Customer lifecycle stages group your customers by shopping behavior: recency, frequency, and order value. Use these stages to segment your audience, personalize campaigns, and reactivate at-risk buyers.
This article outlines how you can analyze customer lifecycle stages and use them in Omnisend.
What are Customer Lifecycle Stages?
Omnisend automatically assigns each customer to a lifecycle stage based on:
Recency – Days since their last order.
Frequency – Number of orders in the last 365 days.
Monetary value – Average order value compared to your store's average.
For stores with at least 100 returning customers, Omnisend calculates personalized thresholds based on your brand's typical purchase patterns. If your store doesn't have enough data yet, Omnisend uses these default thresholds:
Recent: Last purchase was less than 40 days ago.
Needs Nurturing: Last purchase was 40–90 days ago.
At Risk: Last purchase was 90–180 days ago.
About to Lose: Last purchase was over 180 days ago.
💡 For full details on how the logic is calculated, see Understand Your Customer Lifecycle Map.
The table below shows each lifecycle stage, what defines it, and the recommended goal for each customer group.
Lifecycle Stage | Description | Goal |
Recent customers | Made 1–2 purchases relatively recently | Cherish: Provide a positive post-purchase experience |
Loyalists | Made 2+ purchases relatively recently | Cherish: Show appreciation and upsell to move them to Champions |
Champions | Made 2+ purchases relatively recently with high order value | Cherish: Reward with exclusive offers and early access |
Need nurturing | Made 1–2 purchases further in the past than Recent Customers | Nurture: Keep engaged with new products and deals |
High potential | Made 2+ purchases or high-value purchases further in the past than Loyalists and Champions | Nurture: Keep informed and re-engage with targeted offers |
At risk | Made 1–2 purchases further in the past than those who Need Nurturing | Reactivate: Send win-back automation |
Can't lose | Made 2+ purchases or high-value purchases further in the past than High Potential customers | Reactivate: Go the extra mile to bring them back |
About to lose | Made their last purchase a very long time ago | Deprioritize: Limit spending on personalized reactivation |
Customer Lifecycle Stages in Segments
Each lifecycle stage lets you achieve specific goals that bring value to your business. You can create segments based on each stage to target customers with the right message.
To create a lifecycle segment, go to Audience → Customer Breakdown → Select a lifecycle stage → Click View Contacts → Save Segment.
💡 This allows you to use the created segment in campaigns and automation.
You can also build a segment from scratch using the Lifecycle Stage property and combine it with other filters such as location, order history, or engagement level. For step-by-step instructions, check the dedicated article.
Customer Lifecycle Stages in Contact Profiles
For each customer who has placed at least one order, you can view their lifecycle stage in the Contact Profile. This provides a single-customer preview of their journey and helps you personalize outreach.
Note: If a customer hasn't placed any orders, you'll see a dash next to the lifecycle stage since there's no data to analyze yet.
Use Cases
You can take specific actions to re-engage customers across all lifecycle-based segments. However, we recommend prioritizing the most valuable ones.
Focus on Loyalists and Champions to keep your brand top of mind, and consider going the extra mile to nurture and reactivate customers in the High potential and Need nurturing segments.
Customer Lifecycle Segments in Post-Purchase Automations
Send different follow-up emails to Recent customers, Loyalists, and Champions within the same automation workflow.
Tailor your messaging to each lifecycle stage: thank Recent customers, reward Champions with early access, and encourage Loyalists to refer friends. Use automation conditional splits to deliver different messages based on the customer’s lifecycle stage.
Customer Lifecycle Segments in Reactivation Automations
Set up reactivation workflows triggered when a customer enters the At risk or Can't lose segment. Send a limited-time offer or personalized incentive to bring them back.
💡 Tip: Enable Do not re-trigger workflow for contacts who have already been in this automation at any time in your trigger frequency settings. This prevents overwhelming customers who move between stages multiple times.
Customer Lifecycle Segments in Campaigns
Send exclusive offers to your VIP clients: Loyalists and Champions. Give them early access to new collections, larger discounts, or invitation-only sales.
💡 For more advanced segmentation tactics, read our blog post on customer lifecycle segmentation.
FAQ
How often are the stages recalculated?
Lifecycle stages recalculate daily, so segments update automatically.
Why is the number of customers who received my campaign lower than the number of contacts in my lifecycle segment?
Non-subscribed and unsubscribed contacts can't receive email campaigns unless they opt in. Lifecycle segments include all customers regardless of subscription status, so some may not be reachable via email.
Can I customize lifecycle stage thresholds to fit my business?
No, lifecycle stage rules are set automatically by Omnisend. However, you can create custom segments using filters like Placed Order, Average Order Value, and Customer Lifecycle Stage to build your own versions with adjusted criteria.
Why does my contact show a dash (—) instead of a lifecycle stage?
The dash appears when a contact has not placed any orders. Lifecycle stages are assigned only to customers with at least one purchase. Once they order, the system assigns a stage based on purchase behavior.
What's the difference between Loyalists and Champions?
Both have 2+ purchases and recent activity. The difference is monetary value: Champions have relatively high order values compared to your store's average, while Loyalists have typical spending patterns.
Do customers move between lifecycle stages automatically?
Yes. Customers transition between stages as their purchase behavior changes. For example, a Recent customer who hasn't purchased for 40+ days moves to Need nurturing. Stages recalculate daily, and a customer can reach the same stage multiple times.
Have questions? Contact us at [email protected] or via in-app chat.