Win-back campaigns
Win back past customers with a conversation
Some customers ran out and forgot. Some had a bad experience. An email can't tell which. ACR calls or texts the customers you choose, asks what changed, and answers the reason they give.
The channels this campaign can use
- Voice call
- SMS
- WhatsAppnot yet on
How a lapsed customer gets back to their last order
Example: reorder link sent0:00 / 0:35
How a win-back campaign is set up
90 days
with no order before a Shopify customer counts as lapsed, by default; change it, or send your own list
30 days
before the same customer can enter the campaign again, by default
8am–9pm
the recommended window, in the customer's local time
Defaults and rules, not results.
- Still no order
- Inside the shopper's hours
- Consent on file
- Not on the suppression list
- Country allowed
- STOP and HELP first
- Hand-off not requested
- Cooldown passed
- Dispatch limit not reached
- State calling rules
The problem
Lapsed customers rarely say why
A customer who stops ordering doesn't send a note. The usual response is a win-back email with a discount, sent to everyone, whatever the reason was.
Someone who forgot needs a link. Someone who had a damaged order needs an apology and a person. A discount suits neither of them, and it costs you margin on the customers who would have come back anyway.
A short conversation finds out which one you are dealing with.
Who gets the call
You decide who counts as lost
Build the list however you already segment customers. Each group gets its own campaign, brief and offer.
Due for a reorder
They bought something that runs out, and the time it should have lasted has passed. Often all they need is the link to their last order.Bought once
One order and then nothing. Ask how it went, then whether they would like to try something else.Had a problem
A return, a complaint or a low review. Start by listening, and send anything you can't fix straight away to your team.Your biggest spenders
Customers who are worth a person's time. Let the agent reach them first and hand off when they ask.
Why a conversation
Timing matters less than asking why
A win-back email and a retargeting ad can bring someone back. Neither can find out what went wrong, and neither reaches the customer who stopped reading.
| Question | ACR call and text | Win-back email | Retargeting ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finds out why they left | Asks, and writes the answer to the run | No | No |
| Reaches someone who stopped opening email | Yes, by phone or text | No | Only if they are still browsing |
| Answers a question | Yes, from what you told it | No | No |
| Default move | Answers the reason they give | Sends a discount | Shows the product again |
| Respects opt-outs | Suppression list checked before every step | Your email tool's list | Depends on your audiences |
| Measured in | Orders matched to the campaign | Opens and clicks | Impressions and clicks |
Finds out why they left
ACR call and text
Asks, and writes the answer to the run
Win-back email
No
Retargeting ads
No
Reaches someone who stopped opening email
ACR call and text
Yes, by phone or text
Win-back email
No
Retargeting ads
Only if they are still browsing
Answers a question
ACR call and text
Yes, from what you told it
Win-back email
No
Retargeting ads
No
Default move
ACR call and text
Answers the reason they give
Win-back email
Sends a discount
Retargeting ads
Shows the product again
Respects opt-outs
ACR call and text
Suppression list checked before every step
Win-back email
Your email tool's list
Retargeting ads
Depends on your audiences
Measured in
ACR call and text
Orders matched to the campaign
Win-back email
Opens and clicks
Retargeting ads
Impressions and clicks
Step by step
How a lapsed shopper becomes a customer again
Step 1: You pick who is lapsed
Let ACR check Shopify each day for customers with no order in the days you set, or upload a file or post customers to the campaign's trigger URL.Step 2: ACR reaches out
Inside the hours and on the channels you set, if the customer's consent is on record.Step 3: The agent asks
It opens with what they bought and asks what changed.Step 4: Each reason gets an answer
They ran out, drifted, had a problem or switched brands. Your brief says what to do about each.Step 5: A link goes out
When they are ready, the agent texts the link. An order ends the run.
From the people who built it
We would rather you lost a win-back sale than a customer’s goodwill. So a no ends the conversation, and old consent gets checked like new consent.
Before you ask
Questions stores ask about win-back
Something not covered here?
Ask us on a call, or read the full list of questions.
- 01
How do consent and opt-outs work?
The same way as every campaign. With the consent check on, a customer is contacted on a channel only if you have a record of consent for it. An opt-out from any campaign holds for this one. A file upload can carry a consent column, and your counsel can say how old a consent record can be where you sell. - 02
What if a customer is annoyed by the call?
One no is enough. The agent ends the call politely, and a request not to be contacted adds them to your suppression list. - 03
How far back should we go?
Start with recent customers whose products should have run out by now, then widen it if the conversations are useful. Someone who bought nine months of supplies eleven months ago is a better first call than someone who bought a mattress two years ago. - 04
What if they bought from someone else?
That is useful to know. The agent can ask what they chose and why, and the answer shows up in Analytics if you make it one of your conversation questions.
Find out why they stopped ordering
Bring a list of customers you have lost touch with. We will look at your consent records and your offer, and tell you plainly whether a campaign like this fits.
Want to see the pricing first? See how pricing works