Lapsed-Purchase Messaging with Naked & Famous

On the surface, the term “lapsed buyer” seems relatively straightforward.

But the concept turns a little murky when giving thought to what it really means.

First off, there are any number of reasons that someone has not purchased from your brand in a while. The customer might not be ready. They could have had a bad experience. Perhaps something changed in their life and your product has lost relevancy.

And defining the moment of transition to the “lapsed” side is debatable, too.

Despite all nuances, email marketers should not ignore these customers. Messages targeted at lapsed purchasers experienced a click-through rate of 13% last year, accompanied by a 21% conversion rate.

Naked & Famous Denim is one such company that employs lapsed-purchase email automation. The company’s chief denim otaku, Bahzad Trinos, shares the strategy behind these emails, which are sent to customers who often go a year before buying again. Denim enthusiasts are encouraged to wear the high-end jeans day after day, without washing in between, until the fabric molds to their liking.

Though Trinos doesn’t expect repeat purchases within a certain period of time, he sees value in engaging and maintaining an open line of communication. The three-part series produces a 16% conversion rate. The revenue-per-email (RPE) lift ranges from 580% to 793% over typical promotional emails.

He talks through his approach, which includes gathering customer feedback and utilizing Omnisend’s product recommender. Also joining the show are this season’s podcast co-pilot, Lucas Walker, and an Omnisend customer success manager who discusses her process for steering clients through creating the lapsed purchase series.

We dig into a number of questions about lapsed purchase email automations:

• How do you determine when a buyer becomes a lapsed purchaser?
• When is the right time to send a lapsed purchase message?
• What is the one element you should incorporate to prevent subscribers from tagging you as spam?
• How do you decide on the right content for a series, especially if you don’t know the reason for a customer’s inactivity?
• Why is it advantageous to ease in with a customer feedback slant?
• Is it better to create a multi-message series one email at a time, or all at once?

About the Guests

Bahzad Trinos, Chief Denim Otaku, Naked & Famous Denim

Trinos is obsessed with fabric, its history, how it’s made, and the way it ages. As the company’s first employee, he has been instrumental in its evolution every step of the way. Trinos serves as general manager, develops the product collection, and leads the company’s branding and marketing efforts.

Danielle Heck, Senior Customer Success Manager, Omnisend

With experience in digital and email marketing, Heck’s key focus is on providing excellent customer service and proactive communication to her clients. She loves analyzing her customers’ business strategies and progress to help them realize their marketing goals and gain the most out of Omnisend.

Lucas Walker, Founder, Rolled Up Podcast Network

Walker is a serial entrepreneur. He has started three successful businesses in the software, ecommerce and media spaces. Lucas’ experience also includes marketing for an internationally-recognized sales trainer, where he launched the Make It Happen Mondays podcast, oversaw partners around the world, and reviewed over 10,000 ecommerce websites.