Handwritten Notes on Shopify. The "Anti Inbox" Retention Play You Should Steal

If you are running a Shopify store and your entire retention strategy is “send more email,” I have bad news. You are competing with a digital landfill.

In a recent Microsoft Work Trend Index report, the average employee receives 117 emails a day. That is before Slack, Teams, texts, and whatever app your teenager says is “dead” now.
So when David Wachs, CEO and founder of Handwrytten, told me brands are losing the gratitude game, I believed him immediately. Handwrytten’s research says only 12% of consumers feel appreciated by brands. Down from 18% in 2022. That is not a rounding error. That is a faceplant.

This episode was basically a masterclass in how to make your Shopify customers feel something again. And yes, it involves real pen on real paper. In 2026, that is apparently a competitive advantage. Ridiculous. Also true.

Who is David Wachs. And what is Handwrytten

David built a business around a simple idea. Digital is scalable, but it is also ignorable. Handwrytten automates handwritten cards and notes at scale, triggered by customer behavior. And it plugs into Shopify so you can fire notes based on events like first purchase, spend thresholds, and other milestones.

The “why” is the point. Nobody thanks people for shopping anymore. Most brands act like the customer did them a favor by converting on a popup and accepting cookies. The bar is underground.

The real Shopify growth lever is retention. Not another ad account

Every Shopify brand wants more customers. Fine. But the money is in keeping the customers you already paid to acquire.

Bain research, cited by Harvard Business Review, found that increasing customer retention rates by 5% can increase profits by 25% to 95%. That is not “nice to have.” That is “your CFO should tattoo this on their arm.”

This is why handwritten notes matter. They are not “cute branding.” They are a retention primitive. They create emotional residue. They make a customer remember you when it is time to reorder, not just when your next email subject line screams at them.

Why handwritten works when your Shopify email does not

Here is what David explained that hit hard.

1. The mailbox is the least crowded inbox.

2. A card feels like time. People interpret it as effort, even when it is automated.

3. It gets kept. Not clicked, skimmed, and buried.

Direct mail also tends to outperform a lot of digital outreach on raw response. Industry reporting referencing the ANA Response Rate Report shows house list direct mail often landing in the 5% to 9% response range. Prospect lists sit lower. Still, it routinely outperforms a lot of digital benchmarks.

You do not need to become a direct mail purist. You just need one channel that feels human.

The Shopify playbook. What to automate first

If you want to test this on Shopify without overthinking it into oblivion, start here.

1) First purchase thank you

Your first order is the moment to turn “transaction” into “relationship.”

How to write it

• Keep it short.

• Make it genuine.

• Do not pitch in the note itself.

If you want an offer, place it as a quiet “by the way” on the back of the card or via a trackable link. David was clear on this. Your gratitude gets diluted the second the message turns into a sales script.

2) VIP spend threshold

Set a rule like “lifetime spend hits $500” or “3rd order” and send a VIP note.

This is the kind of thing that makes a Shopify customer feel seen. The average brand never does it. Which is why doing it works.

3) Anniversary or milestone moments

The easiest retention automation is staying top of mind without being annoying.

David’s rule of thumb was simple. Aim for 2 to 4 meaningful touchpoints a year, unless something exceptional happens. Too many notes turns special into spam.

4) Winback when something goes wrong

This part is sneaky powerful. When you mess up an order, you have a chance to create a story the customer repeats for years.

USPS even highlights that adding trackable digital elements like QR codes or personalized URLs helps measure engagement and behavior. That matters because “gratitude” is hard to track unless you design for it.

The move is not to “send a sorry email.” It is to fix the problem, then follow up like a human.

How to track ROI without lying to yourself

If you try to measure handwritten notes like a 7 day paid social ROAS window, you will call it a failure and go back to blasting 15% off popups.

This is a long game metric. You should track:

• Cohort LTV. Customers who received a note vs customers who did not

• Repeat purchase rate

• Review rate

• Referral rate

• Time to next order

Also, you can track direct response with:

• Unique QR codes or personalized URLs on the card

• Customer tagging in Shopify or event tracking in your ESP

• Offer redemption when you include a private code

The key idea David hammered. Do not confuse “no immediate redemption” with “no impact.” Emotional connection shows up later.

What not to do. The fastest ways to ruin it

David’s anti checklist was perfect:

• Do not write a novel. If the note is too long, it screams “machine.”

• Do not make it all call to action. A weird tracking URL written in a “handwritten” note breaks the spell.

• Do not over-send. The magic is rarity.

This is the mistake most Shopify brands make. They take a human channel and try to squeeze it like a performance ad.

Practical setup notes for Shopify merchants

Handwrytten’s Shopify app supports automated notes triggered by customer actions, including purchases and spend thresholds.

If you want to get fancy, the advanced plays we discussed include:

• Custom card designs and inserts

• Signature replication

• Prospecting via address lookup tools

• Influencer outreach with sample kits in addition to a handwritten note

If you are a Shopify operator, the best part is you can treat this like any other retention automation. It is a workflow, not a one-off craft project.

The Shopify1Percent takeaway for 1Percenters

Shopify growth is not a mystery. It is consistency and compounding.

Most brands are stuck in the acquisition hamster wheel because it feels measurable. Retention feels squishy. But the profit lives in the squish.

If only 12% of customers feel appreciated, you do not need to be perfect. You need to be in the top 13%.
Send the thank you note. Trigger it off real customer behavior. Track it like an LTV investment. Stop acting like the customer owes you a second order.

FAQ. For Shopify merchants thinking about handwritten notes

Are handwritten notes worth it for Shopify?
Yes, if you treat them as retention and LTV strategy, not short-term promo.

What Shopify triggers should I start with?
First purchase, VIP spend threshold, and apology winbacks.

Should I include a discount?
Optional. If you do, keep the note itself gratitude-first, and place the offer subtly.

How do I track handwritten note performance?
Use cohort comparisons, repeat purchase rate, and trackable QR codes or PURLs.

How many notes should I send per customer per year?
A few meaningful touches beat a constant drip. Think 2 to 4, unless something exceptional happens.

Why does this work better than email?
Because inboxes are overloaded. The average worker receives 117 emails daily. Physical mail cuts through.