Customer retention and win-back email for businesses in Canada
Slide, by Synquic, lets a business in Canada bring past customers back with win-back and reorder emails, sent as campaigns or sequences from its own domain and driven by Shopify purchase data. Under CASL, implied consent from a purchase lasts two years from that purchase; after that, a re-engagement email needs express consent. The workflow therefore keys on each customer's most recent purchase date and leaves out anyone past two years who has not opted in.
Facts on this page were last reviewed on 11 October 2026. See the key facts and sources.
The buyer and the problem
Canadian ecommerce and retail teams, Shopify stores in particular, with a base of past buyers they want back through replenishment reminders and win-back offers.
A win-back offer is aimed at people who have not bought for a while, which is exactly the group whose implied consent may have lapsed. A flow that ignores the purchase date reaches people the store can no longer email without express consent; one that is too cautious leaves recent buyers alone. The cut-off has to live in the data, not in someone's head.
Supported capabilities, mapped to the product
Win-back and reorder triggers from Shopify
Shopify events include win-back and reorder alongside order confirmation and review requests, and any of them can start an email automation. Shopify is the only store platform supported.
Source:Shopify guidePurchase history in segments
Order events are stored against each contact and segments are built from contacts and their events, so a campaign audience can be limited to people with a recent order. Purchases made before the store was connected, or offline, can be imported into a custom field; a segment on that field compares with a fixed date, so move its cut-off forward before each send.
Source:Contacts guideShopify guideSequences that carry the unsubscribe
A first email and up to 5 follow-ups, each with an unsubscribe line by default, ending when the customer replies. Unsubscribed, suppressed and bounced addresses are skipped.
Source:Campaigns guideCampaigns that report revenue
Seasonal win-back campaigns go to a segment, with A/B tests on subject, content, sender name or preview text, and Slide reports Shopify revenue per email campaign.
Suppression that protects an old list
Hard bounces and complaints are suppressed after the first send; soft bounces are not, and Slide does not clean lists.
Source:Campaigns guideExpress consent captured on a form
A sign-up form or storefront popup can collect express consent and start an automation, and the answer can be kept on the contact, so customers who opt in stay reachable after their two years.
A win-back programme for a Shopify store in Canada
An online tea retailer in Vancouver sells through Shopify and wants lapsed buyers back. This is how one customer moves through its retention workflow, and how the store handles customers near the two-year mark.
- Trigger
The win-back timer runs out
The store's win-back trigger is set to 120 days. A customer last ordered in March; 120 days later, with no order in between, the trigger fires. Any new order would have restarted the count.
- Qualification
Inside the two years by design
Because the trigger counts from her most recent order and 120 days is far short of two years, she is well within the period that implied consent from a purchase lasts. The store chose the delay with that margin in mind.
- Action
The automation hands her to a sequence
Instead of an automation email, which would carry no unsubscribe, the automation adds her to a win-back sequence: an email with a reorder link and the store's contact details, then two follow-ups. Each carries an unsubscribe line, and the sequence skips her if she has unsubscribed or bounced.
- Human handoff
Her reply goes to the team
She replies asking whether a seasonal blend is back. The reply ends the sequence and arrives in the shared inbox, where a teammate answers it.
- Action
Consent asked for before the two years end
Separately, customers whose last order is approaching two years get one campaign inviting them to stay subscribed through a short form. A sign-up is stored as the contact's express-consent answer; check with your adviser that the form's wording meets CASL's rules for seeking express consent. The rest leave the marketing segments once their last order passes two years: automatically where the segment requires a Shopify order in the last two years, and by moving the cut-off date forward for purchase dates imported into a custom field.
- Exception
Old addresses that bounce
Some addresses from early customers bounce. Hard bounces and complaints are suppressed from every later send; soft bounces are not, so the team reviews them after each campaign and blocks the ones that keep failing.
- Recorded outcome
What the store measures
Sequence statistics show how the win-back emails performed, any seasonal win-back campaign reports its Shopify revenue, and each contact shows its last order and consent type.
An illustration of how the workflow runs, not a customer case study. Names, numbers and messages are examples.
What you need, and the launch sequence
Requirements
- Shopify connected
Win-back, reorder and order events, and the order history segments use, come from the Shopify connection; it is the only store platform Slide supports.
Source:Shopify guide - A last purchase date for every customer
Orders recorded after the store is connected sit on each contact. Import the last purchase date into a custom field for customers whose purchases predate the connection or happened elsewhere.
Source:Contacts guide - Consent fields
Record whether each customer has express consent, and its source, so they can stay in marketing segments after two years.
Source:Contacts guideCanada's Anti-Spam Legislation, s.10(10) (opens in a new tab) - A sending domain and a reply mailbox
Verified DNS records for the sending domain, and a connected mailbox so replies end the sequence and reach the inbox.
Source:Email channel setup guideCampaigns guide
Launch sequence
Connect Shopify (Shopify guide), verify the sending domain and connect the reply mailbox (email channel setup guide).
Import past customers with their last purchase date and any express consent (contacts guide).
Write the win-back sequence with the store's name, contact details and the unsubscribe line in every email (campaigns guide).
Create the win-back automation from the Shopify trigger, set its delay well short of two years, and make adding the customer to the sequence its only email action (automation guide).
Build marketing segments that require either an order within the last two years or express consent, and use them for every campaign. For purchase dates imported into a custom field, move the cut-off date forward before each send.
Schedule the consent invitation for customers nearing two years since their last order.
What CASL changes for retention email
Two years from the last purchase
CASL treats an existing business relationship from a purchase as implied consent for two years from that purchase, so the date that matters is the customer's most recent one. Two years after it, commercial email needs express consent.
Source:Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, s.10(10) (opens in a new tab)Enquirers who never bought
An inquiry gives implied consent for only six months. Leads who asked but never bought belong in a different segment from past customers, and they leave retention mailings much sooner.
Source:Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, s.10(10) (opens in a new tab)Win-back emails still need identification and an unsubscribe
A win-back or reorder email promotes a purchase, so treat it as a commercial electronic message: it identifies the store with contact information and carries an unsubscribe that takes effect within 10 business days. That is why this workflow sends through sequences and campaigns, never the automation email step, which has no unsubscribe.
Source:Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (S.C. 2010, c. 23) (opens in a new tab)French win-back offers for Quebec
Quebec's Charter of the French language requires commercial advertising in French, and official guidance does not settle how far that reaches individual emails. Keep a language field on each contact and send Quebec customers a French version of each offer.
Source:OQLF: Language of commerce and business (opens in a new tab)Contacts guide
This is a summary of public rules for orientation, not legal advice. Slide does not certify that any business's messaging complies with local law; check your own obligations with a qualified adviser.
What these claims rest on
- Under CASL, implied consent from a business relationship lasts 2 years after a purchase and 6 months after an inquiry
An existing business relationship gives implied consent for two years from a purchase or contract and six months from an inquiry or application. After that, express consent is needed.
- Shopify events trigger WhatsApp and email automations, including abandoned checkout and order updates
About 20 store events: abandoned checkout and cart, order confirmation, cash on delivery, shipped, out for delivery, delivered (fulfilment succeeded), review request, win-back, reorder, back in stock and price drop. Shopify is the only supported store platform; the cart trigger needs the storefront embed. A cash-on-delivery confirm or cancel reply does not update the Shopify order.
- Email sequences send a first email and up to 5 follow-ups that stop when the person replies
Follow-ups 1 hour to 60 days apart, threaded, stopped on reply (needs a connected mailbox). Each email carries an unsubscribe line by default, and unsubscribed, suppressed or bounced addresses are skipped. Sequences are single-path.
- Reporting covers WhatsApp delivery and reads, email opens and clicks, automation runs, and Shopify revenue
WhatsApp reports (sent, delivered, read, failed, cost), email campaign and sequence statistics, Instagram insights, per-run automation logs and Shopify revenue per email campaign. There is no cross-channel attribution report, and WhatsApp revenue is not shown in the dashboard.
How the cost is made up
A retention programme runs on the email credits in your Slide plan. Every sequence email and campaign send uses credits, and a sequence that runs out pauses until more are added. Plans are on the pricing page, with a 14-day trial on paid plans.
When you size the plan, count the whole sequence for each customer rather than the first email alone: a win-back sequence can send up to six emails to someone who never replies.
A workspace created with a Canadian number is billed in US dollars, not Canadian dollars. Confirm the payment method with the Slide team before you subscribe.
When this fits, and what it does not do
A good fit when
- A Shopify store with repeat-purchase products and a base of past buyers.
- Customers whose purchase dates are in Shopify or can be imported.
- A team willing to keep marketing out of automation email steps.
Needs a person when
- Replies about stock, delivery or a past order.
- Deciding whether to keep emailing someone whose consent status is unclear.
- Unsubscribe requests made by reply, which a teammate turns into a block.
Not established by this page
- Any win-back rate or revenue effect: Slide publishes no measured outcomes.
- Consent expiry handled without the date fields and segments described here.
- Where data is hosted. Ask the Slide team, especially if you have Quebec customers.
Direct answers
Can we email customers who last bought more than two years ago?
Not on implied consent. Under CASL, implied consent from a purchase lasts two years from that purchase; after that you need express consent. Keep those customers out of marketing segments unless they have opted in, and record express consent and its source on the contact so they can stay.
Source:Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, s.10(10) (opens in a new tab)Contacts guideWhen should we ask lapsed customers for express consent?
Before their two years run out, while implied consent still covers the email: a short invitation to stay subscribed, sent to customers nearing the limit, with a form that records the answer. Once the limit has passed, check with your adviser before sending anything to that address, a consent request included.
Source:Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, s.10(10) (opens in a new tab)Automation builder guideHow does Slide know when a customer last bought?
With Shopify connected, order events are stored on each contact and segments can use them, so an audience can be limited to customers with an order in a recent period. For purchases made before the connection or outside Shopify, import the last purchase date into a custom field and include it in the segment rules. That rule compares with a fixed date, so move the cut-off forward before each send.
Source:Shopify guideContacts guideWhy not send win-back emails straight from an automation?
Because the automation "send email" step does not add an unsubscribe link or check the unsubscribe and suppression lists, and CASL requires an unsubscribe in every commercial email. Let the Shopify trigger start the automation, but deliver the emails through a sequence or campaign, which carry the unsubscribe and skip opted-out addresses.
Source:Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (S.C. 2010, c. 23) (opens in a new tab)Campaigns guideDo reorder reminders count as marketing?
A reminder to buy again promotes a purchase, so treat it like a win-back email: send it through a sequence with the unsubscribe line, to customers inside their consent window. Shopify's reorder event can start it. Order confirmations and shipping updates are the transactional mail the automation email step is meant for.
Source:Shopify guideCampaigns guideCanada's Anti-Spam Legislation (S.C. 2010, c. 23) (opens in a new tab)What happens to bounced addresses from an old customer list?
Hard bounces and spam complaints are suppressed for every later send. Soft bounces are not, and Slide does not clean lists, so review soft-bouncing addresses after each send and block the ones that keep failing.
Source:Campaigns guideHow do we tell whether win-back is working?
Email campaigns report Shopify revenue per campaign, and sequences have their own statistics. Slide has no cross-channel attribution, so a customer who comes back through WhatsApp or straight to the store after an email is not credited to it automatically.
Source:Campaigns guideWhat does the retention workflow cost?
It runs on your Slide plan's email credits, billed in US dollars for a workspace created with a Canadian number. Budget for every email in each sequence, not just the first, and add credits if you need them; sequences pause when credits run out. Confirm the payment method with the Slide team before subscribing.
Source:Slide pricingBilling and wallet guideCampaigns guideKey facts: Email automation for customer retention in Canada
Slide fits a Canadian Shopify store that wants win-back and reorder emails driven by real purchase dates, sent through sequences and campaigns that carry an unsubscribe, with replies answered by its own team. It is a weaker fit for a business whose purchase history is outside Shopify and cannot be imported, one that wants consent expiry handled without date fields and segments, or one hoping to win customers back on Instagram, where Slide sends nothing outside the 24-hour window.
- Product
- Slide (also "Slide by Synquic"), a platform for automating customer messaging across channelsSource:About Synquic
- Company
- SynquicSource:About Synquic
- Channel
- EmailSource:Email channel setup guide
- Workflow
- Customer retention by email in Canada: Shopify win-back and reorder triggers and purchase-date segments, with the emails sent through sequences and campaigns that carry an unsubscribeSource:Shopify guideCampaigns guideCampaigns guide
- Market
- Businesses emailing past customers in Canada. Slide accepts sign-ups from any country
- Prerequisites
- A sending domain authenticated with the DNS records Slide shows, and a connected mailbox if replies should stop sequences or reach the inboxSource:Email channel setup guideCampaigns guide
- Human handoff
- An automation step hands the conversation to the team in the shared inbox with the collected answers and notifies them by email. It does not pause automations permanently, and there is no hand-back stepSource:Automation builder guide
- Implied consent (CASL)
- Lasts 2 years after a purchase and 6 months after an inquiry; express consent is needed after thatSource:Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, s.10(10) (opens in a new tab)
- Unsubscribe and suppression
- Campaign emails carry one-click unsubscribe and sequence emails an unsubscribe line by default; unsubscribed addresses are skipped, and hard bounces and complaints are suppressed. The automation "send email" step adds no unsubscribe and does not check these listsSource:Campaigns guideCampaigns guide
- Store integration
- Shopify is the only supported store platform; its events can trigger email automationsSource:Shopify guide
- Email sending
- Sends draw on the email credits included with the plan; more can be added, and a sequence pauses when credits run outSource:Slide pricing
- Slide billing
- Workspaces created with a number outside India are billed in US dollars. Confirm the payment method with the Slide team before you subscribeSource:Billing and wallet guideSlide pricing
- Limitations
- The automation email step has no unsubscribe; soft bounces are not suppressed; no contacts export; no cross-channel attribution; no Instagram messages outside the 24-hour windowSource:Campaigns guideContacts guideCampaigns guide
- Pricing source
- The current pricing page, slide.synquic.com/pricingSource:Slide pricing
- Last factual review
Where to go next
- Email automation in CanadaHow Canadian businesses use Slide for email campaigns and sequences under CASL: consent and its expiry, sender identification, unsubscribes and Quebec.
- Customer retention: all channelsBring past customers back with segmented WhatsApp campaigns, Shopify win-back and reorder messages, and email campaigns with one-click unsubscribe, using Slide.
- Email channel setup guideStep by step, from connecting the account to the first send.
Bring past customers back inside their consent window
Start on the free plan and connect your store, or book a demo and plan your win-back sequence and segments with the Slide team.