How Hearth & Table Tripled Flow Revenue with a Full Email Lifecycle Overhaul

Industry: Shelf-Stable Meals & Pantry Staples

Company Size: 25–40 Employees

Location: Minneapolis, MN

Year Founded: 2005

About the Brand

Hearth & Table is a regional food company offering comforting, shelf-stable soups, sauces, and meal kits. Known for nostalgic recipes and weeknight-friendly convenience, the brand had built a loyal following both online and in-store.

While retail sales remained steady, their direct-to-consumer email channel wasn’t keeping pace. Despite a solid list size and frequent product drops, email contributed well below the industry benchmark of 20–30% of total online revenue—leaving major retention and reactivation opportunities on the table.

The Challenge

Hearth & Table came to us with a clear goal: bring lapsed customers back and make email a more dependable revenue channel.

The brand had the right product, pricing, and cadence—with new products launching regularly—but email wasn’t reflecting that momentum. Dynamic content wasn’t being used. Messaging was one-size-fits-all. And lifecycle triggers weren’t in place to reengage customers after their initial purchase.

Here’s what we uncovered:

• Key flows were missing or misfiring. The abandoned cart flow only triggered for users who began checkout, not those who merely added items to cart.

• No strategy for lapsed customers. There was no winback plan or logic for how to re-engage inactive customers over time.

• Lifecycle flows lacked structure. Welcome and post-purchase journeys were sparse, irregular, and disconnected from how people actually buy.

• Static campaigns with no segmentation. Everyone received the same content, regardless of behavior, purchase history, or product preferences.

• No testing strategy. Messaging hadn’t evolved, and CTAs, offers, and layouts were never tested for improvement.

The product was good. The audience was there. But the email experience didn’t give customers a reason—or reminder—to come back.

Our Approach

We rebuilt Hearth & Table’s email program around key lifecycle moments and reactivation opportunities—ensuring the right message was delivered to the right segment at the right time.

Here’s what we implemented:

• A New Welcome Flow to introduce the brand’s comforting, convenience-first philosophy—plus product education and limited-time offers to nudge the first purchase.

• A Multi-Step Abandoned Cart Flow that triggered at both add-to-cart and checkout stages—featuring product reminders, reviews, and timely nudges.

• A Rebuilt Post-Purchase Journey to reinforce the product’s quality, introduce complementary items, and encourage the next order.

• A Strategic Winback Series with reactivation content based on past order behavior, smart incentives, and seasonally relevant recipes or bundles.

• A Smart Sunset Flow to suppress long-term inactives while offering one last chance to reconnect—protecting deliverability without closing the door.

• Dynamic Content Blocks that automatically pulled in new product drops, seasonal items, or bestsellers—keeping flows and campaigns fresh without manual updates.

• An A/B Testing Framework across campaigns and flows—refining subject lines, CTA copy, incentive structure, and visual hierarchy.

• Cross-Flow Logic to prevent overlapping or repetitive sends, and ensure customers received the most relevant messaging for their stage.

The Results (Over 9 Months)

• +203% Flow Revenue: Lifecycle automation became a major revenue channel through better segmentation, timing, and conversion-optimized flows.

• +62% Conversion Rate: Messaging that addressed real buying barriers (like convenience, cost, and speed) turned more browsers into buyers.

• +118% Repeat Purchase Revenue: Better post-purchase follow-up and thoughtful winbacks brought past customers back more frequently.

• 35% List Pruned, Deliverability Protected: Our sunset strategy removed unengaged contacts while maintaining brand equity—supporting stronger inboxing across the board.

The Outcome

By transforming the email program from static to lifecycle-driven, Hearth & Table unlocked an entirely new layer of performance—without needing a bigger list or more discounts.

Flows now introduce the brand, guide the first purchase, re-engage lapsed buyers, and nudge repeat orders at the right moments. The result? More conversions, better list health, and a more sustainable revenue stream built on real customer connection.