Inside a 7-month retention playbook for an automotive brand

Hey, it’s Arik.

We took over this email account in December, and from January to July, email has brought in just over $421K.

To give you some perspective, this brand is in the automotive accessories niche. The product has a loyal following but a very specific audience, which means retention and segmentation matter a lot more than trying to be everything to everyone.

When we came in, they had the basics set up, but they weren’t close to being as optimized as they could have been. Most of the flows lacked cohesive branding and design. Some were short and offered no real value. Others were generic and not triggering at the right times.

Campaigns were barely going out, so the brand was missing huge opportunities to stay in front of customers between purchases.

Over the past seven months, we've been looking closely at what’s moving the needle here. We rebuilt the core flows, added missing ones, and set the account up for more targeted campaigns.

Here’s the full breakdown:

In July alone, 66% of revenue has come from flows and 34% from campaigns.

Flows that have been carrying the weight:
• Welcome flow: This is where new subscribers get their first feel for the brand, the products, and the value they’ll get for sticking around.

• Abandoned cart & checkout abandonment: These two flows do the heavy lifting on recovering lost sales. They tell the customers why the product works, why it’s worth the money, and how it solves the problem they came in with.

• Browse and site abandonment: These two catch people earlier in the decision process and bring them back into the funnel with a lighter touch.

• Post-purchase: Keeps the relationship going right after a sale.

• Sunset flow: Cleans the list without burning bridges.

It’s a simple lineup, but each one has a job, and together they cover almost every stage where a sale can be won or lost.


Campaigns that consistently perform:
On the campaign side, what’s really stood out is leaning into product education and use cases over promotions.

A few of our top performers:

• Install & usage tips (simple walkthroughs that also sell complementary products).
• Customer spotlights showing how the product performs in real-world conditions.
• Seasonal reminders (e.g., “Summer’s coming, check your visibility before your next trip”).
• Product launch tie-ins with bundles and accessories.

A campaign can remind someone of a use case they forgot, and then if they go back to browse, our flows take over and close the loop.


Why this works together:
A lot of brands treat flows and campaigns like separate worlds. Here, they’re part of the same ecosystem.

Campaigns feed interest, flows capture it, and convert it.

Bite size action steps:

1. Don’t overcomplicate timing. Abandoned cart and checkout emails don’t need a week-long gap between them. The buying intent is highest within hours, so that’s when you hit them.

2. Short copy can win. For a niche product, the audience already knows they want it. They just need a push. Images, a line or two of benefit-driven copy, and a clear button often beat long storytelling in abandonment flows.

3. Product education belongs in post-purchase. These buyers have already converted. Now the goal is to make them feel confident in their purchase and excited to come back. That’s where install guides, tips, and upgrade paths come in.

The bigger picture:
$421K over seven months isn’t earth-shattering, but the growth rate is what’s important here. Flows are up 220% compared to the previous period. Campaign revenue is up 46%. That’s the signal that the system we’ve put in place is compounding.

If you’re looking at your own account, ask the following questions:
- Do I have my foundational flows live, relevant, and firing at the right times?
- Am I using campaigns to layer in product education, seasonal urgency, and new offers?
- Are these two working together instead of in silos?


Takeaway for Your Brand:
If you’re running Meta ads, TikTok, or Google, the cost to acquire is only going one way: up. You can’t control that.

What you can control is what happens after you get the click. That’s where retention infrastructure like this turns into a multiplier. You stop relying on a constant stream of new customers and start getting more from the ones you already paid to acquire.

Think of it this way: Flows handle hot leads (abandonment, post-purchase, welcome), and campaigns warm up the audience with stories, tips, and seasonal relevance. But timing is key.

The faster you can move someone from “interested” to “decision,” the more money you’ll make without having to discount

See you next week,
Arik

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