As savvy ecommerce marketers, we’ve all come across those studies that cite email as having the highest ROI of any marketing channel available.
In fact, email marketing is hands down the best way for ecommerce businesses to connect with customers and drive sales.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the entire ecommerce email marketing process and equip you with the tips and templates needed to help ensure your first campaign is a success.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why email marketing is important for ecommerce brands
- Getting started!
- 15 tips for ecom email marketing
- 10 examples of ecommerce email marketing templates
Why is Email Marketing so Important for Ecommerce?
For one, 61 percent of customers report that email is their communication method of choice. And more than 90 percent of people say that they prefer to receive promotional emails from their favorite brands. Needless to say, you can’t go wrong with email.
Email marketing also offers a more flexible and cost-effective alternative to traditional forms of marketing. Secure leads, close sales, and retain customers—all without breaking the bank.
Ecommerce Email Marketing: How do You Get Started?
When you think of an ecommerce email strategy, there are probably a few things that come to mind.
Right now, you’re probably envisioning huge email blasts advertising a can’t-miss sale or new product line. But that’s just one category of email marketing. The truth is that it can take many more forms, ones that are even more useful than those massive blasts, and ones that are automated to take some of the busywork off your plate.
At its core, email marketing involves any email you send out to a customer or potential customer.
But, how exactly do you kick off this process? What are the steps you have to take to get everything up and running?
15 Ecommerce Email Marketing Tips
We’ve compiled a list of some of our top tried-and-tested strategies that will pique the interest of your customers and keep them coming back for more:
1. Develop a plan
When it comes to ecommerce email marketing, you don’t want to just play it by ear. Start with the end in mind and start writing out the steps you need to take and adjust accordingly.
2. Make sure your site is mobile-friendly
With more than half of all emails opened on a mobile device, make sure that your ecommerce site is optimized to be read on both tablets and smartphones. Scrollable content, easy-to-read fonts, and good spacing are all base-level requirements.
3. Segment your audience
Understanding your customers is what separates the victors from the failures in ecommerce email marketing. You can segment your audience based on the actions they’ve already taken on your site, by individual characteristics, or by specified preferences.
4. Write attention-grabbing subject lines
You’ve got one chance to get subscribers to open your emails and it starts and ends with your subject line, so make it engaging. You want to strike that perfect balance between catchy and salesy.
5. Keep content concise
When writing your ecommerce email, remember that less is more. Since you want to convey your brand’s story as effectively as possible, steer clear of jargon-laden language and marketing fluff.
6. Use high-quality images
Regardless of what you’re selling, powerful visuals are key in driving subscribers to buy. Images and videos can convey things that words can’t and are a great way to show instead of tell.
7. Add a call to action
The average user receives 121 emails per day. Despite your best effort to craft emails with responsive designs and compelling content, a call to action incentivizes the reader to take the next step and open the email.
8. Personalize, personalize, personalize
There’s nothing more off-putting for a customer than to be treated as part of the crowd. Depending on the nature of the email, you can use the customer’s profile details and buying preferences to create targeted campaigns that lead to more sales.
9. Add a live chat feature
Live chat is one of the more effective communication methods out there. Customers can easily ask questions or share concerns before making a purchasing decision, thus boosting your conversion rate and creating a positive shopping experience for your brand.
10. Offer free shipping
If your business doesn’t offer a free shipping option, it may be time to add one. It turns out that 91 percent of consumers say that free shipping influences their buying decisions.
11. Offer exclusive promotions to loyal customers
On average, returning customers are worth up to 10 times as much as their initial purchase. To ensure they’ll continue you to buy from you in the future, create a loyalty program in which they can use rewards points to score discounts and free products.
12. Ask customers to join your email marketing list
The process of collecting email addresses and adding them to your database is a skill in itself. To ensure your opt-in popup is user-friendly, be sure to test various options and find out what’s most effective for your target audience.
13. Track your results
To get the best results from your email campaigns, you need to be steadfast in monitoring and refining your results. These metrics include open rates, click-through rates, and unique opens.
14. Ask for feedback
Providing social proof on your ecommerce site can go a long way. If you can identify the customers that are buying from you and clicking on your emails, take the opportunity to reach out and ask for a review.
15. Respond to reviews
Customer testimonials can make or break your business. Whether they’re positive or negative, responding to their comments is a great way to build trust and illustrates that you care about what they think about your brand.
10 Ecommerce Email Templates You NEED
The best ecommerce email templates are designed to finetune your campaign and increase your sales through email marketing:
1. Welcome Email
What better way to introduce subscribers to your brand than with a persuasive introduction email? Generating roughly three times more revenue per email than any other marketing email, they’re an essential component of your ecommerce email strategy.
Example: Huckberry
2. Engagement Email
It’s harder than ever these days to stand out in your customer’s inbox. So, to increase your chances, don’t simply throw together some information and click “send.” Focus on strengthening the relationship between you and the customer. What’s going to grab their attention? A sale? Free samples?
Example: Sephora
3. Referral Email
With referrals from existing customers, their friends and family are more likely to make a purchase from your brand as opposed to someone who happened to come across your paid advertising elsewhere on the internet. It is the easiest lead generation tool that helps you bring back loyal customers and attract new customers with virtually no effort.
Example: Misty Robotics
4. Discount Email
Who doesn’t love discounts? Not only do they lead to higher conversion rates, but they motivate customers to act sooner than later so they can score big savings. But, try to reserve the discounted pricing for those who engage regularly with your ecommerce email marketing campaigns.
Example: Hotels.com
5. Abandoned Cart Email
Nearly 70 percent of users abandon items in their cart before ever completing the sale. The good news is that by sending a follow-up email, they’re more likely to convert. The email should include images of the product(s) left behind, a possible discount, and a strong call to action.
Example: Dote
6. Order Confirmation Email
While order confirmations are often viewed simply as digital receipts, it’s also a great way to increase sales and bring customers back to your site. Everything they need to know should be included in the email—delivery address, expected arrival date, product description, quantity, and price information.
Example: Dollar Shave Club
7. Upsell Email
It’s far easier to sell to a repeat customer than it is to discover new customers. Knowing this, you should be using almost every email to your existing base to upsell products. You can approach this by sending an email after they make a purchase with details on products within the same category they might be interested in.
Example: SHOP.com
8. Win-Back Email
Each year, one in four email subscribers decide to opt out of ecommerce emails. By launching a multi-part win-back email campaign, you can get people to interact with your emails again.
Example: Crocs
9. Survey Email
Survey emails are an excellent way to see what your customers really think about your business. They give you insight into everything from pain points to long-term goals. The more users respond to your survey, the better chance you have of improving your marketing strategy.
Example: Tailor Brands
10. Appreciation Email
No matter your ecommerce business, saying “thank you” to your customers is critical. While these messages are often automated, you don’t want them to come off as being impersonal. The best ecommerce email automation should still show gratitude and convey to the customer that you genuinely appreciate their business.
Example: MacPaw
Wrapping Up
By using the above-mentioned strategies and implementing them properly with the right resources behind them, you can greatly improve your odds of success.
The big question is—are you ready to get started?
If your answer is yes, think of email marketing as your ecommerce company’s secret weapon. Without giving it a second thought, it’s time to put your marketing efforts to the test, and let the results pour in!
