New vs Returning Users, Amplitude

New vs Returning Users for Amplitude stores. Tracked live in Vortex IQ Nerve Centre. How to read it, why it matters, and how to act on it.

Metrics type: Supporting Metrics • Category: Analytics

At a glance

New vs Returning Users is a cohort metric tracked from Amplitude data. Shown as a donut by share, it splits the users active in the window into those seen for the first time and those who have returned. The balance between the two is a fast read on whether growth is coming from acquisition or from a loyal base, and a sharp shift in the mix usually points to a campaign, a seasonal spike, or a retention problem worth investigating. Cross-reference the related cards listed below for context.

What it counts	The number of new users versus returning users active in the window, displayed by share, as exposed by the Amplitude integration. Computed from the latest available data and refreshed on the standard data refresh.
Sample type	Backend API data from Amplitude, refreshed on the standard data refresh.
Why it matters	The new-to-returning balance tells you whether the business is leaning on acquisition or retention. A swing toward new users can signal a successful campaign or thinning loyalty; a swing toward returning users can signal strong retention or stalled acquisition. Either way it shapes where to spend next.
Reading the value	Read the two shares together rather than in isolation. Compare the split to the prior period to see which side is growing. A healthy mix depends on your stage and strategy, so cross-reference the siblings below for the full picture.
Currency	count
Time window	30D
Alert trigger	-
Sentiment key	amp_new_vs_returning
Roles	owner, marketing

Calculation

Calculated automatically from your Amplitude data. The card classifies each active user in the window as new or returning and renders the two counts as shares of the total in a donut. See the At a glance summary above for what the metric tracks and the worked example below for a typical reading.

Worked example

A representative reading of New vs Returning Users for a typical merchant on Amplitude. In the 30 days to 12 Mar 26 the donut shows 62% new and 38% returning. In the 30 days to 19 Mar 26 it shifts to 78% new and 22% returning. The new share has jumped because a prospecting campaign drove a wave of first-time visitors, but the returning share shrinking in absolute terms would be the real story to chase, since it can mean the loyal base is not coming back as often. The split alone does not say which it is, so it pays to read it next to retention and returning-user cards. Vortex Mind can attribute the new-user surge to the campaign and check whether returning-user counts actually fell or just got diluted; ask Ask Viq “how did the new versus returning split change this month and why” to get the breakdown in plain English.

Sibling cards merchants should reference together

Card	Why merchants reach for it
amp_new_users	The absolute new-user count behind the new share of this donut.
amp_returning_users	The absolute returning-user count behind the returning share.
amp_users	Total users, the denominator the two shares are drawn from.
amp_dau	Daily active users, to see whether a mix shift is sustained day to day.
amp_top_cohorts_by_conversion	Shows which segments convert, adding value to the raw new-or-returning split.

Reconciling against Amplitude

Where to look in Amplitude’s own dashboard:

Build the split in Event Segmentation or with a new-user behavioural cohort, grouping active users by whether their first-seen date falls inside the window. Cohorts is where you define and inspect new-user and returning-user segments directly, and Dashboards is where saved versions of this view typically live. Confirm the period boundaries and any segment filters match the Vortex IQ profile to reconcile cleanly.

Why the Vortex IQ value may legitimately differ:

Reason	Direction	What to do
Period boundary. Vortex IQ uses a rolling 30-day window by default; Amplitude views may use calendar months, which changes who counts as new.	Variable	Match the period range.
Time zone. Amplitude uses the project time zone; Vortex IQ aligns to the merchant reporting time zone, shifting first-seen dates near the boundary.	Marginal	Confirm time zone match.
Filter or segment scope. Profile-level filters (platform, test users, internal traffic) may narrow the Vortex IQ view versus an unfiltered Amplitude chart.	Variable	Match filter settings.

Cross-connector reconciliation: read the new-or-returning split against new and returning customer counts in your ecommerce connector to see whether the analytics mix matches actual buyers. For divergence investigations, use Vortex Mind.

Known limitations / merchant FAQs

Q: How often does New vs Returning Users update? The card refreshes on the standard data refresh (typically every 30-60 minutes for live integrations). For real-time signals, force a manual refresh from the dashboard.

Q: Why does my Amplitude dashboard show a different number? The most common reasons are period-boundary differences (Vortex IQ uses a rolling 30-day window vs Amplitude’s calendar months, which changes who is classed as new), time-zone alignment, and filter scope (profile-level vs Amplitude’s unfiltered view). Match these settings before assuming a real divergence.

Q: How is “new” decided? A user is new when their first-seen date falls inside the window and returning when they were seen before it. Because that hinges on the window length and time zone, two reports with different settings can classify the same user differently, which is the usual source of a mismatch.

Q: Can I customise the alert threshold? This card has no alert trigger by default, since the healthy mix varies by business. You can still set alert rules per profile in the Alert Rules tab if you want to be notified when the split moves beyond your normal range.

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Tracked live in Vortex IQ Nerve Centre

New vs Returning Users is one of hundreds of KPI pulses Vortex IQ tracks across Amplitude and 70+ other ecommerce connectors. Nerve Centre runs the detection layer; Vortex Mind investigates the cause when something moves; Ask Viq lets you interrogate any number in plain English.

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