Win Back Emails
Learn how to send Winback emails automatically and retain your inactive customers.
What is a Win-Back Email?
A Win-Back email is a carefully crafted message sent to re-engage inactive customers. It is primarily a motivation for inactive customers to come back and make a purchase at your store.
An inactive customer is someone who previously engaged with your store but they've not made a repeat purchase for a long time at your store.
Why are Win-Back Emails Important?
Win-Back emails play a crucial role in encouraging repeat purchases. Customers may stop purchasing for various reasons, such as switching to a competitor, no longer needing your products, or even having had a negative experience. Sending a Win-Back email is a sincere effort to re-engage them and address any concerns they may have.
What happens when you don't send these Win-Back Emails?
You miss the opportunity to learn why a customer left.
You forgo the chance to recover customers you spent significant resources acquiring.
Studies show that 61% of eCommerce revenue comes from repeat customers. Additionally, acquiring a new customer can cost up to 300% more than retaining an existing one.
Best Practices to be Followed in Win-Back Emails
To maximize the effectiveness of Win-Back emails, consider the following best practices:
Some of them are listed below:
A Catchy Subject Line
The subject line is your first chance to grab attention in a crowded inbox. A compelling subject line increases the likelihood that inactive customers will open and read your email.
Examples of effective subject lines:
"Hi Laura, We miss you at {{shop.name}}"
"Laura, here's a small gift for you"
"Many offers are waiting for you, Laura"
Email Content
The content of the email should be perfectly tailored with the intent to bring back inactive customers to the store.
Example:
Start with a warm greeting: “Hey Steffie…”
Engage with customers on a one-on-one basis. When personalized emails land in their inbox, customers sense that you miss them and genuinely want them back in your community.
Two things to be focused on in your win-back emails:
Acknowledge your inactive customers’ absence
List out what they are missing
To rekindle shopping interest, consider personalizing a coupon code for an even greater impact on your business.
Examples:
Buy one, get three free offers
Free shipping and returns
Discount coupons for purchases over a certain amount
Including a very vigorous CTA can also facilitate bringing back inactive customers
Examples:
Get your free rewards
Welcome back!
Collect your coupon
Avail 10% OFF Now!
Win-Back Email Template Examples
For a clear picture, we have come up with some examples. It will help you in drafting the mail in a refined manner. Example 1
Takeaways from this email template:
It is simple.
Offers a strong incentive
Has a clear Call-To-Action (CTA)
Example 2
Takeaways from this email template:
Visually appealing design
A strong incentive
A direct CTA
Product recommendations
Example 3
Takeaways from this email template:
Small but meaningful conversation
Benefits were highlighted
Incentives were mentioned
You can replicate any of the email templates in your win-back emails and get better customer re-engagement rates.
Here is a video tutorial on setting up win-back email automation.
How to Set Up Win-Back Email Workflow
This workflow focuses on re-engaging inactive customers and encouraging them to return with personalized offers and incentives:
Go to the Retainful dashboard -> Automation and create a new workflow.
Retainful offers a pre-built workflow template for win-back emails—designed to re-engage customers who haven’t purchased in a while with personalized incentives like unique coupons.
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1. Setting up Workflow - Trigger & Rules:
Navigate to the Retainful dashboard and select the Win-Back Email Workflow from the pre-built automation templates.
This template is designed to re-engage customers who haven’t purchased a specific time frame.
Now, you will be redirected to the ‘Automation Workflow Builder’ immediately.
2. Start of the Workflow - Trigger
To set up your win-back email workflow, customize the trigger to define when the workflow should start.
Choose a Trigger Block
Select the event that activates the workflow. For a win-back sequence, the trigger should be: "Customer hasn't purchased in [X] days."
Specify the inactivity period (e.g., 30, 60, or 90 days) based on your business goals and typical purchase frequency.
MANDATORY RULE
Include Exit Rules to automatically remove customers from the workflow if they complete the desired action.
Exit Rule: “Placed an order at least once since the start of the workflow.” This ensures that customers who purchase the workflow are no longer sent additional win-back emails.
By setting the correct trigger and exit rules, your workflow ensures relevance and avoids unnecessary or redundant emails.
3. First Wait Sequence
Wait Blocks control the time between emails, ensuring that communications are sent at the most effective intervals, helping to re-engage inactive customers without overwhelming them.
Wait Block #1:
Set a delay of 45 days after the trigger to initiate the first email in the win-back sequence. This waiting period gives inactive customers time to miss your brand and creates an opportunity to entice them back.
Customization:
Adjust the wait period based on your specific customer behavior. For example:
Shorten it to 30 days for frequent buyers.
Extend it to 60 days for customers with less frequent purchase patterns.
By tailoring the wait period, you can better align the workflow with your audience's habits and improve re-engagement rates.
4. Coupon generation settings
Set up coupon generation within your welcome email series to offer new customers a personalized discount. Choose the type of coupon you want to generate, such as:
Percentage discount (e.g., 10% off).
Fixed amount discount (e.g., $5 off).
Free shipping or other special offers
You can also set specific conditions for coupon usage, according to your preferences.
This ensures that each new subscriber receives a unique and tailored offer through your welcome email series.
5. Draft Your Win-Back Email Template
When designing a win-back email template, ensure a clean, user-friendly layout that grabs attention and encourages engagement.
Email Block
Once you customize the subject line and preview text, click the “Edit Content” button to design the email body.
Email Editor
Use the drag-and-drop editor to add or adjust text, images, and buttons. Position elements to ensure a visually appealing and responsive email layout. Once finalized, click “Save” at the top-right corner.
Coupon Code Configuration
NOTE
Add a Coupon Code: Click “Configure” to generate a unique, dynamic coupon code.
Apply Across Emails: Ensure the same coupon code is applied to all emails in the series (e.g., re-engagement emails 1, 2, and 3).
Testing Your Email Template
Send a Test Email: Use the “Send test email” feature to preview how your email will look in the recipient's inbox.
Verify that all dynamic elements (e.g., names, coupon codes) and links work correctly before activating the campaign.
NOTE
All examples provided are for demonstration purposes only.
Adjust coupon settings and email copy to match your brand and re-engagement goals.
By following these steps, you can create compelling win-back emails that encourage inactive customers to return and make another purchase.
6. First Email - Win Back Email
A Win-Back Email is sent to re-engage customers who haven’t interacted with your brand for a while. Its primary goal is to rekindle interest, remind them of your value, and encourage them to make another purchase by offering personalized incentives or showcasing new products.
Email 1: Reconnect with Gratitude
Timing: Send 45 days after the last purchase to re-engage inactive customers.
What to Say: Express your appreciation for their past support and let them know they are missed. Acknowledge their importance to your brand and offer a personalized incentive to encourage them to return, such as a discount or exclusive offer.
CTA: Motivate them to explore your latest products, check out new arrivals, or redeem the incentive provided to make their next purchase.
EXAMPLE "We miss you! It's been a while since your last visit. Here's a special [discount/code] to welcome you back. Explore what's new and treat yourself today!"
This message serves as the foundation to rebuild engagement and rekindle interest in your brand.
7. Final Wait Block
Timing: Set a delay of 3-5 days after the second email to provide enough time for the recipient to take action. This ensures a balanced pacing without overwhelming the customer.
NOTE Adjust this timing based on your campaign goals and preferences.
8. Conditional Check for Coupon Use
Purpose: Create different paths based on customer actions.
Select the Rule: Use the condition “Coupon is not used” to identify customers who haven’t redeemed their coupon yet.
Action: For customers who haven't used the coupon, proceed with the final reminder email to encourage them to take action.
IMPORTANT: Place this conditional block before the email block to ensure that the system checks coupon usage before sending an email. This avoids redundant or irrelevant messaging.
9. Send the Final Reminder
Email 2: Best-Selling Products or Limited-Time Offer
Timing: Send this email 3-5 days after Email 1 (adjust timing as per campaign needs).
What to Say:
Showcase your best-selling or most popular products.
Highlight what makes these products unique and valuable.
Emphasize the urgency by reminding them of the personalized coupon code and its expiry date.
CTA: Encourage customers to browse your top products and use their coupon code before it expires.
NOTE: Personalize the content to align with the customer’s interests and purchase history to maximize engagement.
10. Why is Adding an Exit Rule Important in Win-Back Automation?
What is an exit rule in win-back automation?
An exit rule is a condition set within the automation that removes a customer from the win-back campaign once they meet specific criteria, such as re-engaging with your brand, making a purchase, or unsubscribing.
Your Win-back email workflow will be ready now.
11. Test Your Workflow
Send yourself a test email to make sure everything looks perfect on both desktop and mobile.
Double-check your timing and triggers.
12. Activate the Workflow
Once everything looks good, hit Activate and watch your emails work their magic.
Summary
Retainful’s Win-Back Campaign Automation helps you re-engage inactive customers with personalized email workflows designed to reignite their interest. You can set triggers, such as inactivity for a specific period, to automatically reach out with tailored messages.
Incorporate dynamic coupon codes to incentivize customers to return, and use wait blocks to time follow-ups strategically, ensuring a non-intrusive experience.
With split conditions, you can segment audiences based on their responses—whether they’ve clicked a link, used a coupon, or ignored previous emails—and send highly targeted follow-ups to maximize engagement.
This automation boosts retention, recovers lost sales, and strengthens customer relationships by delivering relevant offers and content at the right time.
The next automation is Product Review Request Emaila follow-up email that targets customers based on their interaction with a product, like a purchase, view, or cart addition.
Need More Help?
We’re here to make things easier for you!
Schedule a Call: Still stuck or need a hands-on walkthrough? Book a quick session with our support team, and we’ll guide you step-by-step.
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