Customer reactivation email setup

Defining inactivity

Choose a measure and a period. Clicks are a more reliable sign of engagement than opens, because some email apps load tracking images automatically and others block them. A subscriber with no clicks for six or twelve months, and no purchase in that time, might be treated as inactive; the right period depends on how often you send and what you sell. Exclude recent sign-ups who have not had time to engage, and customers who buy regularly but rarely click.

Why inactive subscribers matter

Inbox providers watch how recipients respond to your emails. A large share of people who never engage, plus some who mark emails as spam rather than unsubscribe, can affect how your emails are treated. Gmail's sender guidelines ask senders to keep spam rates reported in Postmaster Tools below 0.3%. Some email platforms also charge by the number of contacts, so inactive subscribers can cost money as well as harm delivery.

An illustrative re-engagement series

Giving a real choice

The series works best when subscribers can easily say what they want. A single 'keep me subscribed' button, a link to a preferences page with fewer emails or specific topics, and a clear unsubscribe all help. Avoid guilt-laden wording. Some people will choose fewer emails rather than leaving, which keeps them on the list on terms they are happy with.

A sunset policy

1. 01

   Identify

   Inactive by your agreed measure and period.

   Output: Inactive segment

2. 02

   Ask

   Re-engagement series sent.

   Output: Responses

3. 03

   Keep

   Clickers return to normal sending.

   Output: Reactivated

4. 04

   Reduce or remove

   Non-responders mailed rarely or suppressed.

   Output: Sunset

Example: reactivation for a hobby supplies shop

Suppress rather than delete

Removing someone from regular sends does not have to mean deleting their record. Suppression keeps the record, including any unsubscribe, so they are not accidentally re-added by a later import. Check your platform's options and your data retention approach with your adviser, since keeping personal data longer than needed has its own obligations.

Before running reactivation

Measuring the effect

Track how many inactive subscribers clicked to stay, chose fewer emails, unsubscribed or did not respond. After suppression, watch click rates and complaint levels on regular sends. A smaller, more engaged list may show higher click rates, but judge by total clicks and sales as well as rates.

Running it continuously

Rather than a one-off clean-up, set the flow to run automatically whenever a subscriber reaches the inactivity threshold. The list then stays healthy without periodic large purges.

Wording the emails

Keep the series short and plain. A subject line such as 'Do you still want our emails?' is clearer than a clever one. Say what will happen if there is no response, and make staying a single click. Send it from a name they will recognise.