Lisa Collins

Retention isn’t about complicated tech stacks—it’s about showing up consistently, personally, and meaningfully.

Here’s how any brand can start today:

✅ 1. Say Their Name in Email & SMS Use simple merge tags in Klaviyo or Attentive to greet customers by name. Examples:

“Hey , we’ve got something new for you.”

“, your favorites just restocked.”

🧠 Why it works: Personalized messages get opened and clicked more. People like seeing their own name—it’s science.

✅ 2. Show Love for Repeat Purchasers In your order confirmation emails or flows, include a line like:

“This is your 3rd order—thank you for being part of our journey.” You can create a simple Klaviyo flow split by # of orders, or just write multiple blocks for 1st-time vs. repeat customers.

🎁 Bonus: Add a small discount or free shipping code for their next order if they hit a milestone.

✅ 3. Use Product-Specific Follow-Ups Send an email 10–30 days after a purchase with a message like:

“Still enjoying your [Product Name]? Here’s how other customers are using it.” Include review quotes, UGC, or a cross-sell product.

📧 Bonus: Drop in a restock reminder or offer a reorder with 1 click.

✅ 4. Make Your Thank You Pages Work Harder Use Shopify’s basic thank you page to:

Invite them to join your SMS list

Offer a discount for sharing a photo or leaving a review

Link to a “how to use your product” blog or video

🧠 Pro Tip: Even without dev help, this is high-intent real estate that often gets ignored.

✅ 5. Celebrate Small Milestones in Plain Text Send a simple, non-promotional email that says:

“You’ve been with us for 1 year—thank you.” “You placed your 5th order. We noticed. 🖤”

No flows needed—just a calendar reminder and a CSV export. It’s the message that matters.

✅ 6. Create a “Welcome Back” Moment On-Site Can’t dynamically show names? Use Shopify’s announcement bar or homepage text to say:

“Welcome back to our OGs—loyal customers get 10% off with code STAYLOYAL.” Rotate it monthly. Keep it feeling exclusive.

📦 You could also: Add this to the order packing slip with a handwritten note or sticker.

✅ 7. Cross-Sell Thoughtfully in Order Confirmations Instead of upselling at checkout (when people have buyer hesitation), try the confirmation email:

“Here’s what most customers add to their next order…” Use Shopify product links or a product block in Klaviyo—no logic or dev work required.

🎯 Just be human. Think: helpful friend, not pushy salesperson.

💡 Pro Tip: Retention Is a Feeling

You don’t need a custom-coded experience to build customer love. You just need to:

• Notice them • Thank them • Make it east to come back

Your customer shouldn’t have to guess if you appreciate them.

They should feel it—on the homepage, in the cart, and in every post-purchase interaction.

Website personalization is about creating micro-moments that show your customer:

“You matter. And we remembered you.”

guide a customer through a conversation that causes them to realize they need your product

does the person you're talking to have the problem that your product solves

sentence one you're struggling with x

sentence two i have product to solve that problem

three steps to get them to your solution visit product page-read through the info-add to cart and buy

4th sentence negative stakes what happens if you don't buy it

call the customer to action clearly button ie sleep better tonight

the email itself is so incredibly clear-invite them into the story of their problem-make them the hero for themselves by offering them a way out

do this the next 30 emails you compose and it will become part of your way to write going forward

what do you not like about this house-let the customer discovers their story-what do you not like about your mattress-what needs to be fixed-keep pointing out their dislikes

director of a movie not a salesperson

the guide for the hero of the story

plan of action

write one follow-up email-one person on the fence

use the template on flightplan

do it once and see what happens