Lifecycle Is Everything: The Retention Framework Every eCommerce Brand Needs With Andrew Christison

Aug 5, 2025

Andrew Christison, Co-founder and CEO of Retencity, provides expert insights into e-commerce retention strategies. He discusses how many brands overlook long-term customer relationships, often relying on short-term tactics. Andrew emphasizes reshaping messaging to foster genuine connections and using personalized data for improved engagement. The podcast dives into optimizing tech infrastructure for retention, the importance of authentic timing in communications, and the lasting impact of customer experiences on brand loyalty.

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INSIGHT

E-commerce Flywheel Framework

E-commerce growth relies on a flywheel of traffic, conversion, and retention. - Relationship-driven lifecycle marketing amplifies growth when traffic and conversion are optimized.

ADVICE

Avoid Over-Communicating Customers

Analyze customer communication and automate thoughtfully to avoid overwhelming your list. - Fulfill promises made in ads to build trust and lasting customer relationships.

ADVICE

Start Acquisition With Consent

Treat email and SMS subscriber acquisition as the start of a trust-based relationship. - Obtain clear consent and provide valuable, relevant offers to build brand intimacy.

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Andrew Christison is the Co-founder and CEO of Retencity, a full-service customer lifecycle and loyalty marketing agency. Under his leadership, Retencity has worked with fast-growing brands like epres, Revision Skincare, and Diamond Art Club. The agency is also a member of 1% for the Planet and has planted over 80,000 trees and served over 100,000 meals through food banks across the US. Before Retencity, Andrew was the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Sendlane.

In this episode…

Many e-commerce brands struggle to scale sustainably because they rely on short-term tactics like discounting or top-of-funnel traffic generation, neglecting the long-term impact of customer retention and lifecycle marketing. Even brands generating $10 million in annual revenue can lack the infrastructure and strategy to nurture lasting relationships with their customers. How can companies rethink their tech stacks and messaging to build genuine brand intimacy and retention that drives growth?

As an expert in lifecycle marketing and customer relationships, Andrew Christison maintains that brands can shift from transactional messaging to experience-driven communication. This requires building trust from the first interaction by treating email and SMS acquisition like the beginning of a meaningful relationship rather than a sales funnel. Brands can also employ zero- and first-party data to personalize messaging over time and integrate tech stack automations, like back-in-stock notifications, to address hidden retention gaps. Additionally, aligning your marketing calendar to seasonality, customer lifecycle stages, and weather patterns can guide more relevant and timely campaigns.

Tune in to the latest episode of the Up Arrow Podcast as William Harris chats with Andrew Christison, Co-founder and CEO of Retencity, about creating customer retention strategies that drive growth. Andrew explains why authenticity matters more than automation, how to balance list quantity and quality, and how he diagnoses retention issues in growing brands.