Email marketing
Win-back email examples from real stores
A win-back email goes to someone who stopped buying or opening; here are 8 real ones, from a reminder to a last goodbye.
- to the first win-back email in Klaviyo's example flow, set a little longer than your usual time between orders
- 75 days
to the first win-back email in Klaviyo's example flow, set a little longer than your usual time between orders
Klaviyo - real win-back emails from 8 stores, each linked to its archive copy
- 8
real win-back emails from 8 stores, each linked to its archive copy
Our count of the emails below - make an offer: money off, a gift or a bundle
- 4 of 8
make an offer: money off, a gift or a bundle
Our count of the emails below - were sent with Klaviyo, per the archive
- 6 of 8
were sent with Klaviyo, per the archive
Our count of the emails below
The win-back series, from reminder to goodbye
Timing from Klaviyo. Every example below sits under the step it fits.
Remind them
A little past your usual reorder time
What they liked, what's new, and one button back.
Give a reason
About 2 weeks later
A specific offer: a price, a bundle or the code they never used.
Ask why, or let go
If they still haven't come back
Ask what went wrong, or say you'll stop emailing.
Email 1: remind them what they liked
No offer yet. These lead with the product or a person.
01 · Remind them
1. Hormbles Chormbles
Sells protein candy bars
Subject line
“You left. Chormbles stayed.”
Offer
None
Layout
Come back for that chormble, the sampler pack, then four flavors, each with its own button.
Sent with
Klaviyo
Archived
Really Good Emails, 2025
Why it works: The sampler pack makes coming back an easy choice, and each flavor gets one line of description and its own button.
See the full email
01 · Remind them
2. Lyka
Sells fresh dog food by subscription
Subject line
“Are Pippin and Patch running low on food?”
Offer
None
Layout
Running low on Lyka? A short note using the dogs' names, then Schedule the next delivery.
Sent with
Customer.io
Archived
Really Good Emails, 2026
Why it works: It's written to the dogs by name, says plainly the account is cancelled, and makes restarting one button.
See the full email
01 · Remind them
3. Sideserf Cake Studio
Sells cake art merch
Subject line
“Howdy Stranger! 🤠”
Offer
10% off with code WELCOMEBACK, at the very end
Layout
A note from the founder, a livestream link, the new collection, then the code at the bottom.
Sent with
Klaviyo
Archived
Really Good Emails, 2024
Why it works: It reads as a personal update from the founder, back from leave, and saves the code for readers who scroll to the end.
See the full email
Email 2: give them a reason to come back
The offer email. Each one is concrete: a price, a bundle or a code.
02 · Give a reason
4. Dollar Shave Club
Sells razors by subscription
Subject line
“$5 to pick up where you left off.”
Offer
Razor, handle and shave butter for $5
Layout
$5 to get back in action, what's in the bundle with its price, then Lock it in for $5.
Sent with
Klaviyo
Archived
Really Good Emails, 2026
Why it works: The offer is a bundle with a price, not a percentage, and it restarts the subscription in one click.
See the full email
02 · Give a reason
5. StrangeLove
Sells craft mixers and sodas
Subject line
“You must be very very thirsty”
Offer
The 15% code they signed up for, again
Layout
Hey you, buy our drinks? A funny letter, the code, then recipe ideas.
Sent with
Klaviyo
Archived
Really Good Emails, 2024
Why it works: It goes to subscribers who never used their signup code and simply hands it back, with a joke instead of a bigger discount.
See the full email
02 · Give a reason
6. Different Dog
Sells fresh dog food plans
Subject line
“your dog's plan is ready when you are 🙂”
Offer
30% off the first box with code REAL30
Layout
Because they're not just a dog, the 30% code, four results to expect, then a Trustpilot rating.
Sent with
Klaviyo
Archived
Really Good Emails, 2026
Why it works: It goes to people who started a plan and stopped, and pairs the offer with proof: 92% of customers report a healthier dog.
See the full email
Email 3: ask why, or say goodbye
The last email. It either learns why they left or cleans the list.
03 · Ask why, or let go
7. Huel
Sells meal shakes and powders
Subject line
“Oops... What did we do wrong?”
Offer
None
Layout
Can we do more? Jump back in, then nine one-click reasons, from shipping cost to flavors.
Sent with
Emarsys
Archived
Really Good Emails, 2024
Why it works: Each reason is one click, so the answer costs a second, and the quiz below fixes the most common one: not knowing which product to pick.
See the full email
03 · Ask why, or let go
8. Belgian Boys
Sells Belgian waffles and snacks
Subject line
“We miss you 😭”
Offer
None
Layout
Hey friend, it's been awhile, we'll take you off our list, then Wait, there's been a mistake.
Sent with
Klaviyo
Archived
Really Good Emails, 2025
Why it works: It's the last email before removal. Saying so plainly gets a click from anyone who still wants the emails.
See the full email
Subject lines from these emails
Half name the customer or the gap; the rest lead with the offer.
“You left. Chormbles stayed.”
Hormbles Chormbles
“Are Pippin and Patch running low on food?”
Lyka
“Howdy Stranger! 🤠”
Sideserf Cake Studio
“$5 to pick up where you left off.”
Dollar Shave Club
“You must be very very thirsty”
StrangeLove
“your dog's plan is ready when you are 🙂”
Different Dog
“Oops... What did we do wrong?”
Huel
“We miss you 😭”
Belgian Boys
Need more? The free email subject line generator writes them from patterns like these, and the email template generator drafts the body.
What the best win-back emails share
Say the gap out loud
“It's been awhile”, “Howdy stranger”, “your account is cancelled”: no pretending.
Make the offer concrete
A $5 bundle or 30% off a first box says exactly what they get.
Split buyers from non-buyers
StrangeLove and Different Dog write to people who never ordered; Lyka writes to a cancelled customer.
End the series on purpose
Huel asks why; Belgian Boys says it will stop emailing. Both are useful answers.
Build the page your win-back email opens
A lapsed customer clicks to see what changed. Show them that, not the homepage they already left.
Lead with what's new
New products and fixes since their last order, at the top.
Apply the comeback offer
The same price or code as the email, already on the page.
Restart in one click
For subscriptions, a resume button instead of a new signup.
Replo doesn't send email; your email app does. Replo builds the page, and with Klaviyo connected it drafts the emails for you to review and send.
Draft your win-back emails and the page behind them
With Klaviyo connected, Replo drafts the series for you to send, and builds the welcome-back page it links to.
More email examples from real stores
Email marketing for online stores
The six flows to run first, and which app to send from.
Abandoned cart emails
Twelve real cart emails and the three-email sequence they fit.
Welcome emails
Eight real welcome emails and the three-email series they fit.
Post-purchase emails
Eight real emails stores send after an order, from delivery to refill.
Browse abandonment emails
Eight real emails to shoppers who viewed a product and left.
Back in stock emails
Eight real restock emails and how a waitlist alert works.
Email subject line generator
Free subject lines modeled on real store emails.
Frequently asked questions
- When should you send a win-back email?
- A little after a customer would normally have ordered again. Klaviyo's example flow waits 75 days for the first email and 15 more for the second, and says to set the first wait slightly longer than your usual buying cycle.
- Should a win-back email include a discount?
- Not in the first one. Four of the eight emails above make no offer at all. When you do offer something, make it concrete, like Dollar Shave Club's $5 bundle, and save it for the second email.
- What's the difference between a win-back and a sunset email?
- A win-back email tries to bring a customer back. A sunset email, like Belgian Boys' above, tells an unengaged subscriber you'll stop emailing unless they click, which keeps your list healthy.
- Does Replo send win-back emails?
- No. Replo doesn't send email. With Klaviyo connected, Replo writes the win-back series and saves it in Klaviyo as a draft flow you review and turn on, and builds the page the emails link to.
