Prerequisites
Before getting started, ensure you have:
Required Permissions:
Data Analytics can be accessed by users with the following permissions:
Analyst
Marketing
Marketing + Analyst
Operator
Owner
Other Requirements
Retail Analytics Pro is required to access Customer Lifecycle analytics.
How to View Customer Lifecycle Data
Navigate to Analytics > Lifecycle in your AIQ Dashboard
Review the three main sections:
Leaky Bucket
Customers Won Back
Lifecycle Distribution
⚠️ Note: Filters do not apply to this tab. However, for Leaky Bucket and Customers Won Back you can select the top toggle to see customer retention by preset time periods, ranging from the last 7 days to the last year.
Understanding Lifecycle Metrics
Leaky Bucket
What it shows:
Customer retention patterns of New, Repeat, and Gone customers.
If Gone > New, your customer base may be shrinking
Focus on win-back and retargeting campaigns to restore purchasing activity
⚠️ Note: Gone data populates faster than New. For more accurate comparisons, subtract 1–2 days from Gone when evaluating performance.
Customers Won Back
What it shows:
The number of customers who were previously classified as Gone and have since become Active again
Why it matters:
This metric measures the effectiveness of your win-back and retention efforts
Lifecycle
AIQ segments customers into lifecycle stages based on how much time has passed since their first two tracked purchases and their ongoing purchasing behavior.
Lifecycle stage placement is personalized to each customer’s buying habits.
If your Active customer segment decreases over time:
Build win-back campaigns targeting:
Idle
Absent
Highly Absent
⚠️ Note: This section shows all-time data.
How to Create a Lifecycle-Based Audience
Use Lifecycle stages to build targeted reengagement campaigns.
Navigate to Customers > Audiences > Create Audience
Select Contact Trait as your filter
Choose:
Trait: Lifecycle stage
Condition: Contains
Value: Select desired stage (e.g., Idle (FKA: Chilling), Absent, Highly Absent)
Save your audience
Use this audience in email, SMS, or retargeting campaigns
How to Use This Feature Effectively
Reengagement Campaign Strategy
Idle customers: Send reminder campaigns or limited-time offers
Absent customers: Offer stronger incentives (discounts, bundles)
Highly Absent customers: Consider aggressive win-back campaigns or product reintroduction messaging
Gone customers: Run automated win-back flows with escalating incentives
Monitoring Improvement
Track changes in:
Active customer percentage
Customers Won Back
Ratio of New vs. Gone
Improvements in these areas indicate stronger retention performance.
Need Help?
If you need assistance, reach out to AIQ Support anytime via the chat widget within your AIQ Dashboard.