If you run an e-commerce store, you already know the struggles of convincing customers. The scope of communicating with them is limited.
Therefore, the chances of persuasion are even lesser.
Email marketing can help you solve this problem to a great extent by connecting you with your customers. All you need to do is launch the correct email marketing campaigns on the right occasions and you’ll witness your ROI skyrocket.
Today we will discuss five essential e-commerce email marketing campaigns that you can utilize in different parts of your customer’s journey. So let’s get started.
Five Essential E-commerce Email Marketing Campaigns
For most e-commerce businesses it is essential to combine more than one campaign to support different stages of the customer journey.
From platform sign-ups to post-purchase inquiries, these five email marketing campaigns are all you need.
Campaign 1: Welcome Series
Welcome series is the type of automated emails that trigger when a new subscriber signs up to your website or subscribes to your emails.
Key Elements of This Series
- Personalized warm welcomes- Greeting with personalization and enthusiasm. This makes the user feel recognized and appreciated.
For example, “Hey [Name], glad you’re here!”
- Showing them value upfront- Delivering what they signed up for, e.g., guide, coupon, discount, makes things clearer for the user.
The subject line can be something like “Here’s that free recipe ebook you wanted!”
- Active CTA- The email should end with an encouraging step. Like asking them to visit the page, download content, or make a purchase.
For example, “Fill up your empty cart now”
Takeaways for You:
- The key to a successful welcome series is being brief and clear.
- The email should show your appreciation for them associating with you or how excited you are to help them out.
- Use infographics that align with your brand and compel the user to take action.
Image: Welcome email from an e-commerce makeup brand Nykaa.
Campaign 2: Abandoned Browsing/ Cart Alerts
You don’t even have to be an e-commerce platform owner to know how much people love window shopping. According to reports, the average cart abandonment rate is 66.5%.
Meaning 7 out of 10 website visitors who put items in their virtual cart end up leaving without completing their purchase.
This email series is targeted to those who add items to their wishlist or cart and don’t proceed with the purchase. For this email alert, you have to track multiple browsing behaviors.
Once you identify their buying intentions, create customized emails using similar products and send them out.
Key Elements of This Series
- Custom shopping suggestions- The email contains a personalized list of products that the customer has either added to their cart/ wishlist. Or it can consist of items they have been browsing.
- Highlighting benefits- Along with simply listing the products, the email should highlight why they should purchase at that given moment. For example, highlighting if there is a price drop.
- Simple graphics- The visuals for this series don’t have to be elaborate. Rather keeping it simple helps the customer focus better on the custom suggestion list.
- Minimal writing- The text body for this series is minimal too. A line or two describing the intent behind sharing the list is all one needs.
Takeaways for You:
- Keep the spotlight on the suggestion list.
- Focus on one category at a time to get maximum results.
For example, if the customer browsed for kids’ cutlery, floor mats, and pet food; send them assorted emails for each with the product and similars in that category.
- Keeping the graphics and texts minimal would help customers focus better on the list.
Image: Abandoned browsing email from Amazon
Campaign 3: Post-Purchase Pampering
The customer journey doesn’t end with a customer making their purchase. It continues past that.
This email series addresses the post-purchase situation. Studies show that recurring customers tend to spend 30% more compared to brand-new customers.
Thus, this email series aims to make the customer feel valued and persuade them to become your regular.
Key Elements of This Series
- Order Summary- A post-purchase email should contain all the details of the product, delivery date, return policies, etc.
- Thank You Message- To make the customer feel valued, a few words of gratitude are essential.
For example “Thank you {customer’s name} for shopping with us”.
- Promo code- A post-purchase email sometimes carries promo codes that the customer can redeem in their future purchase.
- Request for review- Asking customers to review the product is the most common part of the post-purchase email series.
Takeaways for You:
- Add all the relevant details about the purchase so the customer gets a clear picture.
- Begin with a note of gratitude.
- Keep the review/ rating system as easy as possible to get maximum response.
- Adding an image of the product will help the customer identify the purchase.
Image- Post-purchase email inquiry from Amazon
Campaign 4: Festive Bonanzas
This email series is to inform your customers of special festive offers. This series usually starts a month before the offer starts and continues till the day before it ends.
These can also be combined with the abandoned browsing/cart series to make the most impact.
Key Elements of This Series
- Holiday announcement- The email subject line mentions the name of the holiday.
- Limited-time offer announcement- To create a sense of urgency, an offer period is mentioned.
- List segmentation- Proper segmentation is done to send targeted promotions to those who have already shown interest in that product category.
For example, if someone in the past showed interest in camera accessories, the infographic should highlight the deals on camera and accessories.
Image: Festive offer announcement by Amazon
Campaign 5: Limited Period Offer Alerts
Apart from festive offers, there could be sudden price drops taking place. This email series is curated to inform your existing customers about such occasions.
The limited-period offer series is customized and targets customers by highlighting the products they’ve been eyeing for a long time.
Key Elements of This Series
- Product detail- The email contains the details of the product the customer was interested in. It should have the image, name, previous price, and offer price of the product.
- Countdown timers- Adding a countdown timer influences customers to take quick actions due to the fear of missing out.
Image: Limited period price-drop alerts by make-up e-commerce platform Nykaa
Tips For Effective E-commerce Email Marketing
While the above discussion covered most of the important aspects of successful e-commerce email marketing, here are some tips to make them even better.
Use Personalization And Segmentation
- Use their names and purchase history.
- Send abandoned cart mail with discounts.
- Segment buyers based on demographics and interest.
Offer Them Value, Not Just Sales Pitches
- Instead of simply bombarding them with offers, add something that entertains or inspires them.
- Curate a product recommendation list for them.
- Share snippets from your latest blog posts to pique their interest.
- Reward your subscribers for their loyalty with special perks.
Make The Emails Eye-cathing
- The subject line has to be interesting enough for them to open your email.
- Use high-quality images for infographics.
- Add clear CTA.
- Make sure to optimize your emails for mobile view.
Wrapping Up
E-commerce email marketing is all about building relationships with your customers and providing them with a valuable experience. The key to e-commerce email marketing is understanding your customers, speaking their language, and offering value beyond just a discount.
By building relationships with your customers through email, you can increase sales and build a loyal following for your e-commerce store. So, get creative, personalize your approach, and let your emails shine in the crowded inbox.
FAQs
How do I build an email list for my e-commerce store?
To build an email list for your e-commerce store, you can add sign-up forms to your website, share sign-up forms on social media, or offer promo codes and freebies in exchange for email addresses,
What kind of email content should I send for e-commerce email marketing?
As an e-commerce business, you can send promotional emails, product updates, abandoned cart emails, and welcome emails.
How often should I send emails?
Sending emails once a week or once a month can ensure you are not bombarding your customer’s inbox with emails.
Sk Rafiqul Islam is a content marketing practitioner with 3+ years of practical experience. He spends most of his time helping businesses to build a loyal audience with content marketing. He is also running a tech career blog called 10Pie and content marketing VIP, a bi-weekly marketing newsletter. In his free time, he loves reading books and playing football.