How do I win back lapsed users with push, email and in-app messages without annoying them?
Lapsed users already know your app. A useful reason to come back works better than "we miss you".
- Users stopped opening the app.
- How many pushes is too many?
- What should messages say?
Segment lapsed users by what they did last and why they came: unfinished goals, saved items, new features for their use case. Send a short sequence across push, email and in-app with a specific reason to return, cap frequency and stop when they come back or don't respond. Respect consent rules for email. Track reactivation rate and unsubscribes.
Messages that work
| Segment | Message |
|---|---|
| Unfinished goal | Your plan is waiting where you left it |
| Saved items | Something you saved has changed |
| New feature they asked for | It's here |
| Lapsed subscriber | A store win-back offer |
How we look at it at ShoutEx
We set up segments, messaging flows and tracking. Retention covers the wider picture.
- Daily pushes.
- "We miss you" only.
- No frequency cap.
- Email without consent.
- Segments by last action.
- Specific reasons.
- Caps and stop rules.
- Reactivation tracked.
What developers and the app stores say
Here is what developers and regulators say.
Commercial email and some messages need consent in Canada.
Read the CRTC page →Community summaries describe recurring themes in public threads, not individual posts. Vendor pages describe vendor claims, so test them on your own calls.
Read next
Go deeper in the ShoutEx guides, or check the sources behind this answer.
We'll set up segments and win-back flows.
Book a call →Follow-up questions
Is push covered by CASL?
Push notifications are different from email; check advice for your case.
When is a user lapsed?
Depends on usage frequency. Define it.
Do win-back discounts work?
For subscribers, sometimes.