What is e-commerce email marketing?
E-commerce email marketing is a form of digital marketing that uses emails to reach potential customers and promote products or services. It can be used to send out newsletters, discounts, promotions, product updates, or other relevant content.
The goal of e-commerce email marketing is to increase brand awareness and generate sales through the use of email campaigns. E-commerce businesses typically create email lists for their customers and then use those lists to send out personalized messages about new products or offers. Email marketing can be an effective way to reach consumers who may not follow traditional forms of advertising.
Types of e-commerce email marketing
When coupled with smart customer segmentation, the possibilities for email marketing in e-commerce are extensive. Here are several of the campaign and automation types most frequently used by brands:
Welcome series: Sent to a subscriber shortly after they join a mailing list – usually either after submitting a pop-up form or completing a purchase and opting in for marketing communications.
Abandoned cart: Sent 2-4 hours after shoppers after they add an item to their cart and leave without completing a purchase.
Abandoned browse: Sent after a shopper browses products on a store and leaves without making a purchase or adding a product/s to their cart.
Post-purchase: Sent shortly after a customer makes a purchase to build anticipation and provide usage examples and instructions, helping to reduce return frequency. Post-purchase email automations also present powerful cross-sell opportunities.
Win-back: Sent when a customer hasn’t made a purchase and engaged with email content for a predetermined period of time with the goal of driving conversions.
Review request: Sent 5-7 days after purchase with the aim of collecting reviews and User Generated Content (UGC).
Cross-sell: Sent post-purchase with the aim of cross-selling customers to similar or complementary product lines.
Sunset: Sent as a final attempt to re-engage subscribers after a significant period of inactivity.
Benefits of email marketing for e-commerce
When executed correctly, email marketing holds powerful benefits for e-commerce brands of all sizes:
Boosted brand loyalty:
E-commerce email campaigns and automations can be used to build relationships and loyalty with customers over time by providing them with engaging and relevant content.Cost-effectiveness:
Email campaigns are cheaper than other forms of digital marketing, such as pay per click or display advertising.Detailed targeting:
By segmenting their email databases, marketers can increase the impact of their email activities by tailoring content and offers to specific customer segments.Measurable results:
With email analytics tools, marketers can monitor the success of their campaigns in real time, prove revenue contribution, and make informed decisions about campaigns.Increased sales conversion rates:
By offering discounts, promotions, or product updates through e-commerce emails, businesses can encourage customers to make purchases from their website or store.Recover lost revenue:
By automating abandoned browse and abandoned cart engagements, brands can capture revenue that would have otherwise been lost.
Best practices to boost email performance
Get the most out of your ecommerce email campaigns by following these tips:
Don’t neglect the CTA:
Make sure your emails have a clear call-to-action. Provide subscribers with a direct and obvious way to take advantage of your offer.Get creative:
Keep the content of your emails fresh and engaging. From eye-catching visuals to educational content, provide valuable information that will encourage customers to open and read through each email.Make it personal:
Personalize your emails based on customer data, such as location, purchase history, or preferences.Use automation:
Leverage automated systems to follow up on leads and send out emails at optimal times for engagement.Test, test, test:
A/B test different subject lines, messaging, offers, or design elements in order to increase engagement rates.
E-commerce email marketing with Emarsys
Emarsys helps leading brands like PUMA, Klarna, Pizza Hut, and Nike to convert subscribers and drive repeat purchases with an AI-powered platform that sends the right content to the right people, at the right time.
