4 potent email sequences to boost eCommerce sales

Email marketing is invaluable for eCommerce businesses. Over four billion people have an email address. That’s a lot of potential customers that online businesses can reach. Besides, 59% of consumers say that marketing emails influence their purchase decisions. That’s probably why for every $1 that businesses spend on email marketing, they can generate $42.

That’s not to say that blasting out emails to potential customers when you feel like it suffices for your online business to reap all those benefits. Of course, you still need to send your marketing emails at the right time.

Enter email sequences. 

This article will discuss what they are and the types of eCommerce email sequences your business should have. Let’s start from the top:

What is an email sequence?

An email sequence is a series of emails delivered to your subscriber list over a period of time. The emails are sent in a predetermined order based on specific triggers. These triggers may include:

• Signing up for an email newsletter.
• Creating an account.
• Completing a purchase.
• Abandoning cart.
• Lack of interaction with emails.

When you leverage email sequences as an eCommerce business, you ensure that your emails are relevant. 

Imagine this scenario. A potential customer places a product in their cart but, for some reason, never goes through the checkout process. So, an email reminding them about the item is automatically sent to them. After a few days, another email showcasing the product’s benefits is sent, then a third. This third email showcases testimonials about the product and has a call-to-action, which the recipient only needs to click to get to the checkout page and complete the order.

What’s the likely scenario after that? The recipient completes the purchase, of course. 

You see, email sequences eliminate a lot of guesswork. When you strike when the iron is hot, you increase the chances of your potential customer taking your desired action. Ultimately, they’ll buy from you. 

4 email sequences every eCommerce store needs

Are you ready to leverage email sequences for your eCommerce store? Here are four eCommerce email sequences for you. Although each series here consists of three or four emails, know that you can have up to seven emails in a sequence, depending on what your email marketing data tells you.

1. Welcome series

A welcome series, also known as an onboarding email sequence, is the first email sequence that new subscribers should expect from you. Welcome emails are 86% more likely to be opened than a standard newsletter. Consider it a chance to make a good first impression with potential customers.

Remember that new email subscribers are not completely sold on your business. So, you don’t need to go overboard with promotional content in the first email. A simple, perhaps even informal introduction will suffice. You can also use this onboarding email to provide some background information on how your business got started. 

In your second email, you can start promoting your website or products, but keep it discreet, like this eCommerce brand did below.

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So, instead of a “Buy” call-to-action, a more laid-back CTA like “Explore” is a better option. It entices users to check out your site without being pushy.

Finish your welcome sequence with a special offer for new subscribers. This way, you provide value from the get-go and an incentive to stay subscribed.

2. Abandoned cart recovery sequence

An effective abandoned cart email sequence, as we’ve seen, is valuable for an eCommerce business. It’s triggered by a high-intent action: a customer adding to their cart but abandoning it before purchasing.

This trigger provides a great opportunity to generate revenue. The customer has already shown high buying intent. So, just use a simple follow-up email to start the sequence and convince them to complete their purchase. 

Like the example below, using humor can be a good way to start the sequence. 

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This makes for a light-hearted tone and ensures you don’t come across as too pushy. 

In your second email, you may need to incentivize customers to return to your site and complete their purchases. Offering a special discount code can be effective in turning abandoned carts into completed purchases.  A small 5 to 10% discount makes the customer feel like they are getting a bargain. This provides the perfect justification for them to go ahead and make the purchase.

You can then finish the email series with a final reminder to give the recipient one last chance to avail of a slightly enhanced discount.

To ensure that these sequences target the right individuals, use an email lookup tool that can validate the email addresses on your subscriber list before you set up your series. This helps ensure you send these important follow-up emails to engaged users who exhibited the right behavior. An abandoned cart email sent to a subscriber who never went to your site in the first place will be a waste of your efforts. Plus, this might pose legal issues because it could presuppose that the recipient’s email address was obtained without their consent. You might even annoy the subscriber, who’ll likely consider your email spam.

3. Post-purchase follow-up sequence

Why not set up a strong post-purchase follow-up sequence? This sequence is triggered when a customer completes the checkout process. It’s the perfect opportunity to cross-sell, upsell, and enhance customer loyalty.

An effective upsell sequence starts with your order confirmation email. Thank the customer for purchasing and show them some products they might like based on their order. Providing relevant product recommendations and add-ons to their previous purchase is an effective technique.

So, let’s say a customer purchases a new pair of socks and shorts from your store. Your confirmation email could include links to your shoe products and shirts. Notice that all the products combined can constitute an entire outfit.

Customers shouldn’t receive another email in the post-purchase sequence until after their order has been delivered. In that second email, you can ask if everything was okay with their order. Ask for a customer review, as ASOS did below: 

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Customers love to feel that their opinions matter. These emails also give you valuable feedback that you can use to improve your products.

In your next email, offer the customer a discount on the add-on products from your order confirmation email. Again, this doesn’t need to be a huge offer. Free shipping or a 5 to 10% discount will suffice.

Finally, finish with one last reminder of the discount. However, this time make the offer time-sensitive to create a sense of urgency. When customers fear losing out on a deal, they’re more likely to make a purchase.

4. Re-engagement campaign sequence

A re-engagement email sequence aims to enhance customer retention and lure inactive subscribers back to your site. It’s triggered based on a lack of engagement with your newsletter. 

Start light with your email marketing campaign. An “It’s been a while” or “We miss you” email, as shown below, will do:

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Make sure to personalize this email. Use the inactive customer's name and refer to when they last visited your site. In the email, you can also update them on any news related to your business. Provide a link to your website without being pushy. Keep your CTAs casual and laid back.

However, as with abandoned cart recovery sequences, you must provide an incentive somewhere in your win-back email series. If a subscriber hasn’t opened your emails for a long time, you need something to grab their attention.

So, in your second email, offer an eye-catching discount. Your email subject line must be on point when attempting to re-engage customers. Your offer must also stand out. Make sure you lead with the offer in the subject and give a huge discount of around 15 to 20%.

You can end your sequence by adding more value to your previous discount offer. For instance, why not add free shipping or increase the discount? Also, add a time constraint to create a sense of urgency.

Conclusion

Email sequences are key to the success of your eCommerce business. They ensure that you communicate your message to potential customers at the right time. The result? They take your desired action.

You learned four main ecommerce email sequences you should implement. 

A welcome email series is the first email sequence recipients should receive from you. Ensure you make a good first impression. A strong abandoned cart recovery sequence can entice customers back in to complete their purchases. It’s a great way to increase sales. Following up with customers using a post-purchase sequence is another great technique. It is an effective way of turning one-off buyers into loyal customers. Finally, a good re-engagement sequence will help you re-capture lost leads or previous customers who haven’t engaged with you recently.

Now it’s your turn to start building your eCommerce email sequences and reap the benefits.