Win-Back Emails: How to Re-engage Customers Who Stopped Visiting

What a win-back email is

A win-back (or re-engagement) email is a message sent to someone who used to interact with your store but hasn’t for a while. Unlike a newsletter, it isn’t sent to everyone on a schedule. It starts for each person when they cross a line you define, such as “no visits to the site in 60 days,” and it ends either when they come back or when the sequence runs out.

The goal is narrower than it sounds. You aren’t trying to make a sale from every email. You’re trying to answer one question for each inactive subscriber: are they still interested? If they are, a visit to your site is the first sign. If they aren’t, the kindest and safest thing is to stop emailing them.

That second outcome matters as much as the first. Mailbox providers pay attention to whether recipients engage with your mail. Yahoo’s sender best practices say plainly that “sending email to users who are not reading them, or who report them as spam, will harm your delivery metrics and reputation.” A win-back sequence is one of the cleanest ways to find those people and act on it.

Step 1: Define “inactive” for your store

Before you write anything, decide what inactivity means. This one decision determines who gets the emails, so it deserves more thought than the subject lines.

Pick a signal. The most common choices are:

Pick a period. The right number of days depends on how often people normally return. A store selling consumables that people reorder monthly might call 60 days quiet. A store selling furniture or gifts might wait six months or more. A practical way to choose: look at your own customers and ask how long the gap usually is between a first visit and a return visit. Set the inactivity period comfortably longer than that, so you don’t treat normal behavior as a problem.

Decide who is excluded. People who unsubscribed must never enter the sequence. You may also want to exclude very new subscribers (they’re still in your welcome series, if you have one) and anyone who recently contacted support with a complaint.

Step 2: Decide what you’ll offer

A win-back email needs a reason to come back. The reason doesn’t have to be a discount. Some options, roughly from least to most costly for you:

1. What’s new. New products, restocks, a new collection or a redesigned site. If something has genuinely changed since they last visited, say so.
2. Something useful. A buying guide, care instructions, a sizing chart, or an answer to the question your customers ask most.
3. A practical reminder. Your free shipping threshold, returns policy or delivery times. These remove reasons not to buy.
4. An offer. A discount code or free shipping for a limited time. Effective, but it teaches people that going quiet gets them a deal, so use it in the last email, not the first.

Whatever you choose, make sure your site says the same thing. If the email mentions a code, the checkout must accept it. If it mentions new arrivals, the link should go to a page that shows them, not to your home page.

Step 3: A three-email structure

Two or three emails over two to four weeks is enough for most small stores. Longer sequences mostly add more messages to people who have already decided not to engage.

The structure has one rule that matters more than any copy: each email goes only to people who haven’t responded to the previous one. The moment someone comes back to the site, they leave the sequence.

Email 1: “It’s been a while”

Keep it short and warm. Don’t guilt-trip, and don’t open with a discount. You’re reintroducing yourself.

1. Say hello and acknowledge the gap in one line, without making it awkward.
2. Share one or two things that are genuinely new since they were last around.
3. Give one main button that goes to the most relevant page.
4. Make the unsubscribe link easy to find. Some people will use it, and that’s fine.

Subject: New at [Store] since your last visit

Hi there,

It's been a little while, so here's a quick update.

Since you last stopped by we've added [new collection / restocked
your favorites / launched a new size range].

[ See what's new ]

Thanks for being on our list,
[Your name], [Store]

Email 2: The reason to return

About a week later, check who came back. Anyone who visited the site has re-engaged; they leave the sequence. For the rest, send something more concrete.

This is where an offer makes sense, if you’re going to use one. Keep it simple: one code, one expiry date, one minimum order (or none). Alternatively, send your three best sellers with a one-line reason each, or a short guide that helps people choose.

Subject: 15% off, just for coming back (ends Sunday)

Hi there,

If you've been meaning to come back, here's a reason:

    COMEBACK15  — 15% off your next order, until [date]

Free shipping over $50, and free returns within 30 days.

[ Use my code ]

Email 3: Ask if they still want to hear from you

The last email is the honest one. Tell people that you’ll stop emailing if you don’t hear from them, and make it easy to choose either way. Google’s sender guidelines suggest that senders “periodically send messages to confirm that recipients want to stay subscribed,” and Yahoo recommends “sending a reconfirmation email to inactive subscribers periodically.” This email does exactly that.

Subject: Should we keep sending you emails?

Hi there,

We haven't seen you in a while, and we don't want to fill your
inbox with emails you don't read.

If you'd like to keep hearing about new arrivals and offers,
just click below. If not, no hard feelings — you don't need
to do anything.

[ Yes, keep me on the list ]

Prefer to leave now? [Unsubscribe]

The “keep me on the list” button should link to a page on your site. That way, clicking it counts both as a click and as a return visit, and the person leaves the sequence as re-engaged.

Step 4: Stop the sequence when people come back

The most common win-back mistake is sending “we miss you” to someone who browsed your site yesterday. It looks careless, and it’s easy to avoid if the sequence checks for a return visit before each email.

Return visits are a better exit signal than opens. A visit means a real person came to your site, while an open might be an automatic image download. Clicks are good too, and a click on a link to your site usually produces a visit anyway.

When someone does come back, two things are worth doing:

1. Mark them. Add a tag such as “won-back” with the date, so you can see later how many people the sequence recovered and whether they stayed active.
2. Make the return visit count. If you can show a message to returning visitors on your site (for example, a banner shown to people whose last visit was more than 30 days ago), use it to repeat the offer from your email. See How to Show Different Messages to First-Time and Returning Visitors for how that targeting works and where it falls short.

Step 5: Decide what happens to people who never respond

After the last email, some people will still be silent. You have three options:

Google’s email sender guidelines say: “Consider unsubscribing recipients who don’t open or read your messages.” That’s good advice even if it feels like shrinking your list. A smaller list of people who read your email is worth more than a larger one full of people who ignore it, because the ignoring itself works against you.

Whatever you choose, tag these contacts (“inactive-no-response”) so they don’t re-enter the win-back sequence a month later and receive the same three emails again.

Deliverability and legal basics for win-back email

Win-back emails go to the people least likely to engage, so they carry more risk than most of your mail. A few rules from official sources are worth keeping in front of you. This is a summary, not legal advice.

Spam rate. Google requires senders to keep spam rates reported in Postmaster Tools below 0.3%, and its best practice is to stay below 0.1%. Yahoo’s sender best practices also say to keep your spam rate below 0.3%. Inactive subscribers who no longer remember signing up are exactly the people who press “Report spam,” which is another reason to keep the sequence short.

Unsubscribes. Under the FTC’s CAN-SPAM guidance, you must honor an opt-out within 10 business days, and your opt-out mechanism must work for at least 30 days after you send. Google’s sender FAQ recommends fulfilling unsubscribe requests within 48 hours, and Yahoo says to honor unsubscribes within 2 days. In practice, aim to stop all marketing email immediately.

Only email people who signed up. Google’s guidelines say: “Don’t send messages to people who didn’t sign up to get messages from you.” A win-back sequence is for your own subscribers, not for addresses from anywhere else.

Honest subject lines. CAN-SPAM prohibits deceptive subject lines. Avoid tricks like “Re:” or “Your order” in a win-back email that isn’t about an order.

Authentication. Google requires all senders to set up SPF or DKIM for their sending domain, with stricter requirements for high-volume senders. If you haven’t checked yours, read SPF, DKIM and DMARC Explained for Small Store Owners. For the full CAN-SPAM picture, see the CAN-SPAM compliance checklist, and if you have subscribers in the EU, GDPR and Email Marketing: Consent Basics.

Building a win-back journey in marketingLABO

In marketingLABO, automated email sequences are called journeys, and they’re part of the Standard plan (see the pricing section). When you create a new journey, one of the starting options is “Re-engage users who haven’t visited in a while,” shown on the plans page as the “Win back inactive visitors” template.

The trigger has two settings. First, the dormancy criteria: what counts as inactive. Options include no activity of any kind (the recommended default), no visits to your site, and your emails not being opened. Second, the period: the number of days without that activity before someone is treated as inactive. The check runs once a day, and you can apply the journey to all contacts or to contacts you choose.

The template starts with this flow, which you can then edit:

1. Trigger: a contact has been inactive for the number of days you set.
2. Send email: “It’s been a while — here’s what’s new.”
3. Wait: 7 days, ending at 9:00.
4. Branch — returned to the site? Yes: send a “thanks for visiting” email with an offer, then end at the goal “Re-engaged.” No: end at the exit “Still dormant.”

To turn the template into the three-email structure above, add a second wait and branch on the “Did not return” path: send email 2, wait again, check for a return visit again, then send email 3. Add tags such as “won-back” and “inactive-no-response” at the ends of the paths so you can find those contacts later. You might also move the offer from the “returned” path to email 2, depending on whether you want to reward people for coming back or give them a reason to.

Each journey shows daily figures for the audience, sends, opens and clicks, and which stage each person is at. People who unsubscribe don’t receive the remaining emails in the journey. Other branches are available too: opened or didn’t open, clicked or didn’t click, viewed a specific page or didn’t, and email known or unknown.

Two limits to be aware of. marketingLABO isn’t connected to your e-commerce platform, so it can’t see orders: inactivity is based on site visits and email activity, not on time since last purchase, and emails can’t include past orders or cart contents. If you need a “no purchase in 90 days” trigger, that belongs in your store platform’s own email tools. Also, the “Win back” template is a journey, so it isn’t available on the Free or Light plans. On Light, you can still send email newsletters to people who signed up, with open and click tracking.

If you haven’t set up your first automated sequence yet, How to Build a Welcome Email Series walks through the same parts (triggers, waits, branches) for new subscribers. You can sign up free and upgrade from Plan in the dashboard when you need journeys.

How to measure a win-back sequence

Judge the sequence by what happens to people, not by open rate. Useful numbers:

Expect a large share of people to end in the “no response” path. That isn’t failure. It’s the sequence doing its other job: telling you who to stop emailing.

Common mistakes

1. Setting the inactivity period too short. If normal customers return every two months, a 30-day trigger will email people who aren’t inactive at all.
2. Leading with a discount. It trains people to go quiet and wait. Save offers for the second email.
3. No exit for people who return. Check for a return visit before every email.
4. Relying on opens alone. Automatic opens make some inactive subscribers look engaged, and they never enter the sequence.
5. Re-entering the same people every month. Tag people who finished without responding and keep them out.
6. Never removing anyone. If silent subscribers stay on every newsletter, the win-back sequence hasn’t solved anything.
7. Guilt-trip copy. “Did we do something wrong?” rarely brings people back, and it can feel manipulative.

Checklist

1. Inactivity signal chosen (ideally “no activity of any kind” or “no site visits”), not opens alone.
2. Inactivity period longer than your customers’ normal gap between visits.
3. Unsubscribed contacts and people in the welcome series excluded.
4. Two or three emails, each sent only to people who haven’t come back.
5. A wait before every branch, so people have time to respond.
6. Offer (if any) in the second email, and the checkout accepts the code.
7. Final email asks clearly whether they want to stay subscribed.
8. Tags at each end: “won-back” and “inactive-no-response.”
9. A plan for non-responders: unsubscribe or stop marketing email.
10. Postal address and a working unsubscribe link in every email.

FAQ

How long should I wait before someone counts as inactive?
Longer than your customers’ normal gap between visits or orders. For many small stores that’s somewhere between two and six months, but your own data is the best guide.

Should a win-back email include a discount?
It can, but not necessarily in the first email. Try a “what’s new” message first and see how many people come back without one.

How many win-back emails should I send?
Two or three. Beyond that you’re mostly emailing people who have already decided.

Is it bad to delete inactive subscribers?
No. Google’s sender guidelines suggest considering unsubscribing recipients who don’t open or read your messages, and Yahoo warns that sending to people who aren’t reading your email harms delivery. Removing them protects the email you send to everyone else.

Can I win back people who never gave me their email?
Not by email. For anonymous visitors, the only option is an on-site message when they happen to return, such as a banner aimed at returning visitors.

Sources

Google Workspace Admin Help, “Email sender guidelines”: https://support.google.com/a/answer/81126

Google Workspace Admin Help, “Email sender guidelines FAQ”: https://support.google.com/a/answer/14229414

Yahoo Sender Hub, “Sender Best Practices”: https://senders.yahooinc.com/best-practices/

FTC, “CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business”: https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business

Apple, Mail User Guide for Mac (Mail Privacy Protection): https://support.apple.com/en-us/guide/mail/mlhlp1205/mac