How to Set Up Marketing Automation for Existing Customers Without Third-Party Apps?

[elizathompson]

I’ve been working on my marketing automation, but I’m facing a challenge that I hope someone can help with. I want to set up a flow that sends marketing emails to customers who haven’t bought anything in a certain number of days, and then track if they make a purchase afterward. The steps I’m trying to automate are:

1. Identify customers who haven’t bought in a specified number of days.
2. Send a marketing email to those customers.
3. Wait for a certain number of days.
4. Check if the customer has placed an order or if their order value has increased since the last action.
5. If no, send a further email.
6. If yes, end the flow.

I want to make sure I’m not adding extra steps or using unnecessary third-party apps. My main focus is to encourage customers to purchase, whether it's for a regular item or one of my branded polo shirts. Has anyone been able to successfully implement a similar automation or know of a way to check order status to trigger the appropriate email flow? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Promer-Aila]

Hi @elizathompson 

You can achieve this using Shopify Flow (if you're on Shopify Plus) or Shopify Email with Customer Segments.

Let's try structure your automation:

• Create a customer segment in Shopify based on inactivity, e.g., customers who haven't purchased in X days.
• Use Shopify Email to send an automated email to this segment with an offer or reminder.
• Wait X days (Shopify Flow can add a delay).
• Check if the customer has purchased using a condition in Flow: If yes - End the flow; If no - Send a follow-up email with a stronger incentive

[RaziandCompany]

Hi Eliza! You're definitely on the right track with your automation idea — it’s a powerful flow that targets lapsed customers and nudges them back toward conversion. We’ve implemented this exact kind of winback flow many times, and it works. 

How to Set Up a Re-Engagement Email Flow for Inactive Customers (No Third-Party Apps)

If you’re looking to send emails to customers who haven’t purchased in a while — and then follow up based on whether they buy or not — you can absolutely do this using Shopify’s built-in tools. Here's how to set it up step by step:

Step 1: Create a Segment of Inactive Customers

Shopify lets you segment customers by behavior. To identify inactive ones:

1. Go to Customers > Segments.

2. Click Create Segment.

3. Use a filter like this:

   nginx

   Copy

   last_order_date < -90d

   This creates a list of customers who haven’t bought in the last 90 days (adjust the number as needed).

Save the segment as something like "Inactive Customers – 90 Days".

Step 2: Build an Automation to Send the First Email

1. Go to Marketing > Automations.

2. Click Create Automation.

3. Choose “Customer enters segment” as the trigger.

4. Select your "Inactive Customers – 90 Days" segment.

5. Add an action to Send Marketing Email.

This first email can reintroduce your brand, offer a discount, or highlight a popular product like your branded polo shirts.

Step 3: Add a Wait Period

After sending the first email, add a delay:

• Use the Wait action and set it for 5–7 days.

This gives the customer time to respond to the offer or place an order.

Step 4: Identify Customers Who Did Buy

Shopify’s built-in automations don’t let you do true “if/else” branching based on a purchase event yet, but you can work around it with an extra segment:

1. Go to Customers > Segments.

2. Create a new segment:

   nginx

   Copy

   last_order_date > -7d

   This catches any customer who made a purchase within the last 7 days — likely in response to your first email.

Step 5: Send a Follow-Up Email to Those Who Didn’t Buy

Now you’ll create a second automation that sends a follow-up email only to those still in your inactive segment and not in the recent purchase segment.

1. Go to Marketing > Automations again.

2. Create a new automation:

   • Trigger: Customer enters segment — "Inactive Customers – 90 Days".

   • Add a Condition or filter to exclude customers who are in the “Recent Purchasers – 7 Days” segment.

   • Action: Send Marketing Email with a final reminder or stronger offer.

Optional Tips

• Use discount codes in each email to track effectiveness.

• Insert personalization using Liquid (like first names or last product purchased).

• Check analytics under Shopify’s Marketing or Orders section to see who engaged or converted.

This setup gives you a lean, effective re-engagement flow — all without third-party apps. You're targeting people who already know your brand, so even small nudges can drive solid results.

If you ever want to go deeper with behavior-based triggers, revenue tracking, or multi-branch flows, tools like Klaviyo or a custom automation service can help — but what you’re doing here is a great foundation. If you’d like help writing the emails themselves or want to brainstorm the best offers for your polo shirts, happy to help with that too.