A drip campaign is a ladder of escalating offers sent at intervals to inactive customers. The value increases with each message: $5 at 30 days, $10 at 60 days, $15 at 90 days. The idea: motivation compounds, customers perceive each follow-up as more generous, and you pay only what's necessary to convert.
This works - if you control three things: expiry (short), suppression (stop after they convert), and audience (high LTV only, not bargain hunters).
Why Escalation Works
Sending the same $10 credit three times feels repetitive. Customers ignore it or wait for the "real" offer.
Sending $5, then $10, then $15 creates a narrative: "We're trying harder to win you back." Each touchpoint feels like a new gesture, not a repeat. Customers who ignore $5 may respond to $10. Those who resist $10 may crack at $15.
The escalation also lets you stop early. If someone converts at $5, you saved $10. If they never convert, you've spent $0 (because unexpired credit has no cost until redeemed).
The Three-Drip Structure
Drip 1: 30 Days Inactive
Amount:$5
Expiry: 14 days
Message: "We miss you - here's $5 to come back"
This is a gentle nudge. Low commitment. If they were on the fence, $5 tips them. If not, no harm.
Drip 2: 60 Days Inactive (No Response to Drip 1)
Amount:$10
Expiry: 14 days
Message: "Still thinking about us? Here's $10"
Escalation signals effort. The customer sees you're trying harder. This converts another 5-10% who didn't bite at $5.
Drip 3: 90 Days Inactive (No Response to Drips 1-2)
Amount:$15
Expiry: 14 days
Message: "Last chance - $15 credit expires in 14 days"
Final push. "Last chance" language creates urgency. This is the ceiling. If $15 doesn't convert them, they're likely lost (or not profitable to reactivate).
Why stop at three?
Beyond three, you risk training customers to ignore you or wait for the "biggest" offer. Three is enough to test motivation without conditioning bad behavior.
Expiry: The Critical Piece
Each drip's credit expires in 14 days. Why?
Without expiry:
- Customer gets $5, ignores it
- Customer gets $10, ignores it
- Customer gets $15, ignores it
- Three months later, they have $30 in credit (you've given $30 for no conversion)
With 14-day expiry:
- Customer gets $5, expires in 14 days. They either use it or lose it.
- Customer gets $10, expires in 14 days. Previous $5 is gone.
- Customer gets $15, expires in 14 days. Previous $10 is gone.
You're never on the hook for more than one drip's value at a time. This protects margin and forces decision-making.
How to set expiry:
In memberr, when you create the campaign, set "Expiry" to 14 days. Expiry applies only to this campaign's credit, not to existing balances.
Suppression: Stop After Conversion
If a customer converts after Drip 1 ($5), do not send Drip 2 and Drip 3. They're already back - stop spending.
How:
Use Klaviyo or your ESP to suppress based on purchase activity.
Example (Klaviyo):
- Drip 1: Trigger on "30 days inactive" segment
- Drip 2: Trigger on "60 days inactive" segment AND "Has not purchased in the last 30 days" (this excludes anyone who converted after Drip 1)
- Drip 3: Trigger on "90 days inactive" segment AND "Has not purchased in the last 60 days"
Without suppression, you're paying $5 + $10 + $15 = $30 to reactivate someone who would've converted for $5.
Audience: Not Everyone
Drip campaigns are expensive (up to $15 per customer). Run them on high-LTV customers only.
Segment:
Customers with LTV > $200, inactive 30+ days.
Why:
If a customer's total spend is $40, a $15 credit is 37.5% of their LTV. Unprofitable. If their LTV is $400, $15 is 3.75%. Worth it.
How:
Shopify: Customers > Segments > "Lifetime spend > $200" AND "Last order date more than 30 days ago"
Email Best Practices
Each drip should be short, direct, and escalate the tone.
Drip 1:
Subject: "We miss you - here's $5"
Body:
"Hi [Name],
It's been a while. Here's $5 to welcome you back (expires in 14 days).
[Shop Now]"
Drip 2:
Subject: "Still thinking about us? Here's $10"
Body:
"Hi [Name],
We're trying harder - here's $10 credit (expires in 14 days).
[Shop Now]"
Drip 3:
Subject: "Last chance - $15 credit expires soon"
Body:
"Hi [Name],
Final offer: $15 credit, expires in 14 days.
[Shop Now]"
Keep it under 50 words. Link directly to shop, not to a category page or blog post. Remove friction.
Expected Performance
Typical redemption rates:
- Drip 1 ($5): 8-12%
- Drip 2 ($10): 5-10% (of those who didn't convert after Drip 1)
- Drip 3 ($15): 3-7% (of those who didn't convert after Drips 1-2)
Cumulative conversion: 16-29% of the original segment.
Cost:
If 20% redeem across all drips, weighted average cost ≈$7-9 per reactivation (more redeem at $5 than $15). Compare to $25-50 CAC for cold acquisition.
When Not to Use Drips
Scenario: Low-margin products
If your margin is 20% and AOV is $30, a $15 credit is 50% of margin. You'd need the customer to spend $50+ to break even. Drips don't work here. Use a single $5 offer instead.
Scenario: Discount-trained customers
If your customers are conditioned to wait for sales, drips will train them to wait for Drip 3. Use one-time campaigns instead.
Scenario: Low LTV base
If most customers have LTV < $100, the math doesn't support $15 winback. Focus on acquisition, not retention.
Drip campaigns are a controlled escalation. Each step is a hypothesis: "Will $5 work? No. Will $10? No. Will $15?" By the time you reach $15, you've filtered out everyone who could've been won for less. It's margin-efficient - if you build in expiry and suppression.