WhatsApp · Lapsed customers

Bring Lapsed Customers Back With 7 WhatsApp Templates

Someone bought from you, maybe more than once, and then stopped. Their number is still in your list and their consent still stands. These seven messages restart the conversation, opening with news and holding the offer back for later.

Pick an approach

Read all seven Adapt one

Show what arrived since their last order: WhatsApp win-back message on an iPhone

Show what arrived since their last order: WhatsApp win-back message on an Android phone

What's new, on both phone typesSee it →

Approaches

Seven WhatsApp winback examples, from first nudge to final note

The order is deliberate: news first, offers second, a goodbye last. Every card names the moment to send it and splits the message into the four parts Meta reviews. Tap the second phone icon to see it on Android.

Template 01 · What's new

Show what arrived since their last order

MarketingFashionAbout twice their usual gap between orders

The most honest reason to come back is that the shop has changed. Opening with new arrivals gives a lapsed customer something to look at before anything is asked of them.

Fields

Header

Image product photo

Body

It has been a while, {{first_name}}. Quite a lot has landed at MAREN since your last order, from heavier knitwear to a new tailoring line.

Footer

Reply STOP to unsubscribe

Buttons

See what's new

Marketing · 1 button · body 138 / 1,024 characters

Rewrite for my store →

A comeback offer behind a copy-code button: WhatsApp win-back message on an iPhone

Template 02 · Copy code

A comeback offer behind a copy-code button

MarketingHomeWhen the first win-back message got no click

An offer works best as the second attempt, not the first. The copy-code button carries the code into checkout, and a spending threshold protects the margin.

Fields

Header

Image product photo

Body

Your last Alder & Co order was back in the spring, {{first_name}}. If the house needs something new, take $40 off anything over $200 until the end of the month.

Footer

Reply STOP to unsubscribe

Buttons

Copy offer code · HOME40 Browse the shop

Marketing · 2 buttons · body 162 / 1,024 characters

Rewrite for my store →

The product they used, improved: WhatsApp win-back message on an iPhone

Template 03 · New formula

The product they used, improved

MarketingBeautyOn relaunch day, to past buyers of the old version

People drift away from products, not only from brands. If the thing they used to buy has changed, that change is the most relevant news you can send them.

Fields

Header

Image product photo

Body

The Hydra serum you used to order has a new formula, {{first_name}}. It keeps the texture you knew and now adds ceramides, in a bottle that lasts a few weeks longer.

Footer

Reply STOP to unsubscribe

Buttons

Read what changed

Marketing · 1 button · body 167 / 1,024 characters

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Three most-reordered pieces, swipeable: WhatsApp win-back message on an iPhone

Template 04 · Carousel

Three most-reordered pieces, swipeable

MarketingFashionSunday afternoon, for lapsed fashion buyers

Bestsellers among returning customers are a safe bet for someone deciding whether to come back. Each card links to one piece, so the tap lands on a product, not a homepage.

Fields

Body

Since your last visit, {{first_name}}, these three became the pieces our customers reorder most. Swipe through and tap whichever suits you.

Cards

Merino roll-neck · $135 Pressed wool trousers · $150 Burgundy shoulder bag · $210

Marketing · carousel of 3 cards · body 139 / 1,024 characters

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Shipping covered on a return order: WhatsApp win-back message on an iPhone

Template 05 · Free shipping

Shipping covered on a return order

MarketingSupplementsAround 90 days after the last purchase

Shipping is a small cost that weighs heavily on a first order back. Removing it, without a minimum spend, keeps the offer simple and your product prices untouched.

Fields

Header

Image product photo

Body

Three months have passed since your last Northwell order, {{first_name}}. Any order placed this week ships free, with no minimum spend.

Footer

Reply STOP to unsubscribe

Buttons

Shop Northwell

Marketing · 1 button · body 135 / 1,024 characters

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A designer's suggestion, by reply: WhatsApp win-back message on an iPhone

Template 06 · Reply flow

A designer's suggestion, by reply

MarketingHomeEarly in a new season, for past furniture buyers

A past buyer already owns your pieces. Offering advice that builds on them starts a conversation, and the answer can point to products without a single discount.

Fields

Header

Image product photo

Body

Planning changes at home this season, {{first_name}}? Our designers can suggest pieces that work with what you already have from us. Send a photo of the room and we will reply.

Footer

Reply STOP to unsubscribe

Buttons

Send a photo See the new season

Marketing · 2 buttons · body 176 / 1,024 characters

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The final win-back message: WhatsApp win-back message on an iPhone

Template 07 · Last attempt

The final win-back message

MarketingBeautyAfter two unanswered win-back messages

A sequence that never ends teaches people to ignore you. Saying this is the last attempt, with a clear way out, keeps the door open for customers who are only busy.

Fields

Header

One last note from LUMA

Body

We have written a couple of times, {{first_name}}, and this is the last message about coming back. If you would like to see what is new, tap below. If not, we will stop here.

Buttons

Show me what's new Stop these messages

Marketing · 2 buttons · body 174 / 1,024 characters

Rewrite for my store →

Win-back builder

Make the message yours before it goes to Meta

Choose an approach, swap in your products and offer, and see the chat update as you write. Each field counts toward its own cap, and the checklist below flags anything that usually gets a template sent back.

Begin with

Header text0 / 60

Body0 / 1,024

Use *asterisks* to bold an offer. The preview shows a made-up customer where {{first_name}} sits.

Footer0 / 60

Button 10 / 25

Button 20 / 25

Body stays under 1,024
Header, footer, buttons in range
No variable opens or closes it
There is a way to stop

9:41

‹

Business account

Today

Message

Timing

At what point is a customer lapsed?

Send too early and you nag a loyal buyer. Send too late and they have found someone else. These four signals help set the moment.

Their own rhythm

Measure the usual gap between this customer's orders. Lapsed means well past their own pattern, not past a store-wide number.

A margin for slow months

Allow about twice the usual gap before the first message, so seasonal buyers are not chased in their quiet months.

Still reachable

Check that their WhatsApp opt-in is still on record and that they have not muted earlier messages.

A clear end

Two or three messages make a sequence. After that, stop and let them come back on their own.

House rules

Five rules for a win-back sequence on WhatsApp

Lead with news, not moneyStart with what has changed in the shop. Keep any offer for the second message, for anyone the first one didn't move.
Use the consent you haveA win-back template needs a WhatsApp marketing opt-in on file, however long ago the customer bought.
Name what they boughtA message that mentions their old favourite reads as personal. A generic 'we miss you' reads as a mass send.
Stop on any orderRemove a customer from the sequence the moment they buy, so nobody gets an offer after they have already returned.
End it politelyClose with a last message that offers a way to stop, then leave the customer alone.

Win customers back with Zefir

Zefir spots lapsed customers in your store data, writes the win-back sequence with you and sends it on WhatsApp, with each returning order attributed to the message that earned it.

Request access See how it works

1,000+brands send their messages through Zefir

72 hoursfrom kick-off to the first live message

FAQ

Win-back on WhatsApp: the common questions

What is a WhatsApp winback message?

It is a WhatsApp template for a former buyer whose gap since the last order is far longer than usual, inviting them back with news, a recommendation or an offer. Zefir writes and sends the whole win-back sequence for you.

How long after the last order should it go out?

Roughly twice the customer's usual gap between orders, which might be two months for supplements and six for furniture. Zefir works from your store's order history, so each customer gets their own timing.

Does each win-back message need a discount?

No, the first one often works with news alone, and an offer fits better as a second attempt. Zefir links every returning order to the win-back step that earned it, which shows whether the offer was needed.

Can I message customers who bought a year ago?

Yes, as long as their WhatsApp marketing opt-in is still on record and they have not opted out since. Zefir stores each customer's opt-in and honours every opt-out automatically.

How many win-back messages are too many?

More than three in a row tends to cause blocks and opt-outs, so end with a clear last message. Zefir sends each step within quiet hours and stops the moment the customer orders.

Read on

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