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Updated: 13 hours ago
LIFECYCLE CASE STUDY
The right next course starts with what came before.
Absolute Dogs’ lifecycle work used course and membership history to plan more relevant follow-up, alongside new post-purchase and site-abandonment flows.
Work documented: summer 2024
LIFECYCLE CASE STUDY
Three decisions behind the work.
Work documented: summer 2024
01 · THE CONTEXT
The starting point
A current member, a former member and a course buyer can have very different reasons to act. The strategy therefore distinguished what someone had already joined or purchased before deciding what to promote next.
02 · THE WORK
The decisions behind the journey.
Map the existing relationship
The June strategy discussion separated current members, churned members and customers who had purchased particular courses. Each group had a different next relevant offer.
Add lifecycle follow-up
The August review recorded new post-purchase and site-abandonment flows as part of the account’s work. Campaigns continued alongside those automated journeys.
Adjust to audience response
Later monthly reviews connected weaker results with campaign frequency, promotion fatigue and the performance of particular course offers. Those observations informed further testing.
INSIDE THE DECISIONS
The relevant next course depends on what someone already owns.
Absolute Dogs’ strategy distinguished current members, former members and buyers of particular courses. Those groups can have different reasons to act. A current member may need help using what they have; a former member may need a relevant reason to return; a course buyer may be ready for a different next learning step.
The added post-purchase and site-abandonment journeys gave the programme more ways to respond between campaigns. Purchase and membership history provide useful context for those routes, rather than treating every contact as an audience for the same promotion.
Relevance and frequency need to be reviewed together.
The later account discussions considered weaker results, promotional fatigue and the performance of individual course offers. That is an important part of the transformation story: creating more journeys does not mean every additional message earns its place. Review what the customer already received and whether the next invitation adds a new decision.
For a similar education business, put course ownership, membership status and recent contact into the campaign brief. Track uptake for the relevant audience and review the next month before turning one strong send into a permanent growth claim. Keep this learning programme separate from A-OK9’s product account so results and audience rules remain meaningful.
03 · THE OUTCOME
What the work delivered.
The programme combined implemented flows with course- and membership-aware campaign strategy. The reporting varied across months, so this story focuses on the decisions and work rather than presenting one strong month as a sustained growth rate.
WHAT TO APPLY
Take the lesson into your own programme.
Before recommending another course, ask what the customer already owns and whether their membership is active. Use that context to make the next message relevant, then review the effect alongside send frequency and promotional pressure.
Work documented: summer 2024. This case study covers the specific work described. Journey diagrams explain the approach.
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE WORK
What this case study shows.
How should course purchase history guide the next recommendation?
Absolute Dogs used course and membership history to plan more relevant follow-up, alongside post-purchase and site-abandonment work. For an education business, check what a learner already owns before promoting another course. A next recommendation should make sense in the learner’s progression and avoid repeatedly selling access they already have.
What should a retention programme measure beyond email revenue?
Track second-purchase rate at a consistent customer age, time to the next order, product progression and customer lifetime value. Separate new and mature cohorts so a change in acquisition volume does not distort the diagnosis. These are evaluation principles for the next stage of work, not additional results claimed for this project.
YOUR NEXT CHAPTER
What could your email programme do next?
Find the opportunities in your customer journey.
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