Email Marketing Automation Flows that Every eCommerce Website Should Have

In 1978, a digital marketer named Gary Thuerk sent the first mass email that resulted in 1=$13 million worth of conversion. Since then, email has rapidly grown to become a primary mode of communication between brands and consumers. In fact, the average email user gets close to 225 emails a day! That’s because email is working wonders for many businesses. Brands are growing their revenue by personalizing emails based on consumer behavior. At the heart of personalization is email marketing automation.

As a business owner, you know the value of conversion-prompting emails. This post focuses on different email automation flows that can transform your business.

1. On-boarding series

The first point of contact a company has with a customer over email is through the welcome email. While focusing on this is commonplace, many email marketers overlook welcome emails for new subscribers who are yet to convert. This group could be a significant segment of the potential customer base if you treat them right. According to a study, welcome emails have a 45% open rate, so you best make the most of them. Setting up an onboarding email series

Setting up an on-boarding email series

• Give your new subscribers/customers a warm welcome with a personal touch
• Offer subscribers an irresistible incentive to make a purchase
• Ensure that you describe your brand accurately and set the right expectations
• Create omni-channel touch points to stay connected with subscribers

2. Abandoned cart prompts

Ever abandoned a cart during e-shopping because of distractions or doubts? All of us would have. An abandoned cart prompt can keep the almost-purchase at the top of your customers’ minds. Since placing an item in the cart indicates interest in purchasing the product, this prompt may be all your customers need to actually make the purchase. You can use the assistance of email automation software to choose the right trigger time. But if you’re unaware of how to make the most of such software, you could outsource email automation management to an experienced agency such as ours.

Setting up an abandoned cart prompt

While there is no universal formula for abandoned cart prompts, here’s a recipe that works for most businesses.

• Email 1 – Send 24 hours post-abandonment
• Email 2 – Send 48 hours post-abandonment
• Email 3 – Send 72 hours post-abandonment

3. Post-purchase interaction

Effective email marketing extends beyond the purchase. In fact, post-purchase interaction is a timeless way of showing customers you care about their experience even after having received payment. In today’s noisy world, post-purchase interaction is a great way to stay in customers’ minds while also pushing for testimonials. You could also use post-purchase emails to prompt more sales for your brand.

Setting up post-purchase interactions

• Ask for a review straight-up. You can also increase the chances of getting a review by making the process easy or incentivizing it.
• Try displaying similar or complementary products at the bottom of the page for an extra sales push.
• Improve customer experience by including product care and product FAQ information.

4. Cold lead re-engagements

As an eCommerce business owner, you will have experience with emails that become inactive after a while. These ‘disengaged customers’ are still worth investing in. They are already familiar with your business and will cost less than strangers to convert. The key to activating this audience is understanding what’s keeping them from making a purchase and addressing that weakness through a product revamp or discount campaign.

Setting up cold lead re-engagements

• Consider using easy-access and tempting incentives to re-engage old customers. Tag-lines such as “Return for an instant, extra 10% discount” can work wonders.
• Split test various re-engagement offers and copy-pieces to see what works on your audience best.
• Keep a log of these customers’ recent purchase history, so you can create more personalized re-engagement emails.

5. Email nurture series

If your products have long sales cycles, you can use email nurturing to convert clients over time. Customers need guiding to efficiently flow through sales cycles, and email nurturing can drive customers through such a sale cycle. In general, your audience is split into three major segments – those ready to purchase now, those who aren’t ready now but will buy in the near future, and those who will never buy. Many companies focus on the first segment, but you can make a lot of money by focusing on the second one.

Setting up an email nurture series

• Identify how you can add value outside of your business. For instance, if you sell apparel, you could share style tips and secrets with your audience. Whatever be the extra value you add, ensure that it’s unique.
• Work with different content types such as ebooks, webinars and infographics to keep your audience engaged.
• Pay extra attention to ways in which you can differentiate yourself from competitors. This is how you can woo customers.

6. Returning customer series

The emails you send to returning customers can’t be the same as your onboarding series. Ideally, you should learn to understand their behavior and make shopping a much better experience for these customers. Why? According to a report, repeat customers contribute to over a quarter of revenue even if they make up only 11% of your customer base. If you are looking for a way to dramatically improve your business, this may be a good area to look at this segment for means to do just that.

Setting up an email series for repeat customers

• Check in with them about 2-3 days after the products are delivered. Use this opportunity to really build a good relationship with each customer.
• Wait for about 4-5 days before sending personalized recommendations for more products that these customers can buy.
• Create a customer loyalty program that you can run through an automated email workflow.

Email automation can improve brand-customer relationships, nurture leads, increase conversions and improve customer loyalty. Achieving these outcomes through email marketing is only possible with the right email automation workflows. This post describes 6 of them that you can explore for inspiration. So, what are you waiting for? Get started on your email automation workflow today!