The definition and calculation behind your active guest count
What the answer looks like
Illustrative output on sample data
Illustrative example: how Lexi answers this for a neighborhood diner chain with 16 locations. It shows the rule it uses, then the count it produces.
- Includes guests matched to a known record with at least one visit or order in the past 12 months.
- Excludes fully refunded orders, staff and test accounts.
- Counts each person once after matching email, phone and loyalty number across POS, online ordering and loyalty.
What the data shows
The rule gives 214,000 active guests. The email platform reports 288,000 and the loyalty app 131,000.
What it means
The email figure counts subscribers who never visited and duplicate addresses. The loyalty figure leaves out guests who never joined.
What to do
Agree the 12-month rule across teams and use this count in every report.
The definition can be edited, and every figure updates to match. Want the count split by location?
Why it matters
Marketing, finance and venues often report different active guest numbers, and meetings stall while people argue about which is right. Showing the definition and calculation behind the count lets everyone check it, agree one rule and trust the figure used in every report.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as an active guest?
Most groups count a guest as active if they visited or ordered within a set window, often 12 months, matched to one record per person. The right window depends on how often your guests visit, so agree it across teams and write it down.
Why do systems report different active guest counts?
Each system counts what it can see. Email platforms count subscribers, loyalty apps count members and POS counts transactions. Without matching records to people and using one time window, the numbers will never agree. Agree both rules across teams.
How often should the active guest definition be reviewed?
Review it once a year, or when your business changes, such as opening a new format with a different visit pattern. Keep a record of each version, so reports from different periods can be compared fairly.