Retention Strategy 101: A Brutish Guide
A practical retention strategy guide with done-for-you templates for e-commerce, CRM, and lifecycle marketing
Retention is often described as “the messy middle.” Important, powerful, but hard to visualise and even harder to operationalise.
Retention 101 is a hands-on digital workbook designed to turn customer lifecycle thinking into something you can actually use. It gives you the frameworks, worksheets, examples, and templates you need to design, execute, and improve retention strategies that increase repeat purchase, loyalty, and customer lifetime value.
This is not a high-level think piece. It’s a working document you can annotate, adapt, and return to as your business grows.
Who this is for
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E-commerce founders and operators.
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CRM, lifecycle, and retention marketers.
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Agencies and consultants working in Klaviyo, ESPs, or marketing automation platforms.
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Brands who want clearer customer journeys, better segmentation, and more effective lifecycle messaging.
If you’ve ever struggled to explain why retention performance is flat, or what to build next beyond basic flows, this guide gives you the structure you’ve been missing.
What you’ll learn
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How to segment customers properly using RFM and lifecycle logic.
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How to map the full customer journey, from first opt-in to winback.
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How to connect brand strategy, messaging, and lifecycle moments.
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Which channels to use at different stages and why.
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How to test, measure, and improve retention over time using real metrics.
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How to move from strategy to execution with a clear 30-day action plan.
What’s included
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Strategy frameworks you can reuse across brands or projects.
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Fill-in-the-blank worksheets for segmentation, lifecycle mapping, and testing.
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Real-world examples of welcome flows, retention messaging, and winback logic.
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Channel guidance for email, SMS, and push.
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Benchmarks and competitive inspiration from leading fashion and e-commerce brands.
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A clear, practical path from planning to live execution.
Table of contents
| Section | What you’ll get |
|---|---|
| Understanding Retention & the Lifecycle | A clear mental model for retention and why it’s often called “the messy middle.” |
| Customer Segmentation (RFM) | Practical guidance on Recency, Frequency, and Monetary value, including segment definitions and retention actions. |
| Visualising Your Customer Base | Worksheets to map customer volumes across prospects, active, at-risk, and lapsed cohorts. |
| Lifecycle Mapping | Templates to design onboarding, repeat purchase, lapse prevention, VIP, and winback journeys. |
| Brand & Retention Levers | How product, service, and loyalty USPs shape lifecycle messaging across luxury and mass brands. |
| Lifecycle Messaging Examples | Anatomy of real retention emails, including personalisation logic and best practices. |
| Channels & Use Cases | When to use email, SMS, and push notifications, with pros, cons, and KPIs for each. |
| Testing & Optimisation | A structured test-and-learn framework, including hypothesis design and stakeholder reporting. |
| Metrics & Measurement | Clear explanations of CRM, customer, and revenue metrics that actually matter for retention. |
| 30-Day Retention Action Plan | A step-by-step plan to go from strategy to live retention flows in one month. |
| Benchmarks & Inspiration | Real examples of pop-ups, value exchange, and abandoned cart approaches from leading brands. |
Why this guide is different
Most retention resources either stay abstract or jump straight to tactics.
Retention 101 bridges the gap.
It shows you how to think about retention, and then gives you the tools to do it.
Every section is designed to help you make better decisions about:
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Who to message.
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When to message them.
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What to say.
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And how to measure if it’s working.
Format
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Digital PDF workbook.
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Designed to be printed, annotated, or used in workshops and presentations.
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Compatible with CRM platforms like Klaviyo and broader lifecycle marketing stacks.
Ideal use cases
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Building or auditing your retention strategy.
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Creating clearer lifecycle flows and messaging.
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Training teams or clients on retention fundamentals.
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Supporting pitch decks, workshops, or internal planning sessions.
Proceed to checkout and you will be able to download the Retention Guide from there.
