How to Win Back Customers Who Stopped Coming
By Zawadi team Updated 4 min read
The short answer
To win back lapsed customers, first define 'lapsed' from your customers' normal cycle, then send a short, personal SMS when someone passes it, ideally with a reason to come back this week. Follow up once, not repeatedly, and remind customers who are close to a reward. Automate it so it happens every day without you.
Every business loses customers, and most of them don't leave angry. They move house, change jobs, try somewhere new on the way home, or simply forget. The good news is that a customer who used to come regularly is far easier to bring back than a stranger is to win, because they already know where you are and what you offer.
Here's a simple plan for getting them back, in the order you should do it.
Step 1: Decide what "lapsed" means for your business
A lapsed customer is someone who has gone noticeably longer than usual without visiting. "Usual" depends on what you sell:
| Business | Typical visit cycle | Consider them lapsed after |
|---|---|---|
| Café | A few times a week | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Barbershop | Every 2 weeks | About 30 days |
| Car wash | Every 1 to 2 weeks | About 30 days |
| Butchery | Weekly | About 3 weeks |
| Restaurant | Every 2 to 4 weeks | 30 to 45 days |
| Braiding salon | Every 6 weeks | 8 to 10 weeks |
Pick one number to start. Thirty days is a sensible default for most shops. You can adjust it once you see how customers respond.
Step 2: Find out who has lapsed
You can only win back customers you can identify and reach. That means two things:
- You record visits against a customer, usually by phone number, so you know when each person last came in.
- You have a way to contact them, which for most Kenyan customers means SMS.
If your loyalty programme records every visit by phone number, you already have both. A list of "customers who haven't visited in 30 days" is one filter away.
Step 3: Write a message that sounds like you
The best win-back messages are short, personal and specific. Compare these two:
"Dear valued customer, we miss you! Visit us today for great offers."
"Hi Achieng, it's been a month since your last wash with us. You have 40 points, enough for a free engine wash. See you this week? - [Your car wash]"
The second works because it uses the customer's name, names your business, reminds them of something they already have, and gives a clear reason to come back now.
A good win-back SMS includes:
- Their name.
- Your business name, so they know who it's from.
- A reason to come back: points waiting, a reward they're close to, or a small offer.
- A time frame, like "this week", to give it urgency without pressure.
Keep it under 160 characters if you can, so it goes as one SMS and costs one credit per customer.
Step 4: Send it at the right moment
Timing matters more than wording. A message sent the day someone crosses your lapsed threshold reaches them while they still think of you as "their" shop. A message sent three months later is easier to ignore.
Send in the morning, when people plan their day, rather than late at night. Avoid sending the same customer several messages in one week from different campaigns.
Step 5: Use what they already have
Customers hate leaving value on the table. If a lapsed customer has points or a nearly full stamp card, that's your strongest argument and it costs you nothing extra:
- "You have 85 points. 15 more and your next cut is free."
- "Your card has 4 stamps. 2 more for a free wash."
This is also why it pays to remind active customers when they're close to a reward. A short "you're nearly there" message stops them drifting away in the first place.
Step 6: Follow up once, then stop
If a customer doesn't respond to the first message, one follow-up two or three weeks later is reasonable. This is the moment for a small offer, like double points on their next visit or a free add-on.
After that, stop. Repeated messages to someone who isn't coming back cost you SMS credits and risk annoying them. They may return on their own, and you want them to remember you kindly when they do.
Step 7: Watch what happens
After a month, check:
- How many lapsed customers came back within two weeks of the message.
- Whether they kept coming, or came once and disappeared again.
- What it cost in SMS credits and rewards, against what the returning customers spent.
If very few come back, try changing the timing or the reason before you reach for bigger discounts.
Making it automatic
Doing this by hand works for a week. Then the shop gets busy and it stops. The plan only pays off if it runs every day without you.
In Zawadi, you choose the number of days that counts as lapsed and write the message once, with the customer's name and points filled in automatically. Every morning, customers who have just crossed that gap get your SMS. You can also turn on reminders for customers who are close to their next reward and warnings before points expire. Automatic messages are on the Grow and Enterprise plans. On every plan you can send a one-off SMS campaign to everyone who hasn't visited in 60 days.
See how win-back messages work, or start with our guide to setting up a loyalty programme.