Guide · Square
How to automatically follow up with Square customers who stopped coming
Square can send a win-back message to customers who haven’t been back in a while. The catch: it uses one timing for every customer, and some sellers have found they can’t change it. Here’s what Square’s tools do, the workaround a Square moderator suggested, and how to reach each customer on their own schedule.
Checked October 2026. Square sometimes changes its dashboard.
The short answer
- Square has a win-back automation in Square Marketing that messages customers who haven’t bought in a while.
- Its timing is a sore spot. In August 2025 a Square Community Moderator confirmed a seller couldn’t change when the built-in reminder went out.
- The workaround the moderator suggested: a manual campaign to a customer group, such as Lapsed, sent on your own schedule.
- The catch with any single cutoff: your customers don’t all come back on the same schedule.
What Square’s automation does
Square’s help center says sellers with Square Marketing, or Square Plus and Premium, can “set up an ongoing automated campaign” (Square Support). A Square Champion in Square’s community describes it this way: go to Marketing, then Automations, choose Win Back Lapsed Customers, and set a timeframe, like 60 days without a purchase (Square Community).
Not every seller has had that choice. In July 2025, a seller wrote that their only lapsed-customer automation went out 1.5 months after a regular stopped buying, with a $5 offer, and asked for a plain reminder at 3 to 4 weeks instead. A Square Community Moderator replied: “I confirmed with our team that this isn’t possible at the moment” (Square Community). Check what your own dashboard offers.
The workaround: a campaign to your Lapsed group
- 1
Open Customers, then the Lapsed group
In Square Dashboard, go to Customers. Square keeps a group called Lapsed: customers who were regulars but haven’t visited in the last six weeks. You can change those rules with Actions, then Edit Group.
- 2
Start a campaign to that group
From Marketing, create a campaign and choose the Lapsed group (or any group you made) as the audience. Write a short, personal note and send it.
- 3
Repeat it on a schedule
A Square Community Moderator called this “the best workaround for now” in August 2025, for a seller who wanted different timing than the built-in automation. Put a reminder on your calendar to send it every week or two.
Sources: Square Support, Manage customer groups and filters · Square Community, Request to change automation trigger
Where one cutoff falls short
Whether it’s an automation or the Lapsed group, both use one timeframe for every customer. Your customers don’t live on one schedule. Take a 60-day rule:
Comes every 2 weeks
By day 60 they’ve missed four visits. The message arrives more than six weeks after they were due.
Comes every 12 weeks
At day 60 they aren’t even due yet. A “we miss you” with a discount now gives money away.
The fix is to judge each customer by their own history: reach out when they are late, not when a calendar says so.
Judged by each customer’s own rhythm
How many of your Square regulars are past their usual visit?
Connect Square to the free Leak Check. Approve read-only access, and in about 2 minutes you’ll see how many regulars are past their own usual visit and what they used to spend with you. Customers who already have their next visit booked aren’t counted. No account or card needed.
Get my free Leak Check →Common questions
Can I change when Square’s automatic win-back message goes out?
It depends on your dashboard. In August 2025, a Square Community Moderator confirmed that a seller couldn’t change the timing of the built-in reminder, which went out 1.5 months after a regular stopped buying, with a $5 offer. A month later, a Square Champion described a Win Back Lapsed Customers automation where you set the timeframe yourself. Check Marketing, then Automations. Either way, it is one timeframe for every customer.
Do I need Square Marketing to message lapsed customers?
Square’s help article on automated campaigns is written for Square Marketing subscribers and Square Plus and Premium subscribers. Check your plan in Square Dashboard.
Why does one cutoff miss some customers?
Customers come back on different schedules. A two-week customer who hasn’t been back in five weeks has already missed two visits, while a twelve-week customer at five weeks is right on time. One cutoff treats them the same.
Will connecting Keptix change anything in my Square account?
No. Keptix asks Square for read-only access, so it can never change a booking, a customer or a payment. You can disconnect it at any time.
Do I have to stop using Square Marketing?
No. Keep using the Square tools you like. Keptix works alongside Square and shows who is slipping, judged by each customer’s own history.
Sources
More for Square sellers: How to find lapsed clients in Square · All guides