How to Create an eCommerce Customer Retention System – Practices From Top Businesses

If you're still treating ecommerce customer retention like a few email flows and a “thank you” message, you're already behind.

Today’s top eCommerce stores don’t treat retention as a task — they treat it as a system. Something consistent, responsive, and embedded into how the business runs.

And in 2025, eCommerce customer retention is the only thing keeping many stores profitable when acquisition costs are climbing fast and ad platforms feel unpredictable.

This post will walk you through what a real retention system looks like, share how top brands are doing it differently, and show how you can start building your own — without needing a huge team.

What Top Brands Are Doing to Win the Retention Game

When you look at brands that are scaling efficiently, what you’ll notice is that they’re not just good at marketing — they’re good at keeping their customers. That’s where most Shopify brands fall apart. They win a customer once and never see them again.

Let’s take a look at how three top brands built retention systems that quietly power their growth.

Blume — Relevance + Routine = Retention

Blume sells skincare and wellness products, and a major chunk of their growth has come from repeat buyers. The key to that? Their system is timed around customer needs — not sales goals.

Instead of relying on monthly promotions, they use product usage timelines and behavioral cues. After someone purchases, Blume sends helpful reminders, not hard pushes. They send SMS messages asking if the customer is seeing results, and follow up with content about building a skincare habit.

That level of relevance made customers feel like they were part of something ongoing — not just another transaction. And it worked. Their repeat order rate jumped by over 40%.

Takeaway: If you want to improve Shopify customer retention, don’t just “follow up” — follow through. Create a rhythm that matches your customer’s experience.

Allbirds — Intelligent Win-Backs Based on Timing

Allbirds realized early that first-time customers were churning after the second order. Instead of pushing blanket win-back campaigns, they used smart segmentation based on product type and time gaps.

For example, a customer who ordered a second pair of shoes within 60 days but hadn’t purchased since would get a targeted message like:

“Still enjoying your Tree Runners? Most people grab a second pair around now — here’s a little thank-you for coming back.”

This wasn’t just a promo. It was anchored in behavior.

The result: a 19% lift in returning customer rate and a measurable increase in LTV.

Takeaway: Good Shopify customer retention isn’t about sending more. It’s about sending better — and sending at the right time.

Glossier — Conversations, Not Campaigns

Glossier changed how people approach abandoned carts by replacing follow-up campaigns with human-style messages. Instead of an email offering 10% off, they’d send a short, simple SMS like:

“Still thinking about the brow gel? Let us know if you want help picking a shade.”

Customers responded — literally. The replies became part of a real-time, conversational loop that led to higher conversion and better retention.

This is where SMS outperforms email. And for Glossier, this meant fewer abandoned carts and more long-term customers returning on their own.

Takeaway: People buy again when they feel like they’re having a conversation — not being targeted.

How to Build a Shopify Customer Retention System (Even Without a Big Team)

Now let’s walk through how to build your own lean, efficient retention system — inspired by what top brands are doing, but built to run on autopilot.

Step 1: Define Your Core Retention Segments

Retention starts with clarity. Focus on these segments:

• First-time buyers who haven’t reordered in 30 days

• Abandoned carts who reached checkout but didn’t complete

• Repeat buyers who’ve gone cold for over 60 days

Each segment needs a unique message, timing, and tone. This is how you avoid sending generic “we miss you” emails that get ignored.

Step 2: Pick the Right Channel — Not Just Email

This is where the question of SMS vs email marketing in dropshipping becomes real.

Email still works for some things — receipts, promotions, content. But SMS works better for re-engagement, cart recovery, and win-backs.

SMS gets opened, gets read fast, and (when done right) feels personal. If your current retention strategy relies only on email, you’re likely missing a big opportunity.

Step 3: Build Human-Sounding Templates

This is where most brands mess up. Their copy sounds like it was written for a drip campaign in 2016.

Instead of:

“Complete your purchase now and get 10% off.”

Try:

“Want me to save your cart for later? No rush — I can remind you tomorrow.”

Or instead of:

“We haven’t seen you in a while. Come back today.”

Use:

“Still thinking about restocking? Just wanted to check in — let me know if you’re waiting for something.”

If it sounds like a person would say it, it’s probably a better message. Good Shopify customer retention is about tone, not just timing.

Step 4: Automate, Then Watch the Replies

You don’t need to do this manually.

Using tools like Evolvoom.io, you can automate entire retention workflows — SMS conversations, re-engagement triggers, abandoned checkout follow-ups — and track every response.

This lets you build a system that works while you're not working.

Customers who ignore your emails will often reply to a simple, conversational message. And when they do, your system should tag them, update their status, and stop bothering them unnecessarily.

What Happens When You Get Retention Right

Here’s what you’ll start to see once your customer retention system is live:

• You’ll recover carts without email flows, using real-time SMS touchpoints

• You’ll re-engage old customers who went cold months ago

• Your customer LTV on Shopify will grow, without changing your product

• Your low returning customer rate will finally start to rise

• And your Shopify store conversion rate will improve — because the backend is doing its job

Retention isn’t a nice-to-have anymore. It’s your competitive edge. And the sooner you treat it like a system — not a side project — the faster your store will grow.