An eCommerce Seller’s Email Starter Pack

Email is our favorite weapon in the ecommerce marketing arsenal. But we also know that in untrained hands, email marketing can be ineffective. There’s an art and science to developing high performing flows that resonate with audiences and drive more revenue. If you are newer to email marketing, or looking to fill out your strategy more fully, these are your 4 essential ecommerce email flows. 

Abandoned Cart Email Flows

Got some items feeling lonely in incomplete orders? It happens. The average abandoned cart rate right now sits at just under 70%, but you’ll probably see even higher numbers if you pull in a lot of mobile traffic. 

There will always be buyers with commitment issues, but the goal is to bring them back. Flighty customers can often be pulled back in with a gentle reminder about the awesome items they left behind. And it doesn’t hurt to offer a little extra incentive if you really want to close the deal (like 10% off, or bonus loyalty points).

We would also recommend getting more specific here with two different abandoned cart flows - one for orders abandoned at cart, and one for orders abandoned at checkout. You may think, what’s the difference? But where the shopper drops off says a lot about 1) how interested they actually are in the product, and 2) what might have driven them off. If only we could get that much clarity over what might have driven off our last relationship…

Cross-Sell / Upsell

A cross-sell / upsell flow is another one of our must have ecommerce email flows. Not having one is a huge missed opportunity. It’s like going to Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower. What are you doing with your life?

Cross-selling and upselling email tactics are effective because you can get super targeted based on what the customer purchased or browsed. This is your chance to show them products they are almost guaranteed to be interested in. It’s also a fantastic way to encourage repeat buyers, as well as increase Customer Lifetime Value. 

Post-purchase Email Flows

A little appreciation goes a long way. Post-purchase flows can help you take a customer from a one-time buyer to a life-long fan. Not only that, but post-purchase messages typically have a 500% higher click rate, and a 90% higher revenue per recipient. I don’t know about you, but we like those odds.

But just like the abandoned cart flows, we recommend splitting your post-purchase flows in two - one for first time customers and another for repeats. You can take it even further from there and segment based on who is already part of your VIP program and who might be a good candidate.

The idea is to show a little extra love to your most loyal customers. It feels good when you acknowledge and reward them for supporting you more than once. 

Wake the Dead

Wake the dead campaigns are used to try and re-engage inactive users in your database. Internally we call these Hail Mary flows. It’s our last ditch effort to revive the dead leads, otherwise it’s time to say goodbye. 

It can be tempting to hold on to every subscriber you’ve ever obtained. Afterall, you worked hard to earn that email address. But here’s the thing - you need those unengaged users about as much as we all needed a Gossip Girl reboot, i.e., not at all. Dead leads only serve to muddy the waters and hurt your email metrics.

A re-engagement flow can be as simple as sending an email inviting them to re-opt in or confirm their information. With users that were actively engaged once upon a time, you may want to send a short drip that’s a little more targeted to their preferences.

Either way, for those that don’t respond, it’s time to pull the plug. You should also go ahead and take out any undeliverable email addresses. There’s no sense in talking to a void.

If you need help getting these or any other ecommerce email flows in place, we’ve got your back. Our team works with brands from all over the ecommerce space to optimize their email marketing and drive more revenue from their database.