Email marketing continues to be one of the most powerful marketing channels in 2020. It’s estimated that email marketing provides $38 for every $1 spent. Nearly every business can benefit from email marketing.
Building individual email campaigns is time consuming, and having these automations in place will help you maximize your email ROI. Platforms like Shopify, Klaviyo and Omnisend make email automation easier than ever.
Here are 5 automated campaigns that every ecommerce store should be running. All images are courtesy of reallygoodemails, but please visit their site for more inspiration.
1. Welcome Series
These are the first emails someone receives after subscribing to your email list. There is a lot of room for creativity here, but ultimately you’ll want to:
- Welcome subscribers
- Give an incentive to buy
- Introduce your brand
- Connect with subscribers on other channels
Welcome Email
Get creative with this email, but it should ultimately accomplish three things:
- Welcome new subscribers and make them feel like part of your family.
- Provide a short introduction for your brand
- Give a time-sensitive offer
Offer Expiration Notice
Create a sense of urgency around the expiration of their offer. You can also use this email to showcase popular products or answer frequently asked questions to help guide a purchase.
2. Cart Abandonment
Shopping cart abandonment rates are about 70% on average, which means that 7 out of 10 shoppers will not complete their transaction. This is some of the lowest hanging fruit in the marketing world since these visitors have already shown intent to convert. Having at least one abandoned cart email is a must-have for any e-commerce site.
Cart Reminder
When to send: 2-4 hours after abandonment
This should be a straightforward email reminding shoppers what they left in their cart. Carts are often abandoned due to issues or confusion during checkout, so make sure to clearly display your customer service contact methods.
Incentive
When to send: 1 day later
If they didn’t convert from the first email, it’s time to add an incentive. Here you want to provide a time-sensitive offer such as free shipping or a discount on their purchase to encourage conversion.
Offer Expiration
When to send: 1 day later
The last email is a simple notice that their offer is expiring soon. Use an attention grabbing subject like “Last Chance” or “Your offer expires today!” to encourage opens.
3. First Time Purchase (New Customer)
Welcome Email
When to send: Immediately
Use this email to welcome new customers to your brand’s family and provide other valuable information. The content can be flexible to fit your needs. You can answer commonly asked post-purchase questions, tell a story, promote your social media, etc.
Review/Customer Service Email
When to send: 4-6 days after product arrives
Send a simple email that asks customers to leave a review if they are satisfied with their purchase. You also want to be proactive and include customer service contact information, just in case there are any issues with the order.
Promotional Offer
When to send: 5-7 days later
Create a time-sensitive promotion that gives customers a reason to buy from you again. Personalize this email as much as possible by promoting accessories for their original purchase or items in the same category.
4. Repeat Customer
Recognize and thank your repeat customers. Send a sincere “thank you” and provide ways to become further engaged with your brand. If you have a VIP or loyalty program, this is the time to share it.
5. Re-engagement series
Having unengaged contacts on your email list hurts your deliverability and provides no benefit to your business. Use a re-engagement series to keep your list active and engaged.
We Miss You + Promotional Offer
When to send: After 60-90 days of no opens or clicks
Acknowledge that they haven’t been engaged and give a reason for them to come back. Use the strongest promotional offer possible, knowing these subscribers are unengaged and this is your last chance to win them back.
Offer Expiration Notice
Politely notify subscribers that they’ll be unsubscribed if they do not engage with this email or make a purchase. Include a “Keep me on the list” option as well as an “Unsubscribe” link.
Unsubscribe Notice
If they don’t respond to the first two emails, it’s time to unsubscribe them from your list. Send a simple notification that you’ve removed them from your list and provide a link for them to resubscribe to your list in the future.
Time to get started
Now that you know the basics, it’s time to build and launch these campaigns. Having these campaigns running will build an automated flow of revenue, so you want to get these campaigns running as soon as possible.
Once they’re running, continue to analyze and optimize the campaigns to maximize open rates, click thru rates, and revenue.
Good luck!