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The Madison Avenue Field GuideA field guide to marketing & advertising, by Brandon Mina

GlossaryRetail Media & CommerceDunning

Retail Media & Commerce

Dunning

The automated process of retrying failed subscription payments and messaging customers to update their card, reducing involuntary churn.

By Brandon MinaCEO, BrandPilot AIUpdated November 2026

Short answer

Dunning is the automated process of recovering failed subscription payments by retrying charges and messaging customers to update their payment details. Failures often stem from expired cards or insufficient funds rather than intent to cancel. Effective dunning uses smart retry timing and clear reminders to reduce involuntary churn and protect recurring revenue.