Introduction to Ecommerce Email Marketing: Strategies & Best Practices

In the world of ecommerce, email marketing can be an incredibly powerful tool for driving sales, building relationships with customers, and growing your business. By sending targeted, personalised emails to your audience, you can keep them engaged and interested in your products or services.

In this article, we'll explore the different types of email marketing, how to use email marketing for ecommerce, the best email marketing platform for ecommerce businesses, why email marketing is important for ecommerce, ecommerce marketing automation, the characteristics of a successful ecommerce email, email marketing best practices, and what a good open rate is for ecommerce emails. We'll also include links to helpful resources for ecommerce email marketing throughout the article.

Types of Email Marketing

There are several types of email marketing that ecommerce businesses can use to reach their audience, including:

1. Promotional Emails

Promotional emails should be designed to showcase a specific product or service and encourage the recipient to take advantage of a limited-time offer, discount, or exclusive deal.

These emails typically contain a clear call to action (CTA), such as "Shop Now" or "Claim Your Discount," and visually appealing images or graphics that highlight the product or service. Additionally, promotional emails often include testimonials, product ratings, or other social proof to build trust and credibility with the audience.

2. Newsletters

Newsletters are versatile email marketing tools that share different content with your subscribers. They help you maintain an ongoing relationship with your audience and establish yourself as an expert in your industry. Newsletters may contain a mix of company news, product updates, educational content, industry insights, or exclusive offers. The key is to provide valuable information relevant to your audience's interests and needs while subtly promoting your products or services.

3. Abandoned Cart Emails

Abandoned cart emails serve as gentle reminders to customers who have added items to their shopping carts but still need to complete their purchases. These emails can be highly effective in recovering lost sales, as they remind customers of the items they left behind and encourage them to complete the transaction. Abandoned cart emails may include images of the products in the cart, personalised messages, and incentives such as discounts or free shipping to motivate the customer to finalise their purchase.

4. Welcome Emails

Sending Welcome emails allows you to introduce new subscribers or customers to introduce them to your brand and express gratitude for their interest. These emails often include a warm, personalised message and a special offer, such as a discount code or gift, to encourage recipients to make their first purchase. These emails can also educate new subscribers about your products or services, share your brand's story, and set expectations for future communications.

5. Re-engagement Emails

Re-engagement emails target customers who have not interacted with your brand for an extended period. The goal is to reignite their interest and encourage them to re-engage with your business. These emails may include special offers, such as discounts or limited-time promotions, to entice the recipient to take action. Additionally, re-engagement emails can remind customers of your products or services' unique value, showcase new offerings or request feedback on why they've become disengaged.

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Using Email Marketing for Ecommerce

Now that we've explored the different types of email marketing, let's look at how ecommerce businesses can use email marketing effectively:

1. Building an Email List

To build an email list, you can use various tactics, such as offering a lead magnet (e.g., a discount code, free shipping, or exclusive content) in exchange for the user's email address. To attract new subscribers, you can also use exit-intent pop-ups, website sign-up forms, and social media marketing.

2. Segmenting Email List

Segmenting your email list allows you to send targeted emails based on purchase history, interests, and demographics. Helping to increase engagement, open rates, and conversions as recipients receive relevant content.

3. Personalising Emails

Personalised emails improve the overall customer experience by tailoring your communications to each recipient. Techniques include:

Using the recipient's name.
Sending customised product recommendations.
Customising content based on their browsing or purchase history.

4. Creating Effective Subject Lines

Crafting compelling subject lines is essential for capturing your recipients' attention and increasing email open rates. Your subject lines should be relevant and engaging and create a sense of urgency or curiosity. Refer to our lists of 25 Promotional Email Marketing Subject Lines for E-commerce and 25 Urgent Email Marketing Subject Lines for E-commerce.

5. Writing Compelling Email Copy

Your email copy should be engaging, persuasive, and focused on the value your products or services provided to the recipient. To achieve this, use clear and concise language, highlight your offerings' key benefits and features, and address any potential objections or concerns the customer might have. Make sure to include a clear and compelling call to action (CTA) that tells the reader precisely what you want them to do, whether it's making a purchase, visiting your website, or signing up for a webinar.

6. Optimising Email Design

Your email design plays a significant role in capturing and maintaining your recipients' attention. Therefore, your email design should be visually appealing, easy to read, and consistent with your brand's visual identity.

Here are some tips for optimising your email design:

Use a mobile-responsive design: Ensure that your emails display correctly on various devices, especially mobile phones, as many users check their emails on their smartphones.
Use images and graphics strategically: Visual elements can help break up large blocks of text, making your email more scannable and engaging. Use high-quality images and pictures that are relevant to your message and brand.
Choose easy-to-read fonts and font sizes: Stick to simple, legible fonts and avoid using font sizes smaller than 14px for the main body text.
Use white space effectively: White space helps make your email content more readable and visually appealing. Be mindful of the spacing between text blocks, images, and CTAs.
Include clear CTAs: Use buttons or other visual cues to make your CTAs stand out, and ensure they are easy to locate and click on both desktop and mobile devices.

Choosing an Email Marketing Platform for E-commerce

There are several email marketing platforms, but not all are created equal. When selecting a platform for your e-commerce business, consider factors like ease of use, automation capabilities, and integration with other tools. Check out our e-commerce Email Marketing services for more information on our recommended platform, Klaviyo.

E-commerce Marketing Automation

Marketing automation can help e-commerce businesses save time and increase revenue by automating repetitive tasks such as email campaigns, social media posts, etc.

A few examples of marketing automation for e-commerce businesses include:

abandoned cart emails
post-purchase customer review/feedback follow-up requests
customer win-back series
personalised product recommendations

& many more!

Characteristics of a Successful Ecommerce Email

A successful e-commerce email should have several key characteristics, including a clear call to action, personalisation, mobile-friendly design, clear and concise messaging, and timely and relevant content. Check out our 10 Examples of Successful E-commerce Email Marketing Campaigns and Why They Worked for inspiration.

Email Marketing Best Practices

For you to make the most out of your email marketing efforts, it's essential to follow best practices such as:

Dos

Build an email list through lead magnets, pop-ups, and other methods
Segment your email list to send targeted, personalised emails
Use personalisation and compelling subject lines to increase open rates
Provide value to your subscribers with relevant and engaging content
Test and optimise your emails for the best results

Don'ts

Buy email lists or use shady tactics to grow your list
Send too many emails or spam your subscribers
Use deceptive subject lines or false promises to get people to open your emails
Ignore analytics and feedback - use this information to improve your email campaigns

Is Email Marketing Still Profitable?

Despite the rise of social media and other marketing channels, email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to reach your audience and drive sales. According to a study by DMA, email marketing has an average ROI of $42 for every $1 spent. However, following best practices and continually testing and optimising your campaigns are essential to ensure maximum effectiveness.

What is a Good Open Rate for E-commerce Emails?

Open rates can vary depending on several factors, including industry, email type, and list quality. However, a good open rate for e-commerce emails is around 20-25%.

Conclusion

E-commerce email marketing can be a powerful tool for growing your business and building relationships with your audience. You can drive sales and increase revenue by following best practices, choosing the right platform, and creating effective campaigns.

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