Win-back campaigns: how to bring lapsed customers back
Define when a customer counts as lapsed for your products, start with a friendly reminder of what is new, add an incentive only in later emails, and stop mailing people who never respond.
Customers drift away for ordinary reasons: they got busy, they found an alternative, or they simply forgot you. A win-back flow gives them an easy way back.
Decide when someone has lapsed
There is no universal number. Look at how long your repeat customers usually wait between orders, and treat someone as lapsed when they are well past that point.
A three-step win-back
- “Here is what is new”: no discount, just the products and news they have missed.
- Social proof: what other customers are buying and saying.
- A reason to come back: an incentive if you use one, with a clear end date.
Keep the list healthy
People who do not open or click after the full flow should be moved to a smaller, less frequent segment, or removed. Mailing people who never engage hurts deliverability for everyone else on your list.
A smaller list of people who want to hear from you beats a big list that ignores you.
Learn from the answers
Add a one-question survey to the last email: What stopped you from ordering again? The replies are often the most useful product and service feedback you will get all year.
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