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Whale Customer

How to identify your highest-spending VIP customers in WooCommerce

Identify whale customers placing large orders

Badges orders from high-lifetime-value customers who are also placing a large current order, giving your team a clear signal to provide white-glove treatment.

Customer info
Part of: How to flag repeat customers in WooCommerce
The problem

Your most valuable customers - those with deep purchase history and high current spend - deserve premium handling. Without a flag, these whale orders blend into the queue and receive the same treatment as a first-time £20 purchase.

The solution

OrderBadger can automatically identify your highest-value customers placing large orders by combining lifetime spend, order history, and current order value.

Who this is for

Premium retailers, luxury brands, and any store where a small number of high-value customers drive a disproportionate share of revenue.

At a glance
Lifetime spend threshold: over £2000 Requires 10+ previous paid orders Current order total over £500 Routes to inbox for white-glove handling Badge: Whale Customer (green, info)
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How it works

Checks three conditions simultaneously: the customer must have over £2,000 in lifetime spend, 10 or more previous paid orders, and a current order total over £500. When all three are true, a Whale Customer badge appears and the order routes to your inbox for prioritised handling.

Prioritise these orders for immediate dispatch. Consider including a personal thank-you note, premium packaging, or a loyalty reward. These customers represent your top tier and their experience should reflect that.

Rule template

Plain English rule Customer lifetime spend is over £2000 and order total is over £500 and customer has 10 or more previous paid orders

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

Make it yours

Adjust thresholds
  • Lower 'over £2000' lifetime spend to 'over £1000' if your store's average customer lifetime value is lower and you want to widen the whale definition.
  • Reduce '10 or more previous paid orders' to '5 or more' to include customers who spend big but order less frequently.
  • Raise 'over £500' order total to 'over £750' if you only want to flag whale customers when they are placing especially large orders.
Add or remove conditions
  • Add 'and shipping is international' to focus white-glove treatment on your highest-value international orders specifically. …s over £500 and customer has 10 or more previous paid orders and shipping is international
  • Remove 'order total is over £500' to badge every order from a whale customer, even small top-up purchases.

Badge preview

Default: Whale Customer

When this rule matches

Whale Customer Large Order
Order total: £750.00  |  Previous paid orders: 15  |  Guest: no
Customer has £3,200 lifetime spend, 15 previous paid orders, and current order total of £750 - all three conditions are met.
Whale Customer Boundary Values
Order total: £500.01  |  Previous paid orders: 10  |  Guest: no
Customer has £2,000.01 lifetime spend, exactly 10 previous orders, and order total of £500.01 - all conditions just barely met.

When this rule does not match

High Spend Low Order Count
Order total: £600.00  |  Previous paid orders: 5  |  Guest: no
Customer has high lifetime spend and large order total but only 5 previous orders - does not meet the 10-order threshold.
Whale Customer Small Order
Order total: £120.00  |  Previous paid orders: 25  |  Guest: no
Customer qualifies on lifetime spend and order count but current order total of £120 is below the £500 threshold.
High Order Value Low Lifetime Spend
Order total: £650.00  |  Previous paid orders: 12  |  Guest: no
Order total exceeds £500 and order count is 12, but lifetime spend of £800 is below the £2,000 threshold.

Workflow

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

Inbox
Yes

Good to know

  • All three conditions must be true simultaneously. A high-spend customer placing a small order will not trigger the badge.
  • Guest checkouts are excluded because lifetime spend and order count require a registered customer account.
  • The thresholds are fixed in the rule text. Edit the rule to adjust them for your business.

Frequently asked questions

  • Why does this rule require all three conditions instead of just high lifetime spend?
    Combining lifetime spend, order count, and current order value ensures only genuinely engaged top-tier customers trigger the badge. A customer who spent £2,000 on one order is different from someone who has placed 15+ orders over time.
  • Does the £2,000 lifetime spend include the current order?
    No. It checks prior_gross_paid_spend, which only includes previous completed orders. The current order is evaluated separately via the order total condition.
  • Will guest checkouts ever trigger the Whale Customer badge?
    No. Lifetime spend and order count tracking require a registered customer account. Guest checkouts have null values for these fields and cannot satisfy the conditions.
  • Can I lower the thresholds to catch more customers?
    Yes. Edit the natural language rule text to change the spend, order count, or order total thresholds, then recompile. Consider what defines a 'whale' in your specific business context.

Related rules

How to recognise VIP customers by lifetime spend in WooCommerce How to badge loyal repeat customers in WooCommerce How to flag high-value orders for extra checks in WooCommerce

Try this rule in your store

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