How do I set up email marketing software for a coffee shop to send promotions and recover lapsed customers?

Here’s a practical way to set up email marketing for a coffee shop to promote offers and bring back lapsed customers.

1) Pick the right email marketing software

Choose a tool that supports:

• Simple list management
• Automations
• Segmentation
• Signup forms
• Coupon/promo email templates
• Integration with POS or loyalty system if possible

Good options for small businesses:

• Mailchimp
• Klaviyo if you have a loyalty/ecommerce-style setup
• Brevo
• Constant Contact
• MailerLite

If you want something easy and affordable, Mailchimp or MailerLite are solid starting points.

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2) Set up your account properly

When you create the account:

• Use your business email domain if possible, not a personal Gmail
• Add your shop name, logo, colors, and contact info
• Set up your sending domain authentication:
  • SPF
  • DKIM
  • DMARC if supported This helps your emails land in inboxes instead of spam.

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3) Build your customer list the right way

Collect emails from people who actually want to hear from you.

Ways to collect them:

• Point-of-sale checkout opt-in
• Wi-Fi sign-in
• Receipt sign-up
• Website form
• Instagram/Facebook lead form
• QR code on tables or cups
• Loyalty program sign-up

Best practice:

• Use double opt-in if your platform or local laws recommend it
• Tell people what they’ll get, such as:
  • weekly coffee specials
  • birthday rewards
  • seasonal drink launches
  • exclusive coupons

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4) Organize your contacts into segments

Segmentation helps you send relevant offers instead of one generic blast.

Useful segments for a coffee shop:

• New subscribers
• Regular customers
• Lapsed customers
  Example: no purchase in 30, 60, or 90 days
• Loyalty members
• Morning buyers
• Cold brew fans / pastry buyers / tea drinkers if you track purchases
• Local office customers
• Birthday month customers

If your POS can’t track preferences automatically, you can still segment based on:

• sign-up source
• purchase frequency
• email engagement
• simple preference questions on signup

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5) Create the main email automations

These are the most important workflows.

A. Welcome series

Send when someone signs up. Example:

1. Email 1: Welcome + offer
   • “Thanks for joining — get 10% off your first drink”
2. Email 2: Best sellers
   • Highlight popular drinks, food, and loyalty program
3. Email 3: Visit reminder
   • Invite them to stop in this week

B. Promotional campaign emails

Use for:

• seasonal drinks
• limited-time offers
• holiday specials
• events like latte art nights or live music

C. Lapsed customer recovery series

This is your “win-back” automation.

Trigger example:

• no purchase in 45 days or 60 days

Suggested sequence:

1. Win-back Email 1
   • Friendly check-in
   • New menu item or seasonal reason to return
2. Win-back Email 2
   • Stronger incentive
   • “Come back this week and get a free pastry with any drink”
3. Win-back Email 3
   • Last chance offer
   • “We miss you — here’s 20% off before Sunday”

Keep the tone warm and local, not pushy.

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6) Write emails that work for a coffee shop

Good coffee shop emails are:

• short
• visual
• local
• easy to act on

Include:

• one main message
• one clear call to action
• appetizing photos
• store hours or location
• mobile-friendly design

Examples of calls to action:

• “Order ahead”
• “Claim your offer”
• “See this week’s special”
• “Visit us today”

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7) Use offers that encourage return visits

For lapsed customers, the offer should be enough to motivate action but still protect profit.

Good options:

• free small coffee with purchase
• free pastry with drink
• 10–15% off next visit
• double loyalty points
• limited-time seasonal drink preview
• birthday freebie

Avoid overly steep discounts too often, or customers may wait for promos.

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8) Automate based on behavior

If your software supports it, set triggers like:

• Did not open first welcome email
• Clicked but did not visit
• Purchased after email
• No purchase after 60 days
• Visited 3 times in 30 days → send VIP perk

This makes your marketing more targeted and less annoying.

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9) Track the right metrics

Watch:

• Open rate
• Click-through rate
• Redemption rate
• Repeat visit rate
• Unsubscribe rate
• Revenue per campaign
• Recovered customers

For a coffee shop, redemption and repeat visits matter more than just opens.

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10) Keep your email frequency reasonable

A good starting point:

• 1 newsletter or promo per week
• Automations running in the background
• Win-back emails only when triggered

Too many emails can hurt loyalty.

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11) Comply with email laws

Make sure you follow:

• CAN-SPAM in the U.S.
• GDPR if you email people in the EU/UK
• local privacy and marketing consent rules

Always include:

• your business name and address
• unsubscribe link
• clear consent where required

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12) Simple setup plan you can follow this week

Day 1

• Choose platform
• Set up domain authentication
• Add branding

Day 2

• Create signup form
• Place QR code in store and on receipts
• Add list opt-in at checkout

Day 3

• Build segments:
  • new subscribers
  • active customers
  • lapsed customers

Day 4

• Create welcome email series
• Create lapsed customer sequence

Day 5

• Build first promo email
• Test on mobile and send to staff first

Day 6–7

• Launch signup forms
• Start collecting emails
• Monitor results

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Example lapsed customer email

Subject: We miss you at [Coffee Shop Name]

Hi [First Name],

It’s been a little while since your last visit, and we’d love to welcome you back.

Come in this week and enjoy a free pastry with any drink purchase. We’ve also added a few new seasonal favorites you might like.

Hope to see you soon,
[Coffee Shop Name]

Button: Claim Your Offer

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If you want, I can also help you with:

1. a recommended software comparison for coffee shops,
2. a full email sequence template, or
3. a step-by-step setup for Mailchimp/Klaviyo/Brevo.