The Win-Back Flow: How to Bring a Lapsed Customer Back

Somewhere in your Klaviyo account is a quiet group of people who used to buy from you and then stopped. They didn't unsubscribe. They didn't complain. They just drifted off, and the repeat orders dried up without anyone noticing.

Those people are the easiest sales you're not making. A win-back flow is how you go get them.

Customers drift for reasons that usually have nothing to do with you. They got busy. They tried a competitor. Life moved on. A win-back flow reaches out before they're gone for good.

What a win-back flow is

The mechanic is simple. When a customer who used to buy hasn't ordered in longer than they normally would, the flow fires and sends them a short series of emails to pull them back. You set it once in Klaviyo and it runs on its own.

It's the last of the core flows for a reason. It works a specific, smaller group, the people who already bought and already trusted you once. Winning them back is usually cheaper and easier than finding someone brand new, because the relationship already exists. It's the fifth of the core Klaviyo flows, built once the earlier ones have given you a base of customers worth bringing back.

Win-back vs sunset

This trips people up, so let's be clear. A win-back flow and a sunset flow sound similar and do opposite jobs.

Win-back targets lapsed buyers. People who have purchased before and stopped. The goal is to get them buying again.

Sunset targets dead-weight contacts. People who never open, never click, never buy, whether or not they ever purchased. The goal is to either give them one last nudge or remove them to protect your deliverability.

Win-back is about revenue from past customers. Sunset is about list health. You'll likely want both eventually, but don't build one thinking it's the other.

Figuring out who counts as lapsed

The whole flow hinges on one number: how long is too long since their last order?

There's no universal answer, because it depends on what you sell. If people normally reorder your coffee every month, someone who hasn't bought in 90 days has clearly lapsed. If you sell something people buy a few times a year, 90 days is nothing, and you'd wait six months or more before calling them lapsed.

So look at your own repeat-purchase pattern. How long does a typical gap between orders run? Lapsed is meaningfully longer than that. Set the trigger there: no purchase in X days, where X is comfortably past your normal reorder window.

What the emails say

A win-back flow is usually two or three emails, spaced out.

The first one is simple: we noticed you've been gone, and we'd love to have you back. No discount yet. Sometimes a genuine "we miss you" and a reminder of what they liked is enough, and you've spent nothing to get the sale.

The second can add a nudge: what's new since they last bought, a best-seller they haven't tried, a reason to look again.

The third is where an incentive can earn its place, if the first two didn't land. A targeted offer to someone who already buys from you is one of the few discounts that makes sense, because they've proven they'll spend and it's going to a specific person for a specific reason, not blasted to your whole list. That distinction matters more than people think, and it's the whole argument in why discounts train your list to wait. Lead with the relationship. Hold the discount in reserve.

When not to build it yet

Win-back only works if you have customers to win back. A brand new store with a handful of first-time buyers doesn't have a lapsed group yet, so the flow has nothing to act on. Build your welcome, cart, and post-purchase flows first. Those create the customers a win-back flow later brings back, which is exactly what your post-purchase flow is working on.

And if you sell something people genuinely buy only once, with no real reason to return, a win-back may never have much to work with. Be honest about whether your catalog gives people a reason to come back. Not every brand needs this flow, and forcing it on the wrong catalog just sends emails nobody acts on.

Before you build it

• Do you have a real group of past customers who've gone quiet? (If not, build the earlier flows first.)

• Do you know your normal gap between repeat orders, so you can define "lapsed" for your brand?

• Is the trigger set to no purchase in X days, comfortably past that normal window?

• Does the first email lead with the relationship, not a discount?

• Is any incentive held for later in the flow, and targeted rather than list-wide?

A win-back flow is quiet money. The customers are already yours. You're just reminding them you're there. If you've got a stack of people who used to buy and slipped away, that's worth fixing.

If you're not sure how to define lapsed for your brand, or where a win-back fits next to your other flows, book a free call. We'll talk through what your retention setup looks like now and whether working together makes sense. No pressure, no pitch.

Email is a system, not a send.

— Alex

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Frequently asked questions

What is a win-back flow in Klaviyo?

It's a Klaviyo flow that automatically reaches customers who bought before and have gone quiet, and gives them a reason to come back. The trigger is purchase recency: someone who hasn't ordered in longer than they normally would. It usually runs two or three emails, starting with a simple "we miss you" before any discount.

How long before a customer counts as lapsed?

It depends on what you sell. Look at your normal gap between repeat orders and set the lapsed window comfortably past it. For a monthly consumable that might be 90 days. For something people buy a few times a year, it might be six months or more.

What's the difference between a win-back flow and a sunset flow?

A win-back flow targets lapsed buyers and tries to get them purchasing again. A sunset flow targets contacts who never open or click and either gives them one last nudge or removes them to protect deliverability. Win-back is about winning back revenue. Sunset is about list health.

Should a win-back email include a discount?

Not in the first email. Start by reminding them what they liked and what's new, because a "we miss you" can work on its own. Save a targeted offer for later in the flow if the earlier emails don't land. A discount to a proven past customer is far easier to justify than one sent to your whole list.