On launch day every customer has the same balance: zero. For a new customer that is normal. For someone who has been buying from you for four years it is a disappointment - it feels like being too late for your own loyalty.
A programme that only counts from today rewards precisely those who have done nothing yet exactly as much as those who have been ordering for years. The regular sees the same zero as a stranger - and reads it as: your past purchases were worth nothing.
That is not an arithmetic problem but an expectation problem. It decides whether the first email about the new programme reads as a gift or as an insult.
The setup assistant offers a one-off run that retroactively credits existing customers the registration bonus and, if you want, the newsletter bonus. It does not recalculate past turnover.
The difference matters:
That is deliberate. A retroactive turnover run across years creates balances of a size nobody has budgeted for and turns a programme launch into an open liability of unknown scale.
If regulars are to get more, the clean way is a goal or a manual booking with a reason - not an automatic run across every order. Both are traceable in the point ledger and known in size beforehand.
1You start a manual booking under Bookings with Manual booking.
2The reason is required and stays with the booking.
A manual booking always carries a reason that stays with the booking. Even months later you can answer why a customer has 2,000 points more than their orders would give.
After the installation the window "Your loyalty program is ready" opens on the dashboard with a preview: how many customer accounts exist, how many of them have confirmed the newsletter, and how many points would be created in total.
1The window shows how many customers get which starter points and how many points that makes in total.
2Grant points starts the run.
You can also close the window without booking anything. The programme then starts at zero - a legitimate decision, but a deliberate one. You can reach it again later through the setup assistant.
The run works in blocks of 250 customers and reports its progress after each block. There is no long transaction and no lock across the whole customer table - even with six-figure customer counts the shop stays usable.
If the run breaks off, nothing is half done: what was booked is booked, and a later run carries on where this one stopped.
Every credit carries the same key as the regular registration booking. A customer who already has it does not get it again - the database will not allow it.
That is why the run is harmless even when new customers have meanwhile collected through the normal flow.
The backfill uses the same point values as everyday operation. If existing customers should get more, raise the value before the run and set it back afterwards.
| Setting | Default | What for |
|---|---|---|
| Registration bonus | 50 | points per existing account |
| Newsletter bonus | 30 | additionally for subscribers |
Where to find them in the settings (loyalty menu on the left under System → Settings):
1Default-flow point values card → Registration bonus points
2Default-flow point values card → Newsletter confirmation bonus
Like the other action bonuses, the backfill belongs to the Business plan.
No. The backfill credits the registration bonus and optionally the newsletter bonus, but it does not recalculate past turnover. That is deliberate: a retroactive turnover run creates a liability whose size nobody knows in advance.
On the dashboard under Customers → Loyalty points. Right after the installation the window "Your loyalty program is ready" opens there with a preview of the accounts involved.
Nothing doubles. Every credit carries a unique key per customer; a second booking with the same key is rejected by the database.
No. It works in blocks of 250 customers and holds no long locks. Even with six-figure customer counts the shop stays usable.
Yes. The window can be closed without booking anything. The programme then starts at zero for everyone.
A validity period caps the open liability - and the reminder email before it brings customers back.
Read on → Repeat businessWhy a growing point balance outlasts the next voucher - and what a customer year actually costs.
Read on → MarginWhy a product as a reward costs the shop less than the same amount in discount - and when a discount is still the right answer.
Read on →The plugin installs free of charge from the Shopware Store. Earning points, the dashboard and the customer account run straight away, no purchase needed.