{"id":99927,"date":"2022-07-15T10:03:38","date_gmt":"2022-07-15T17:03:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thegood.com\/?post_type=insights&p=99927"},"modified":"2025-05-15T09:40:57","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T16:40:57","slug":"winbacks","status":"publish","type":"insights","link":"https:\/\/thegood.com\/insights\/winbacks\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Drive Customer Retention With SaaS & Ecommerce Email Winbacks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The customer lifecycle is a rollercoaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One day someone is avidly using your app or buying your bestsellers and the next day, they\u2019ve disappeared into the ether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where did they go? And, more importantly, how can you get them back? <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SaaS and ecommerce winbacks<\/a> are crucial for business because they bring back existing customers (a.k.a. people who have already invested in your brand). Customers who already have experience with your product are likely to spend more in the future<\/a>, contribute to consistent revenue, and recommend you to their friends and family. Basically, they\u2019re the Holy Grail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But with fierce competition and a ton of choice, it\u2019s easy to lose a user\u2019s attention to the next newest, shiniest thing. It doesn\u2019t have to be forever, though. Winbacks remind customers why they chose you in the first place and give them a good reason to come back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s a SaaS and ecommerce winback?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

SaaS and ecommerce winbacks are email campaigns that aim to re-engage past customers who have become dormant. Maybe they haven\u2019t logged on in a while or maybe it’s been a few months since they made their last purchase. Either way, winback emails are perfect for staying top-of-mind and reminding past customers that you exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10 winback email strategies (with real-life examples)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The key to a good winback campaign is to let your brand shine and show customers why they should choose you <\/em>over the latest new thing. There are several ways you can do this, as highlighted in these real-life SaaS and ecommerce winback campaign examples and email templates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Make your winback campaigns segment-specific <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Every customer and every user is different. They have different needs, face different challenges, and chose your brand for different reasons. Because winback campaigns intend to re-engage, it helps to send your emails to specific segments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Someone who has bought several pairs of men\u2019s shoes from you in the past probably isn\u2019t going to be won over by a discount on women\u2019s dresses. As well as segmenting subscribers based on when they last interacted with your brand, drill down further to segment your audience based on information like what they bought, why they use your product or their job title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"busuu<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Language learning app Busuu has targeted inactive subscribers based on the language they\u2019re learning. Here, they lure a user back with a discount specifically on Japanese courses \u2013 an incentive that wouldn\u2019t be particularly enticing if the user was learning Spanish or Arabic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Offer an incentive<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Talking of incentives, offering subscribers a BOGO deal or a freebie if they re-engage can help give on-the-fence users the nudge they need. Make sure the incentive is relevant to their needs (i.e. don\u2019t offer incentives on women\u2019s dresses to subscribers who have only ever bought men\u2019s shoes) and something that will help keep them engaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Skillshare-winback-email\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Skillshare starts its winback emails with a classic \u201cwe\u2019ve missed you!\u201d before offering a discount to users that have left the Premium plan. As well as offering a discount on their first month back, Skillshare also reminds subscribers about the benefits they receive as a Premium member.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note how the offer is a discount for the first month. While we normally don’t encourage discounting your product, a one time exclusive deal to encourage reengagement can work well for SaaS brands. During this time, Skillshare can send regular emails to help users get set up again and make the most of the tool, increasing their chances of sticking around long term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Showcase your latest features<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Got something new to shout about? Include it in your winback campaigns. As well as reminding subscribers why they chose you in the first place, show them why they should choose you again <\/em>(especially if there\u2019s been an influx of competition in your market).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It helps users to see that you\u2019re consistently adding new features that tackle fresh challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Asana<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Asana\u2019s winback emails promote new content, offer new insights, and push new features. This triple threat of an update gives users all the information they need to return to the app and continue using it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Send a quiz or interactive content<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s nothing like a quiz or a piece of interactive content to increase engagement levels. There\u2019s a reason BuzzFeed\u2019s quizzes are so popular. Who doesn\u2019t <\/em>want to find out which 2000s movie star they are or what kind of house matches their personality?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quizzes also personalize your winback campaigns. They help you understand more about your customers<\/a> \u2013 if they get to the end of the quiz and click a tracked link, you can use this information to send more relevant communications in the future. You can also send a feedback email that asks lapsed customers to share their opinion on your brand, products, and their experience with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Who-Gives-a-Crap-winback-email\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Toilet roll subscription brand Who Gives a Crap sends former customers a humorous flowchart quiz where all answers point to \u201cbuy more loo roll\u201d. The quirky copy reflects the brand\u2019s personality and, while the quiz doesn\u2019t necessarily add a ton of value, it engages subscribers and is a clever way to encourage them to return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n