How is this different from the loyal customer or frequent reorderer rules?

Loyalty rules track overall order count. This rule adds a category-concentration dimension - it identifies customers who not only order often but also repeatedly buy from the same product category, which is the hallmark of a trade buyer stocking a workshop.

Will guest checkouts ever trigger this rule?

No. Guest orders do not accumulate purchase history. Only registered customers with linked order histories can reach the thresholds.

Can I use this for non-automotive stores?

Absolutely. The pattern of frequent orders concentrated in one category applies to any B2B-like buyer - restaurant supply customers in a food store, salon owners in a beauty retailer, or contractors in a hardware shop.

What should I offer a flagged trade customer?

Start with a percentage discount on their most-purchased category, or offer net-30 payment terms. The badge gives your sales team a natural conversation opener backed by data.

How to spot potential trade buyers in your WooCommerce store | Trade Customer? rule

The problem

Trade customers often start as regular retail buyers and gradually increase their order frequency. By the time they are placing weekly orders, they have already been paying full retail prices for months. Identifying them early lets you offer trade terms, secure their loyalty, and prevent them from switching to a competitor who offers better pricing.

The solution

OrderBadger can detect customers whose purchasing pattern suggests they are a trade buyer by combining order frequency with repeated purchases in the same category.

Who this is for

Auto parts suppliers, motor factors, and vehicle accessory shops that sell to both retail consumers and trade buyers (garages, workshops, fleet managers) and want to convert high-frequency retail accounts into formal trade accounts.

At a glance

Threshold: 10 or more orders in 365 days Category purchased 5 or more times Rolling 365-day window Routes to inbox for sales follow-up Badge: Trade Customer? (blue)

People also search for

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How it works

Checks two signals together: the customer must have placed at least 10 orders in the last 365 days, and at least one product in the current order must belong to a category the customer has purchased from 5 or more times. This pair of conditions separates habitual trade-like buyers from occasional shoppers who happen to order often.

Reach out to the customer to offer a trade account with wholesale pricing. Include the order in the inbox so your sales team can follow up. Even a small discount on their regular category purchases can lock in long-term loyalty and higher lifetime value.

Rule template

Plain English rule Customer has 10 or more orders in the last 365 days and at least one product has been purchased in its category 5 or more times by this customer

Write this (or something similar) in the OrderBadger rule builder. The AI compiler turns it into executable logic automatically.

Make it yours

Adjust thresholds

Tighten '10 or more orders' to '15 or more orders' if you want to be more certain before approaching a customer about trade pricing, reducing false positives from keen hobbyists.
Lower 'category 5 or more times' to 'category 3 or more times' if your product range is narrow and even 3 repeat category purchases is significant.

Add or remove conditions

Add 'and customer prior gross spend is over £500' to further qualify trade signals by minimum spend, filtering out high-frequency low-value accounts. …n purchased in its category 5 or more times by this customer and customer prior gross spend is over £500
Remove 'and at least one product has been purchased in its category 5 or more times by this customer' to flag all high-frequency buyers regardless of category, which is useful for general-purpose stores.

Badge preview

Default: Trade Customer?

When this rule matches

High Frequency Repeat Category Buyer

Customer has placed 14 orders in the last 365 days and has purchased in the Brake Components category 7 times - both thresholds exceeded.

Boundary 10 Orders 5 Category

Customer has exactly 10 orders in the last year and has bought from the Filters category exactly 5 times - meets both thresholds at the boundary.

When this rule does not match

Frequent Buyer No Category Concentration

Customer has 12 orders this year, but the highest category purchase count is only 3 - they buy across many categories without concentration.

Category Repeat But Infrequent

Customer has purchased from the Brake Components category 6 times, but only 4 orders in the last 365 days - order frequency is below the threshold.

Just Under Both Thresholds

Customer has 9 orders (under £10) and a highest category purchase count of 4 (under £5) - neither threshold is met.

Workflow

This rule includes workflow features that help your team act on flagged orders.

Inbox

Yes

Good to know

The rule cannot distinguish between a genuine trade buyer and a dedicated hobbyist who orders frequently. Manual judgement is needed after the flag.
Category purchase counts depend on the customer having a registered account with order history. Guest checkouts cannot build up a history.
The 365-day window resets rolling. A customer who was very active 6 months ago but quiet recently will still meet the threshold until their older orders fall outside the window.

Frequently asked questions

How is this different from the loyal customer or frequent reorderer rules?

Loyalty rules track overall order count. This rule adds a category-concentration dimension - it identifies customers who not only order often but also repeatedly buy from the same product category, which is the hallmark of a trade buyer stocking a workshop.
Will guest checkouts ever trigger this rule?

No. Guest orders do not accumulate purchase history. Only registered customers with linked order histories can reach the thresholds.
Can I use this for non-automotive stores?

Absolutely. The pattern of frequent orders concentrated in one category applies to any B2B-like buyer - restaurant supply customers in a food store, salon owners in a beauty retailer, or contractors in a hardware shop.
What should I offer a flagged trade customer?

Start with a percentage discount on their most-purchased category, or offer net-30 payment terms. The badge gives your sales team a natural conversation opener backed by data.

How to spot potential trade buyers in your WooCommerce store