Boost repeat sales with Ferbz’s AI‑drafted win‑back automation

Below is a step‑by‑step walkthrough that shows exactly how a shop owner in, say, Bhopal, would set up a win‑back automation for his grocery store “Anand’s General Store”.

1. Import or create customers

   • From the Customers tab, click Import CSV and upload the latest Excel sheet from your POS. Include columns for Name, Phone, Email, Last Order Date. Ferbz matches each row to an existing profile or creates a new one.

2. Create a message template

   • Go to Automation → Templates. Click New Template and write a short WhatsApp text that follows the official Business API guidelines, e.g.:

     “Namaste {{customer_name}}! We miss you at Anand’s. It’s been a while since your last purchase. Fresh wheat flour, rice & spices are waiting for you. Reply YES to get a 10 % discount on your next visit.”

   • Save the template. You can later edit it on the visual canvas.

3. Open the Automation builder

   • Click the Automation tab on the left menu. Choose Create New Journey and give it a name – “30‑Day Win‑Back”.

4. Define the trigger

   • In the trigger panel, select Days Since Last Order. Set the value to 30. This tells Ferbz to enroll any customer whose most recent order is 30 days old or more.

5. Let the AI draft the flow

   • Type the plain‑English goal in the AI prompt box: “win back anyone who hasn't ordered in 30 days”.
   • Press Generate. Ferbz returns a three‑step journey:
     • Wait 0 days (immediate enrollment)
     • Message 1 – the template you saved earlier
     • Branch – if the customer replies YES, go to Message 2; otherwise, after 3 days send Message 3.

6. Edit on the visual canvas

   • Drag the nodes to rearrange if needed.
   • Click Message 2 and attach a second template: “Great! Use code ANAND10 at checkout for 10 % off. Valid for 7 days.”
   • Click Message 3 and attach a reminder template: “Just a gentle nudge – our shelves are stocked with your daily essentials. Come by today!”

7. Set credit consumption

   • Each WhatsApp message consumes 1 credit per successful send. The journey may use up to 3 credits per customer (Message 1, possible Message 2, possible Message 3). Ferbz automatically shows the estimated credit usage in the top‑right corner of the builder.

8. Publish the journey

   • Hit Activate. The journey now lives on the Automation list and is ready to enroll customers.

9. Monitor enrollment and delivery

   • Open the Reminders board. You will see a live list:

     • Scheduled – customers whose 30‑day timer has just started.
     • Sent – messages that have left the system.
     • Failed – any delivery issues (e.g., phone number not on WhatsApp).

   • Click any row to view the full history for that customer, including the order that triggered the journey and the exact timestamps of each message.

10. Review performance

    • Go to Reports → Messaging Effectiveness. Select the date range of the past month and filter by the “30‑Day Win‑Back” journey. The report shows:
      • Total messages sent: 1,124
      • Delivered: 1,098 (97.7 %)
      • Read: 842 (75.0 %)
      • Conversions (customers who replied YES and placed an order): 127

11. Adjust if needed

    • If the conversion rate is lower than expected, return to the Automation canvas, edit the waiting period or tweak the copy. The changes take effect for the next batch of eligible customers instantly.

Worked Example – Anand’s General Store

Anand’s sells groceries and household staples. In March 2024, the store recorded 2,845 orders and had 1,960 unique customers. After importing the CSV, Anand set the win‑back automation as described above.

• Trigger: 30 days since last order
• Credits purchased: ₹799 for 1,000 credits (plus a ₹299 top‑up later for 350 more)

During April, the system enrolled 312 customers who had not bought since the end of February.

Total credits consumed: 624 (well within the 1,350 credits available).

Revenue recovered from the 111 converted customers was ₹42,780 (average basket ₹385). Compared with the previous month’s repeat‑sale rate of 12.3 %, the win‑back journey lifted repeat sales to 15.9 %, a 29 % increase in repeat revenue without any manual phone calls.

General‑retail shops in Tier‑2 and Tier‑3 cities often lose repeat customers because they cannot track when a staple item runs out or because they rely on paper notes to remind themselves to call. The win‑back automation eliminates those manual steps:

• Time saved – Instead of a shopkeeper spending 2–3 hours each week dialing or walking to customers, Ferbz handles the entire outreach automatically. In Anand’s case, the 312 win‑back messages saved roughly 5 hours of phone‑call time (assuming 1 minute per call plus dialing).

• Revenue recovered – The 111 customers who responded generated ₹42,780 in sales. At an average margin of 12 % (typical for grocery staples), that is ₹5,134 of profit that would otherwise have been lost.

• Credit efficiency – Each reminder costs a single credit. With 624 credits used, the cost per recovered sale was ₹1.28 (₹799 / 624 ≈ ₹1.28 per credit). Even after adding the ₹299 top‑up, the cost per conversion stayed below ₹2, far cheaper than hiring a part‑time sales assistant.

• Accurate follow‑up – The Reminders board shows real‑time delivery status, so the owner knows instantly if a message failed (e.g., wrong number) and can correct the contact data. No silent failures.

• Compliance and branding – All messages are sent through the official WhatsApp Business API, preserving the store’s professional image and avoiding the risk of being blocked for using personal numbers.

Overall, the automation directly addresses the two biggest pain points for Indian general‑retail owners: customers drifting to competitors and the lack of a systematic way to remind them when it’s time to reorder.

Setting up a win‑back automation takes just a few clicks and a modest credit top‑up. Visit the Ferbz dashboard, import your customer list, create a simple WhatsApp template, let the AI draft the journey, and watch repeat sales climb. For a hands‑on trial, go to https://dashboard.ferbz.com/ and start with ₹99 worth of credits. If you need help, email support@ferbz.com – the team is ready to guide you through every step, from CSV import to interpreting the Reminders board.