance, smoother operation, and a professional look that customers trust.
How to Guide Customers to Install Your App
Smart Banner in the Mobile Shop
Automatically redirect mobile visitors to the app store. This is often the most effective driver for new installs.
App-Exclusive Coupons
Offer special incentives like “10% off only in the app” or free shipping to create a clear motivation for customers to install the app.
Integration into Existing Channels
Promote your app wherever you already communicate with customers—such as newsletters, social media, and product packaging.
How Pushly Works
Pushly transforms your JTL shop or Shopware shop into a fully-fledged shopping app. Getting started is easy and can be done in just a few steps:
1. Registration
Register at www.pushly.de and enter the coupon code QUYJ-RC39D-LRNNG. This will allow you to test Pushly free of charge for two months.
2. Install the extension
Download the Pushly extension directly from the JTL Store or the Shopware Store. Simply search for “Pushly” there.
3. Complete initial setup
During the initial setup, you will enter your logo, colors, and other basic data. You will also create your App Store accounts for Apple and Google. We have prepared instructions with images for this, so no technical know-how is required.
4. Receive your finished app
We then take care of all the technical aspects. We create your apps in the look and feel of your shop and publish them in the Apple and Google app stores.
Pushly is a white label solution. Your app appears entirely under your own name and with your branding. The standard package includes all important features. Additional custom extensions can be implemented on request.
For JTL retailers, there is also an integrated bonus points system. Every purchase is automatically rewarded with credit, which remains visible in the app and can be redeemed directly with the next purchase.
In addition, Pushly synchronizes all orders in real time. Customers do not have to re-register, but can use their existing account to log in. This means no overselling and always up-to-date inventory. Your customers remain logged in permanently and you can reach them at any time with push notifications.
Subscriptions: Repeat Purchases on Autopilot
Why Customers Love Subscriptions
Customers with regular needs appreciate the convenience of subscriptions. Coffee, pet food, cosmetics—anything that is consumed regularly is suitable for subscription models.
Studies show that subscription customers remain active 40 percent longer on average than one-time buyers. Even price increases rarely lead to cancellations because convenience is often more important than price.
This is also due to psychology: once set up, the subscription runs automatically. Customers no longer have to actively remember to order replacements. This “mental load” is eliminated, a real advantage in hectic everyday life.
Flexibility as a Success Factor
Modern customers want control. Your subscription system must be flexible: adjust delivery frequency (every 4, 6, or 8 weeks), pause or postpone individual deliveries, adjust product quantities, and cancel at any time.
This flexibility is particularly user-friendly in the app. With just a few clicks, customers can adjust their subscription to their current needs.
Loyalty Programs: The Psychology of Credit
Why Points Work Differently Than Discounts
Bonus points, which function like credit, are psychologically more powerful than traditional discounts. Customers perceive points differently than cash—they spend them more readily and collect them more actively.
At the same time, points create a “sunk cost” effect: customers don't want to let their accumulated credit expire, so they stay with you.
A practical example: A customer has collected 50 points (equivalent to 50 cents). When making their next purchase, they have two shops to choose from – yours and the competition. Although the competitor's shop may be $2 cheaper, the customer chooses your shop because they don't want to “lose” their points and are already logged in with you. These 50 cents in credit act like an invisible bond. There is no need to register.
Simple Rules, Maximum Impact
The best bonus program is the simplest: $1 spent = 1 point = 1 cent credit. No complex categories, no minimum amounts, no expiration dates. Customers understand it immediately.
The credit is permanently visible in the app and can be redeemed with a single click. This creates regular purchasing opportunities, without any retargeting.
Avoiding Common Mistakes
Avoid push spam: Quality beats quantity. It's better to send three relevant push notifications per month than irrelevant messages every day. Customers uninstall apps if they receive too many notifications.
Complicated bonus rules: If customers don't understand your bonus program right away, you'll lose them. Keep it simple: Points = money always works.
Rigid subscription models: Mandatory subscriptions without flexibility frustrate customers. They want to be able to pause, adjust, or cancel at any time.
Overloaded apps: Your app needs to be faster and simpler than the website. Too many features confuse and slow things down.
Why Mobile Commerce Is Booming
Mobile commerce is growing steadily and continuing its strong development. According to Adjust, e-commerce app installations rose by 43 percent in 2023, with sessions up 14 percent (source: Adjust Mobile App Trends 2024). This growth accelerated further in 2024, with installations increasing by 17 percent and sessions by 13 percent (source: Adjust Mobile App Trends 2025). At the same time, global mobile e-commerce sales reached $2.2 trillion and are expected to rise to $2.5 trillion in 2024 – equivalent to around 60 percent of total online retail (source: BYYD Mobile App Trends 2024). Users now spend more than 100 billion hours in shopping apps, and 91 percent of all smartphone owners make purchases directly from their devices (source: BYYD Mobile App Trends 2024).
Loyalty programs reinforce this effect. Studies show that when redeeming bonus points, customers not only buy more frequently, but also fill their shopping carts with more items (source: AppsFlyer State of eCommerce App Marketing 2024). Points feel like “free money” to them. An additional advantage: customers regularly open apps with bonus programs to check their point balance. This recurring interaction keeps your brand present—even in phases between purchases.
Practical Implementation
Which Products Are Suitable?
First things first: do you have products that are purchased regularly? These could be consumer goods such as cosmetics or coffee, B2B spare parts, or even fashion items with branding appeal. Without repeat purchases, the effort is not worth it.
Creating the Technical Requirements
Your hosting must be able to cope with the increased requirements. Redis for fast sessions, Varnish for caching, Elasticsearch for searching, and RabbitMQ for background jobs are essential. This ensures that your system runs stably even with higher traffic.
The Right App Strategy
Decide early on whether you want to have something developed or rely on ready-made solutions. Plan your communication strategy: When will you send messages? What occasions will you use? How often is too often? Define clear rules so you don't annoy your customers.
Designing a Loyalty Program
Simplicity wins: 1 euro spent = 1 point = 1 cent credit. No complex rules, no expiration dates, no minimum amounts. The credit should always be visible and easy to redeem.
Measuring Success
Define from the outset how you measure success: repurchase rate, customer loyalty, revenue per customer. Conduct regular analyses and systematically test different approaches.
The Interaction: An Ecosystem for Customer Loyalty
All three components work together to achieve maximum effect: the app makes you visible and lowers barriers to purchase. Push notifications deliver reach at the right time. Subscriptions automate repeat purchases. Bonus points reward loyalty and create opportunities to buy. maxcluster hosting ensures stable performance for all processes.
The result is a system that retains customers in the long term. You acquire new customers once, and then they return on their own.
The beauty of it is that each component reinforces the others. App users are more willing to take out subscriptions. Subscription customers automatically collect more bonus points. Point collectors open the app more often and see new products. It's a self-reinforcing cycle, but this time to your advantage.
Stable hosting: the foundation for e-commerce
Whether marketing campaigns, seasonal peaks, or recurring orders – all customer loyalty measures only work if your online shop runs reliably. Stable hosting ensures that pages load quickly, data is processed consistently, and your shop remains accessible even during high traffic.
maxcluster offers a specialized infrastructure for this purpose: optimized performance, high availability, and security—a reliable basis for sustainable online success.
Checklist for Retailers
Technical basis:
☐ Is Pushly correctly connected to my shop?
☐ Does my system run stably during peak loads?
☐ Are sessions and credit balances quickly accessible?
App & Push:
☐ Do I have clear push frequency rules?
☐ Are my push notifications relevant and timely?
☐ Is the credit prominently visible at checkout?
Measuring success:
☐ Do I measure repurchase rates and app retention?
☐ Do I track subscription rates and cancellation rates?
☐ Do I analyze credit redemption rates?
Conclusion: Breaking Free from the Costly Retargeting Cycle
Retargeting works—but it's expensive and repetitive. Apps, subscriptions, and bonus programs break this cycle for good. They make repeat purchases convenient, visible, and rewarding for your customers.
With maxcluster hosting, you can ensure that all these processes run smoothly and reliably. Instead of repeatedly spending your advertising budget on the same customers, you invest once in a system that creates long-term loyalty.
The result: more predictable sales, higher margins, and customers who are happy to stay with you.
The return on investment is impressive: while retargeting costs are incurred with every purchase, you only pay for your app and hosting once a month, regardless of how often your customers buy. The more loyal your customers become, the better your margin will be.
Author and Company
Boris Portov is the founder of Star Designz GmbH, an agency for JTL and Shopware, as well as the founder of Pushly. Pushly transforms JTL and Shopware stores into mobile apps for iOS and Android and is operated by Weblab GmbH. The solution enables retailers to obtain their own shopping app without technical know-how—complete with push notifications, real-time synchronization, and, for JTL customers, an integrated bonus point system. For more information, visit pushly.de.
