3 Low-Lift Retention Wins You Should Have Already Tested

Happy March Madnesssss.

A good week here—spent some time in the NY office and cohosting our second-ever Retention Uncensored dinner tonight, Marketers Uncensored.

Next week, I’m heading to London for our first-ever global Retention Uncensored event. 100+ folks have RSVP’d, and it’s happening at Hijingo London, which is hands down the coolest venue we’ve hosted in yet.

And the next one is coming up in LA this April!

Enough about my escapades—this week, I’ve got three low-lift retention moves that most brands still haven’t tested.

None of these require a massive overhaul. Each one is simple, quick to implement, and has the potential for a big impact.

Let’s get into it.

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1. The Power of Plain-Text Emails (You’re Overcomplicating This)

Somewhere along the way, brands decided every email had to be a Picasso. High-res images, GIFs, fancy layouts—like a little work of art sitting in someone’s inbox.

In a sea of overly designed and heavily promotional emails, plain-text emails cut through the noise.

At OLIPOP, we tested plain-text vs. heavily designed emails, and the results were ridiculous. If the goal was to start a conversation, plain-text won every time. Customers saw them as real emails from a human, not another polished marketing blast.

Even better, Gmail and Yahoo actually prefer plain-text emails. They’re less likely to be flagged as Promotions, which means more people actually see them.

Here is a great example from Pepper:

And one more from Blume:

Like anything else, it should be done in moderation, and the context does matter.

Try This Right Now:

• Take one of your best-performing emails and rewrite it in plain text. No images, no fluff—just a clean, straight-to-the-point email. It should come from a person, though, either the founder or director of CX/Marketing, depending on the content angle. 

• Send it to a small segment and see how it performs vs. the original.

• Try sending a plain-text follow-up a day or two after an abandoned cart or post-purchase email. Something casual, like a founder or CX team check-in.

• Needs zero design, zero fancy autographed signature. 

Zero design is needed. No fancy autographed signature. Just a real, simple email.

This doesn’t mean using designed emails. Just stop assuming every email needs to be a full creative production. Some messages work better when they feel like an actual email, not a campaign.

And best of all, it takes five minutes to test.

2. Post-Purchase Upselling (Done Right)

Most brands fumble the post-purchase experience. Either they don’t upsell at all (leaving money on the table) or they go full aggressive mode, throwing endless discounts at customers before they even receive their first order.

Neither approach is my favorite.

Post-purchase upselling should feel thoughtful, relevant, and actually useful to the customer. Done right, it increases AOV, improves retention, and builds trust instead of eroding it.

Here’s how to do it without annoying people:

• Test upsells immediately after checkout. Once someone has their wallet open, it’s worth seeing if they’re open to adding something else. Just keep it relevant and low friction—refills, add-ons, or bundles work best. 

• Make the recommendation actually make sense. The best upsells aren’t random products from the catalog—they’re complementary to what the customer has already bought. It might be the travel size of the item they just bought, the same thing in a different flavor/scent, or an accessory. 

• Test an easy, no-pressure approach. Instead of “BUY THIS NOW” emails, try a plain-text follow-up from a CX team member or founder. Something as simple as:
  Hey [First Name],
  Hope you’re loving your [Product]! A lot of customers who buy this end up grabbing [Complementary Product] since they work really well together. Just wanted to share in case it’s helpful!

• Make it easy. If you’re upselling through email or SMS, let customers add the product in one click (no forcing them to re-enter all their details). The less friction, the better.

• Don’t overdo it. If a customer ignores your first upsell attempt, don’t keep hammering them. One thoughtful nudge is fine. Three back-to-back “Don’t forget this!” emails? Not fine.

• Leverage the right tools to test and optimize. It’s worth looking at:

  • Zipify

  • AfterSell

  • Rebuy

• These can help implement post-purchase strategies and upselling across every touchpoint. For in-cart A/B testing and shipping optimization, PDQ (PrettyDamnQuick) drove six figures of incremental revenue for us at Jones Road Beauty.

When done right, post-purchase upselling doesn’t feel like a sell. It feels like a helpful suggestion—because that’s what it should be.

3. RFM Modeling: Smarter Retention Without Guesswork

I’ve talked about RFM modeling before, but most brands still aren’t using it. Some assume it’s too complicated, but it doesn’t take a data team to make this work.

It’s one of the easiest ways to level up retention, whether you’re just starting out or deep in analytics. Each brand can apply it at its own level.

RFM is simple:

• Recency: When did they last buy?

• Frequency: How often do they purchase?

• Monetary: How much do they spend?

Instead of treating every customer the same, RFM segments them based on actual purchasing behavior. This helps you focus on the right people with the right strategies. Some basic examples:

• Loyalists – Buy often and spend a lot → VIP treatment, exclusive drops, early access

• Potential Whales – Spent a lot once, but haven’t come back → Win-back offers or personalized outreach

• High-Risk Churners – Used to buy regularly but have slowed down → Retention efforts before they ghost completely

This is easier than most people think:

• Shopify has basic RFM analysis built-in (see here).

• You can go deeper with tools like Triple Whale or Peel Insights.

• And soon, Yotpo will be launching something exciting on this front. 😍

Most brands spend too much time chasing “reactivation” for customers who were never going to stick. RFM helps you prioritize the customers who actually matter, adjust messaging based on behavior, and stop throwing retention dollars at the wrong segments.

More retention. Less noise. No guesswork.

That’s it for this week!

Cheers, 

Eli 💛

P.S. Looking for inspo on your next email/sms campaign?

I know you will love this.