How Outdoor Gear Brands Can Wake Up Dormant Buyers With Automated Emails & SMS
- Kyle Olmstead
- Nov 5
- 4 min read
Most brands think dormant subscribers are "lost causes." They're wrong.
Those sleepy buyers are a goldmine waiting for the right nudge, if you know how to hit “wake-up.”
Let’s get this out of the way: ignoring your dormant subscribers is like leaving $100 bills on the trail during a hike.
You wouldn’t do that. So why let your email and SMS lists gather dust?
Here’s the thing: most outdoor gear brands obsess over new acquisition. Ads, influencer collabs, SEO (you name it).
Meanwhile, half your list hasn’t bought anything in six months. Maybe even a year. And you’re sitting there thinking: “They’re gone. Time to move on.”
Wrong. Totally wrong.
Dormant buyers aren’t gone. They’re just… sleeping. And a few smart, automated nudges? Boom. You can turn them back into active buyers without dropping a fortune on acquisition.
Why dormant buyers are your best-kept secret
Here’s some cold, hard truth:
It costs 5x more to acquire a new customer than to reactivate an existing one.
Dormant buyers already know your brand, trust your gear, and (hopefully) like you.
Ignoring them is leaving revenue on the table while your competitors swoop in with shiny ads.
Think about it: one well-timed email or SMS can generate $10, $20, or even $50+ from a subscriber who hasn’t bought in months.
Multiply that by hundreds... or thousands... and suddenly your list isn’t just a contact book, it’s a mini-revenue engine.
The psychology behind waking up dormant buyers
It’s not magic. It’s human behavior. People forget. They get distracted. Life happens. But three things drive them back:
FOMO – Fear of missing out. Limited-time deals, exclusive products, early access. People respond to scarcity.
Personal relevance – They need to feel the offer was made just for them. Generic blasts? Dead on arrival.
Convenience cues – Remind them why your gear solves a problem they care about. Show it, don’t just tell it.
Automated flows make hitting all three effortless. Instead of guessing who’s ready to buy, data-driven triggers reach the right person at the right time, every time.
Quick wins to re-engage dormant buyers
Here’s what I’d try if I were running an outdoor gear brand (hypothetically speaking, of course):
1. The “Where’d You Go?” Win-Back Email
Subject line: “We Miss You… And Your Hiking Boots Do Too”
Body: A friendly nudge reminding them of what they loved last. Add a small incentive: 10% off, free shipping, or early access to new gear.
2. SMS “Hey, Don’t Forget This”
Keep it conversational: “Still thinking about that backpack? It’s waiting.”
Short, sweet, urgent. SMS open rates are crazy high, sometimes 90% in the first three minutes. Don’t waste it.
3. Social Proof & Community Nudges
Share real-life adventure stories or product reviews. People buy when they see others like them loving the product.
Bonus: tie it to a subtle call-to-action: “Join the adventure.”
4. Segmented Offers Based on Past Behavior
If someone bought winter jackets but hasn’t bought accessories, send them matching gloves, hats, or base layers.
Personalization increases engagement. You’re not just selling; you’re anticipating needs.
Automate, but keep it human
Automation doesn’t mean robotic. If your emails or SMS sound like they were written by a bot… well, they probably were.
Instead:
Write like a human. Imagine sending the message to a friend.
Use triggers intelligently. Birthday discounts, post-purchase suggestions, inactivity nudges.
Test & iterate. Subject lines, copy, timing. Even small tweaks = measurable revenue lift.
Metrics that matter
When you implement automated win-back flows, here’s what to track:
Pro tip: Don’t obsess over vanity metrics. A low open rate isn’t failure, it’s insight. Maybe your subject line needs personality. Maybe timing’s off. Maybe they just forgot you existed.
Fix that, and the money follows.
Common mistakes brands make
Sending the same generic email to everyone. One size never fits all.
Waiting too long to re-engage. Six months of silence? Too long. Even 30–60 days of inactivity is enough to trigger a smart automation.
Overcomplicating flows. Keep it simple: a few well-timed touches beat a dozen random nudges.
Ignoring mobile. Most opens happen on mobile... your email or SMS must look and feel perfect on a tiny screen.
The ROI is real
Even a small list of dormant subscribers can produce thousands in extra revenue per quarter with automated flows. And because these are existing contacts, the cost to generate that revenue is insanely low compared to new acquisition campaigns.
Think about it: if your brand has 10,000 dormant subscribers and just 5% re-engage with an average order of $50, that’s $25,000 in “hidden” revenue.
All from messages you already have the tools to send.
My personal take
I’ve always found this fascinating: the brands that obsess over shiny new acquisitions often ignore what’s literally sitting in front of them. Meanwhile, the savvy few? They treat every subscriber like a potential repeat buyer and every message like a mini-campaign.
And yes, it works. Every time.
Ready to unlock the hidden revenue in your list?
Ask yourself: How many dormant subscribers do you have sitting quietly, waiting for a nudge? What if those nudges were automated, personal, and perfectly timed?
Because the truth is: the easiest revenue you’ll ever earn isn’t from finding new customers, it’s from waking up the ones already on your list.
Are you ready to stop leaving money on the table and start turning every email and SMS into a profit-driving, loyalty-building engine?
✅ Takeaway: Don’t ignore dormant subscribers. Automate, personalize, and track. Revenue is waiting.
Visit Inboxercise to learn more.
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