Shopify merchants know the pain of seeing past buyers go quiet. Some customers only purchase once, others pause for months before coming back, and even high-value shoppers can slip away. With LettrLabs’ Shopify Win-Back Automation, you can automatically re-engage each of these segments with personalized direct mail—no manual list pulling, no extra busywork.
In this guide, we’ll walk through how the automation works, how to set it up step by step, and how top brands are already using it to bring customers back and boost repeat revenue.
Why Shopify Stores Need a Win Back Strategy
A win-back campaign is built to re-engage customers who’ve gone inactive—whether it’s a one-time buyer, a lapsed repeat purchaser, or even a high-spending VIP. The goal is simple: remind them of your brand, rebuild the connection, and give them a reason to shop again.
With LettrLabs, instead of blasting generic offers, you’re sending personalized, physical mail that feels intentional. It might be as simple as a handwritten postcard saying “We miss you—here’s 10% off if you come back,” or as strategic as a VIP-only thank-you with an exclusive gift.
Why does it matter? Because Shopify brands live and die by repeat purchases. If your one-time buyers never return—or worse, if your VIPs disappear—your acquisition costs spike and profitability drops. Retention isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s the backbone of a sustainable ecommerce business.
A Shopify Win Back Automation in LettrLabs helps you:
- Capture customers at the perfect moment—whether they’re first-timers, lapsed regulars, or VIPs.
- Deliver a personal, memorable touch with direct mail that stands out.
- Pair with email, SMS, or ads for a seamless omnichannel experience.
- Automate everything so you’re not manually pulling lists or setting reminders.
👉 Proof it works: One luxury home goods brand used LettrLabs to re-engage high-value customers who had already spent $500+ but hadn’t purchased in 180 days. With personalized direct mail, they pulled these lapsed VIPs back in—driving $1.67M in revenue and a 14.7× ROAS in just two months. See the full case study here.
Step-by-Step: Setting Up a Shopify Win Back Automation with LettrLabs
By the end of this walkthrough, you’ll have a fully automated win back campaign live inside LettrLabs.
🚀 Getting Started
Log into your LettrLabs account and go to Automations. Click New Automation in the top-right corner.
A pop-up will appear showing all available automation types—select Shopify to begin setup.
📌 First-time users: Before you can create your first automation, you’ll need to connect your Shopify store with LettrLabs. Follow this step-by-step guide to complete the connection, then return here to continue setup.
Step 1: Add Your Card Template
Choose the card design you want to use in your Win Back Automation. You can start with one of your saved templates or create a new one:
- Handwritten cards or postcards for a highly personal touch.
- Printed postcards or letters for more detailed offers or creative layouts.
Add your logo, brand colors, and a tailored message. For example:
“We miss you, Sarah! Here’s 15% off your next order—valid this week only.”
Step 2: Select Your Store And Set Your Filters
📌 Reminder: Start by selecting the correct Shopify store from the dropdown. This step is required before saving your automation.
Now, choose which segment of customers you want to target. LettrLabs gives you several prebuilt win-back filters to work with:
- First-Time Buyer Win Back
- Lapsed First-Time Buyer Win Back
- VIP Win Back (Order Quantity & Time Based)
- VIP Win Back (Spend & Time Based)
For this walkthrough, select First-Time Buyer Win Back. Once selected, you’ll see the default frequency and time frame: Purchased Only Once, Purchase Date = 90–180 days ago.
Here’s how to adjust it to fit your business model:
- 60–90 days → consumables like supplements, skincare, or cosmetics.
- 90–120 days → seasonal items, apparel, or higher-ticket products.
The goal is to match timing to your customer’s natural reorder cycle—that way your message arrives exactly when they’re most likely to buy again.
Step 3: Set Your Sending Limits
Set the maximum number of cards your automation can send each month. This keeps your budget under control while still letting you scale.
- Preview how many customers currently match your filters before launching.
- Adjust limits if needed to balance spend with reach.
Examples:
- Cap at 500 cards/month while testing a new segment.
- Raise to 2,000+ cards/month once you’re confident in ROI.
If the cap is reached, LettrLabs will automatically pause sends until the next monthly cycle—so you’ll never exceed your limit.
Step 4: Save and Launch
Review your template, double-check your filters, and confirm your sending limits.
When everything looks good, click Save.
From here, your Shopify Win-Back automation will run in the background—sending cards automatically without any manual work.
Pro Tips for Maximizing Your Win Back Campaign
A win back automation works out of the box—but these best practices make it far more powerful:
- Go handwritten. A handwritten note or card feels genuine and personal. Customers can tell the difference, and response rates are consistently higher than printed mail.
- Sweeten the deal. Add a simple, compelling offer like “10% off your next order” or free shipping. It lowers friction and gives them a reason to act now.
- Personalize with merge tags. Always use the customer’s first name in the copy. Bonus: reference the exact product they purchased last time. This creates relevance and makes your message impossible to ignore.
- Match your timing to buying cycles. If you sell coffee, send a win back in 30–45 days. If you sell furniture, 90–120 days may be smarter. Adjust based on your product lifecycle.
- Sync with other channels. Coordinate your win back with an email or SMS campaign for a true omnichannel experience. Seeing your brand in multiple places reinforces trust and action.
- Test creative formats. Alternate between postcards and handwritten cards. Track which resonates better with your audience in LettrLabs’ analytics dashboard.
- Prep assets ahead of time. Have your design templates, offer codes, and QR links ready so launching is smooth.
Want Help Getting Started?
Book a quick walkthrough with our team and see how LettrLabs helps Shopify stores re-engage lapsed buyers automatically.
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