Email marketing is an essential part of owning and operating any business. The most effective email marketing strategies inspire purchase behavior, inform customers of important happenings, and keep loyal fans engaged with a brand. However, once entrepreneurs have successfully captured email leads for their business, many struggle to determine what content they should send their customers via email. Below, we explore some of the most common types of emails that successful ecommerce businesses use in their email marketing strategy.
1. Welcome Emails
A Welcome Email is the first piece of e-correspondence your customers will receive from your business. These emails are sent when a customer joins your email list, whether from a sign-up form on your website or from creating an account while placing an order. Welcome emails demonstrate your appreciation and excitement about a customer joining your list, making them feel valued.
2. Abandonment Emails
Abandonment Emails are sent when your customer instigates purchase-related actions, but ultimately clicks off of your site.
- Browse Abandonment Emails are triggered when a customer looks through a few category or product pages on your store, but doesn’t add anything to their cart.
- Abandoned Cart Emails are triggered when a customer does add items to their cart, but clicks off of your site without completing a purchase.
In both cases, triggering an email reminds your customer about the great products they saw on your site, giving them a gentle nudge to convert into a paying customer.
3. Confirmation Emails
Confirmation Emails are sent after a specific action has been completed by a customer on your site, usually related to an order that has been placed.
- Purchase Confirmation Emails are triggered when a customer has completed the checkout process, and your store has received their order request.
- Shipping Confirmation Emails are triggered when you have completed the customer’s order request, and their product(s) are in the mail.
- Delivery Confirmation Emails, while not critical, add an extra level of customer service by notifying the customer that the carrier has dropped off their product.
These types of emails keep customers informed of the state of their order every step of the way so that they remain engaged in the process and excited for their product(s) to arrive.
4. Feedback & Review Emails
These types of emails are typically sent a certain amount of time after an order has been completed to solicit important information about your products and services.
- Feedback Emails encourage customers to comment privately on the quality of your products or your fulfillment process so you can identify needed improvements.
- Review Emails encourage customers to leave a review of a product on your store’s site or a review of your business on an external review site.
Sending these types of emails shows that you care about making your business and its products the best they can be, which will strengthen your brand’s reputation.
5. Replenishment Emails
Replenishment Emails remind customers who have purchased a consumable product to purchase it again if they are running low. This type of email is not relevant for every type of business, but for those who sell products that need to be constantly repurchased, it can provide a significant bump in repeat sales. Plus, less-organized customers will appreciate the reminder before they have run out of product so they don’t have to go without for very long.
6. Promotional Emails
Promotional Emails inform customers who are looking for a deal or way to save that they can purchase items from you at a discounted rate.
- Seasonal Promotion Emails are sent when your business holds sales during a specific time of year, such as a holiday or event (like Back-to-School).
- Subscriber-only Promotion Emails are exclusive deals that are only available to customers on your email list, instilling them with a sense of importance and value.
- Sale Emails are sent when specific items are on sale or when your business holds a sitewide sale that is not seasonal.
Because of the savings associated, these types of emails tend to lead to the most conversions, boosting overall sales volume even if it’s at a lower rate of profit per item.
7. Product-Based Emails
Product-Based Emails inform customers about the different types of products available to purchase from your business.
- New Arrival Emails let customers know what products you have recently started carrying that they may not have seen the last time they visited your site.
- Back in Stock Emails inform customers when a previously out-of-stock item that is popular or that they have viewed before is available to purchase.
- Cross-sell/Upsell Emails are personalized emails that examine a customer’s past purchases and recommend products that complement or improve upon them.
Customers who receive these emails will have a good idea of what your business carries so that when they are ready to purchase—whether now or in the future—your store will be top of mind.
8. Informational Emails
Informational Emails educate your customer base about concepts outside of your product offerings, but still relevant to your business.
- Company Announcement Emails inform customers when your business experiences a noteworthy change—for example, new shipping rates or expanding product types.
- Educational Resource Emails give customers insight into how to best use your products and information about your specific industry.
- Company Newsletters give customers an amalgamation of resources weekly or monthly with informational articles, announcements, sales, and more.
These emails keep your customers engaged with your business and position you as an expert in your industry that they can trust.
9. Re-engagement Emails
Re-engagement, or Win-Back, Emails are sent when a customer has not purchased from your business in quite some time. These emails usually include some sort of incentive—like a small percent off—to encourage customers to purchase from you again. Whether the customer forgot about your business completely or had a less-than-stellar experience, these emails provide an opportunity for the customer to give you a second chance or recall their initial excitement about your brand.
In Conclusion
In email marketing, one size doesn’t fit all, so pay attention to your email metrics after specific emails are sent. If your open, click-through, or conversion metrics for a particular email aren’t great, consider whether it needs some adjustments—or whether your audience just isn’t interested in that type of email. Overall, however, incorporating these types of emails into your email marketing strategy will allow your ecommerce store to cultivate a loyal client base that is enthusiastic about and engaged in your brand.