Key takeaways
- One brand moved its winback from day 90 to day 45 and got 22% more reorders with the same offer and message.
- Omnisend data says 45% of lapsed customers respond only after three or more touches, so one email is not a flow.
- Most CPG brands earn half their revenue from two or three hero products, so build winback around those.
Up to 70% of first-time buyers never come back for some brands. Winback is the fix, and most brands run it badly.
Over five years I have worked with 80+ brands like Bioderma, Boka and FreshCap, lifting repeat purchase rate by up to 70%. These are the five winback mistakes I see most.
Why winback is easy money
These buyers are already yours. You paid to acquire them, so every extra dollar from them is profit. Compare that with the cost of customer retention against what a new buyer costs.
More orders from the same customer means higher LTV. Winback also restarts habits. People skip their vitamins or drop their skincare routine, and a good message gets them back on track.
Mistake 1: waiting too long
Many brands send the first winback at 60, 90 or even 120 days. They assume customers reorder when ready. No one needs 90 days to decide.
One brand sent everything after day 90. We moved it to day 45 for a month and changed nothing else. Reorders rose 22%, with the same offer and the same message.
Top brands trigger winback between day 21 and day 45. If you already message well between day 30 and 45, set the winback for day 60. Otherwise start at day 45, and keep going up to 120 days.
Mistake 2: robotic messaging
“We miss you” emails no longer land. Your customers have seen them from other brands.
We now send emails written like a letter from the founder or a support person. A personal check-in. I do not say drop “We miss you”. I say mix it up.
For founder-driven DTC brands, text-based messages perform best. For marketplaces, a warm “We miss you” can still work.
Always name the product they bought, and remind them of their progress. For a supplement, do not stop your fitness journey. For skincare, do not reset your routine.
Mistake 3: one email called a flow
A single email reaches few people. You can expect 40 to 50% open rates at best, and 3 to 5% click rates. Some readers are commuting, with kids or on holiday when it lands.
We recommend at least nine emails over two months. For 8 and 9 figure brands we run 15+ emails across 120 days. Omnisend data says 45% of lapsed customers respond only after three or more touches.
Do not repeat the same message. Change the persona, the product, the offer and the timing.
Mistake 4: no link to what they bought
You already know what they bought, why they bought it and what problem they had. Use it. Build messages across four angles:
- Same problem, same product.
- Same problem, different product.
- Different problem, same product.
- Different problem, different product.
Most CPG brands make half their revenue from two or three hero products. Build your winback around those. Add loyalty points, birthdays, habits and past behavior. If you want the wider picture, my post on winning back lapsed buyers covers it.
Mistake 5: wrong channel
Customers live on email, SMS, social and apps. Many unsubscribe from marketing email and still buy your product. Reach them elsewhere with retargeting ads and SMS.
For VIPs, send direct mail: a printed piece with a custom coupon code, sometimes handwritten. Tools like PostPilot and HeyPolar run it at scale. It works well for brands with high ticket sizes.
Each channel you add gives you another chance to bring them back. Pair this with a plan for one-time buyers so fewer slip away in the first place, and check whether you are stuck in the acquisition trap.
Want me to score your retention setup? Get a free subscription audit.
