What is the active customer base

The active customer base helps sales managers see how many outlets buy during a selected period. Count unique outlets, not orders, customer records or legal entities. Several qualifying transactions at one store do not increase the outlet count. Choose the event and period first, then count distinct outlet IDs with that event.

The active customer base is a count with no denominator. Active share is a separate metric: divide the active count by the agreed comparison base, then multiply by one hundred for a percentage. All active outlets must belong to that base; target outlets that have not yet bought can remain in it. A smaller base can raise the share without adding buyers, so show both counts and changes in membership. The share is undefined for an empty base and zero for a complete, non-empty base with no purchases.

Orders and shipments give different views of purchasing activity. An order-based count does not require shipment; a shipment-based count requires more than an order. Shipment does not itself confirm customer receipt. Payment of an old debt without a new purchase is financial activity, so report paying outlets separately. Fix the event, document status and date for each measure in advance.

A larger active base does not by itself prove higher revenue, profit or retention. A one-off purchase and regular orders both qualify an outlet. With overlapping rolling windows, the same purchase can appear in both periods; that is not a repeat purchase. To assess repeat buying, check distinct events. Read shipment value and assortment alongside activity for the same outlets and period, with explicit return rules.

This movement analysis uses adjacent, non-overlapping periods. Retained outlets are active in both; new outlets have their first qualifying event in the current period; reactivated outlets were active earlier, skipped the previous period and are active again now. Lapsed outlets were active in the previous period but not in the current one. No event in this window does not prove permanent customer loss.

Comparison requires the same event, comparable periods and a consistent scope. An outlet buying a category for the first time is not necessarily new to the company; transfer between branches is not acquisition either. Report territory, channel and status changes separately. Incomplete earlier history prevents a reliable distinction between new and reactivated outlets. If current documents are still arriving, the absence of a purchase is also unconfirmed.