Customer lifetime value is a metric that estimates the total revenue a business can expect from a single customer account throughout the business relationship. While new vs. returning visitor analytics can contribute valuable insights regarding visitor behavior and engagement, they do not directly provide data needed to calculate customer lifetime value.
Customer lifetime value requires a more complex analysis involving metrics such as purchase history, average transaction value, and the duration of customer relationships—data that is not captured through basic visitor category analytics alone. The focus on returning versus new visitors gives insight into visitor loyalty but doesn’t encompass the financial aspects needed to determine lifetime value.
In contrast, brand recall, visitor loyalty, and community strength can all be interpreted from the behavior of new versus returning visitors. For instance, an increase in returning visitors could be indicative of high brand recall and visitor loyalty, while the engagement levels of these groups can shed light on the strength of the community surrounding the brand.