10 Best Ecommerce Email Marketing Strategies

Intro

Ready to cast a spell on your ecommerce sales? Imagine transforming your email list into a goldmine of loyal customers who can't wait to see what you'll send next. With the right ecommerce email marketing strategy, you can boost engagement and elevate your online store's growth.

Keep reading to discover how to craft irresistible email campaigns that will make your customers fall head over heels for your brand.

What is ecommerce email marketing?

Ecommerce email marketing involves sending emails to potential and current customers to promote, sell, update, educate, or cultivate customer loyalty. This form of marketing promotes products online through email.

This marketing strategy is geared toward a specific audience, conjuring personalized and tailored campaigns for each recipient. From special birthday discounts to bulk purchase deals, seasonal sales, and tailored product recommendations, an effective ecommerce email marketing strategy aims to transform a casual customer into a loyal fan.

3 ecommerce email marketing email types

There are various types of emails used in marketing these days. Let’s highlight three highly effective email types that ecommerce businesses swear by.

Transactional emails

Transactional emails are sent automatically after a transaction or to notify customers of any account activity or action. 


They can include account alerts, shipping notifications, order confirmations, password resets, and feedback requests. These emails contain essential information, which is why they have a [read rate of around 80-85%. ](https://www.mailgun.com/blog/email/email-open-rates-decoded/)

Promotional emails

Promotional emails are used to market sales, deals, products, events, and more. They are broadcast emails sent to the entire [email list](/blog/5-ways-to-build-your-mailing-list-for-email-marketing/) and are often not personalized but still powerful.


These emails include newsletters, seasonal sales, holiday deals, and product releases.


Promotional emails usually lead to sales but can also promote downloads, schedule calls, bring in registrations, and more.

Lifecycle emails

Lifecycle emails are highly personalized emails triggered when the customer or user takes a specific action.


Examples of lifecycle emails are cart abandonment emails, second-order discount emails, welcome emails, survey emails, win-back emails, and more.


They are effective in conversions as they are timely, relevant, and tailored to the user's specific behavior and needs, fostering higher engagement and encouraging desired actions.

10 best ecommerce email marketing strategies

Implementing the right ecommerce email marketing strategy is crucial for conversions.

Here’s a curated list of the top 10 ecommerce email marketing strategies to use to drive sales for your ecommerce business.

1. Segment Your Audience

In email marketing, segmentation is key to designing personalized content that resonates with your customer base. By dividing your email recipients into classified groups based on purchases, behavior, demographics, and preferences, you can tailor your emails to meet their unique needs.

This targeted approach increases relevance and engagement, leading to higher open and click-through rates.

For instance, segmenting your audience by purchase history allows you to send personalized recommendations that significantly enhance the shopping experience.

2. Use AI to Speed Up Processes

Using AI in your emails will allow you to automate and enhance your email marketing efforts. While it often requires careful prompt engineering, it significantly streamlines the process.

For example, you can use custom-made AI tools to compose high-performing emails. This software can handle tasks such as writing and personalizing, saving you time and money while improving efficiency.

Another option is to use large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT and a series of prompts to generate or improve your email copy. Here’s a helpful comparison between the different GPT models.

AI can also help analyze customer data to predict future behavior and optimize your email content accordingly. AI-driven algorithms can identify the best times to send emails for maximum engagement, ensuring your messages reach your audience when they are most likely to be read.

3. Design Eye-Catching and Engaging Emails

In ecommerce email marketing, creative and visually appealing emails capture readers’ attention and drive interaction.

One way to do this is by incorporating ecommerce user-generated content (UGC) in your email campaigns. UGC adds authenticity and relatability, helping you compelling emails that resonate with your audience and drive conversions.

Also, Incorporating multimedia elements such as videos, gifs, and high-quality images can improve your email clickthrough rates.

A/B Test Your Ecommerce Email Campaigns

Optimizing your email performance through A/B testing can improve your email marketing success. An A/B test measures engagement for different versions of the same email with a sample of your customers. This data-driven approach allows you to refine your emails for maximum impact and high conversion rates.

In A/B testing, you can experiment with different subject lines, visuals, and calls to action to see what resonates best with your audience.

For example, you might find that a certain call-to-action (CTA) color increases click-through rates or that personalized subject lines boost open rates.

Here’s an example of how one of the two marketing campaigns announcing sales has a higher click rate than the other. The reason is that the offer on the right is worded to appeal more to readers.

Source: Omnisend

Prepare a Welcome Email Series

First impressions matter. Craft a welcome email series to introduce your brand, provide value, and encourage further engagement. Welcome series are automated emails triggered when a new subscriber signs up to an email list. A well-designed welcome series sets the tone for your customer relationships and can significantly impact long-term customer retention.

Your welcome series should thank new subscribers and provide them with useful information about your products and services.

Including a special offer or discount in your welcome email can also encourage immediate purchases.

Here’s an example from performance eyewear brand Vallon which offers a 10% discount to new email subscribers to entice a first purchase and build loyalty.

Source: Vallon

Use Up-Selling and Cross-Selling Techniques

Using email marketing to suggest related or upgraded products based on customer preferences and purchase history, you can increase your average order value. This personalized approach not only boosts sales but also enhances the customer shopping experience.

For example, if a customer views a camera in your online shop, you can try to upsell them by sending an email suggesting similar products with better specs – say, higher resolution and sensor sensitivity.

Similarly, if a customer buys a camera, you can recommend accessories like lenses or tripods in your follow-up emails. This allows you to cross-sell.

Establish a Customer Loyalty Program

Loyalty programs encourage repeat business by providing customers with incentives, such as exclusive offers, points, or discounts.

For example, you can offer points for every purchase that can be redeemed for discounts on future orders.

While setting up a loyalty program may seem time-consuming, it significantly boosts customer retention and is well worth the effort. Use a CRM system to help you automate rewards and streamline customer communication, making the process much easier.

Create Seasonal Gift Guides

Curate product collections and gift ideas to capitalize on seasonal trends and holidays. Seasonal gift guides inspire purchases and help customers find the perfect items for any occasion. Highlighting limited-time offers can also create a sense of urgency and boost sales.

For instance, you can create gift guides for holidays like Christmas, Valentine's Day, or Mother’s Day, showcasing products that would make great gifts.

To create engaging gift guides, start by selecting a theme that aligns with the upcoming holiday or season, such as "Top Picks for Christmas Gifts Under $50" or "Valentine’s Day Favorites for Her."

Curate a diverse range of products that cater to different tastes and budgets, and feature limited-time offers or exclusive discounts to encourage quick purchases and enhance the appeal of your guide.

Prepare Browse or Cart Abandonment Emails

Recover potential sales by sending reminder emails to customers who have left items in their carts. These timely reminders can nudge customers to complete their transactions.

Consider that the average cart abandonment rate is 66.5%, making this a crucial strategy for recovering lost revenue.

Abandoned cart emails typically include a reminder of the items left behind, along with a clear CTA to complete the purchase.

Adding a special offer or discount in these emails can also incentivize customers to return and complete their purchases.

Send Back-in-Stock Alerts

Notify customers when previously out-of-stock items are available again. Back-in-stock alerts capitalize on existing demand and prompt immediate purchases from interested customers. This strategy helps maintain customer interest and encourages repeat visits to your store.

Customers appreciate being informed when items they want are back in stock. These alerts can drive quick conversions as customers act on the availability of desired products.

Imagine an online boutique restocks a sold-out best-selling dress and sends automated back-in-stock alerts to interested customers. Within hours, notified customers may come back to make immediate purchases, driving quick conversions and enhancing customer satisfaction. This strategy encourages repeat visits to your online store.

Combine ecommerce email marketing strategies for success

While there are different marketing strategies for ecommerce, email marketing is one of the best low-risk channels. It allows you to control how your customers perceive you and to dictate customer relationship building.

To enhance your ecommerce email marketing, blend various strategies for maximum impact. From segmenting your audience and using AI for efficiency to crafting engaging designs and conducting A/B tests, each tactic boosts customer engagement and drives sales.

Start implementing these strategies today to see your online store grow. Success is just an email away.