Shoppers are more likely to convert during their first visit if there’s less friction - like not needing to create an account to check out. But after that initial purchase, they’re more open to joining your program - especially if there’s a reward waiting for them!
Use our reward historic purchases feature to re-engage those guest shoppers and show them the value of joining your loyalty program. It’s a low-effort, high-impact way to increase retention and grow customer lifetime value.
How it works
When the Reward historic purchases setting is enabled:
LoyaltyLion tracks all guest orders made within the configured timeframe (e.g. last 1 month, last 3 months, or since the program launched)
Use our best practices to drive customers to create an account post-purchase, such as by using our points earned checkout extension, or sending a post-purchase guest signup email letting them know that "You have points waiting for you... create an account now so you don't lose them!"
When a customer creates an account, they’ll automatically receive loyalty points for those past purchases
💡Tip: Make sure you email your guest shoppers post-purchase to let them know they have points waiting for them! This drives enrolment into your program and increases retention for your first-time shoppers.
See our guide on setting up your guest post-purchase Klaviyo flow here.
How to update your reward historic purchases setting
To enable or update this setting:
Go to Manage > Program settings
Scroll down to the Orders section
Use the dropdown under Reward historic purchases to select how far back you’d like to reward (e.g. 1 month, 3 months)
💡 Tip: The most popular setting is 1 month, giving you sufficient time to engage customers and drive account creation after their purchase.
Many shoppers check out as guests, especially on their first visit, because it’s quicker and easier. But getting those customers to create an account later is crucial if you want to build long-term loyalty. That’s where the Reward historic purchases setting comes in to convert them into loyalty members.
How points are awarded
LoyaltyLion tracks eligible purchases made before a customer signs up
When a customer creates an account, we award points for past orders within the timeframe you’ve set (e.g. past 30 days, 3 months, or since the program launched)
You can choose how far back to reward—this helps you align the offer with your business goals
Note: Points are awarded based on the loyalty program settings at the time the customer signs up, not when they placed the order.
For example:
If your Make a purchase rule was set to award 5 points per $1 when the order was placed, but is 1 point per $ when the customer later signs up—they’ll receive 1 point per $
If your Make a purchase rule was disabled when the order was placed, and later enabled when they sign up - the customer will earn points based on the current Make a purchase rule settings
If the Make a purchase rule was enabled when the order was placed, and later disabled when the customer enrols —they won’t earn points
FAQs
Q: When are historic purchase points awarded?
They’re awarded when a customer creates a loyalty account—not at the time of purchase. That means points won’t expire until a customer has actually joined the program.
Q: If I change the time window, will past orders be included?
Only new purchases are affected when you increase the time window. For example, if you extend the window from 1 to 3 months, we’ll only track orders placed after the change.
Q: Can customers earn more points if they enter a higher tier once they enrol?
If you use tiers, points from historic purchases are always awarded based on your default tier (i.e. tier 1).