New users are not a small conversion problem. They are the market.
New users are 89% of visitors. Returning users prove the store can convert. The first-purchase
experience is where the value is stranded.
Why this segment won
The leverage score gap was not close: new users scored 238,902, about 8.9× the next
segment. The low rate matters because it sits on top of 240,441 users, not because it makes an
elegant chart.
- Total unique users: 270,154.
- Overall activation rate: 1.64%.
- New users: 240,441 users at 0.64% activation.
- Returning users: 29,713 users at 9.73% activation.
Why device friction was ruled out
Mobile and desktop cart-to-checkout rates were nearly identical: 44.7% for mobile and 44.3% for
desktop. A mobile-only checkout redesign is too narrow as the first move.
The stronger read is structural first-purchase friction. The intervention helps a new visitor
complete a first order before asking them to become a registered customer.