Previous customers not only can be but should be future customers. Getting people to purchase once—let alone multiple times—is no easy task. As a marketer, what do you do with people who have passed the typical repeat purchase window?
Customers who have passed your typical repeat purchase window are called lapsed purchasers. You need a strategy in place to get lapsed buyers to shop with you again. We’ve helped brands win back thousands of lapsed purchasers, and we’ve learned a thing or two about how to make them convert again.
Re-engaging customers who aren’t purchasing again is well worth your time and effort. In fact, re-engaging lapsed purchasers:
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Is cheaper than acquiring new customers.
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Increases revenue and engagement.
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Is a great way to test your email content.
In this guide, we’ll show you where to find these customers in Drip, how to activate your Win-Back Workflow, and how to effectively market to them.
Before You Get Started
Before we dive in, we’ve taken care of a few things for you:
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Workflow logic, emails, Delays, and a Goal. When someone completes the Goal (makes another order with your store) they’ll be pulled down and won’t receive any more win-back emails.
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Email content to give you an idea of what you should include in your emails.
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This workflow uses a Trigger called “Entered a segment” so when someone meets the criteria of that Segment, that person will enter the workflow within 24 hours of meeting the criteria.
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Create the Win-Back (Lapsed Purchasers) segment using the filter parameters of "Purchase history > Person has made a purchase at least once over all time" and "has not made a purchase in the last 180 days." Then, you need to select that segment in your trigger.
Install Your Workflow
Install a pre-built Workflow into your Drip account based on your ecommerce provider:
Drip’s premade Win-back Workflow comes outfitted with all of the necessary actions, delays, and logic built in to make this strategy successful. There are three things you’ll need to do to fully set up your win-back workflow, which we will walk you through how to do.
Select Your Segment
Select your Win-back Segment in the Entered a Segment Trigger.
The "Entered a Segment" trigger ensures that the Workflow Trigger will add people who meet the Segment criteria to the Workflow in the future. Select your Segment by:
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Clicking on the Entered a segment Trigger
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Use the dropdown menu to select your Win-back (Lapsed Purchasers) Segment
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Click Update Trigger
People who meet the Win-back (Lapsed Purchasers) Segment criteria moving forward will enter into the Workflow.
Create Your Emails
The Win-Back Previous Purchasers Workflow comes with 5 emails. Feel free to start with just a few if 5 feels overwhelming:
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Win-Back #1: Drive another purchase with an incentive
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Win-Back #2: Social proof
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Win-Back #3: Offer an incentive and ask for feedback
To update your emails click on the email action node, then select Edit Email to hop into the Visual Email Builder. First things first, make this email match your brand.
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Add your header logo—and link it to your website.
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Edit the font and button colors under settings and default styles.
Second, write a subject line and email copy in your brand voice.
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We include instructions on the type of content to include in each email.
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Pro tip : think about common obstacles your customers face. What’s preventing them from making another purchase from you?
Finally, add any images that you want in your emails.
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Pro tip : Link them to your website so people can click through.
Once your emails are written and tested and this ‘flow is looking good, toggle your Workflow ON . This Trigger will fire for everyone who meets the criteria for your Win-back Segment moving forward. We’ll go over how to start people who are already in the Win-back (Lapsed Purchasers) Segment below.
Add Your Existing Win-back (Lapsed Purchasers) Segment To Your Workflow
Workflow Triggers are forward-facing, so the last step is to add everyone who is already part of your Win-back Segment to your Win-Back Workflow:
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At the top of your Workflow click Add Segment to Workflow
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Select your Win-Back (Lapsed Purchasers) Segment
This will push in all existing people in your Win-Back Segment. Let your Workflow run for a month or so, and check your Workflow Dashboard for results.