Did you know that the average return on investment for email marketing is a staggering $36 for every $1 spent? According to a study by Litmus, this channel remains unparalleled in its capacity to convert leads and retain customers.
However, results of this magnitude come only when you figure out how to ensure your e-commerce email campaigns are a hit rather than just another unread notification. This post will dive deep into the eight best practices for e-commerce email marketing.
We’re going to offer actionable insights on how to optimize your emails, increase open rates and conversions, and finally, boost your online store's revenue. Ready? Let’s get into it!
8 e-commerce email marketing best practices to follow
To ensure your campaigns resonate and drive results, here are eight best practices to incorporate:
Always send a welcome email after sign-up
Consider your welcome email your first impression, and in e-commerce, first impressions matter. When a customer opts into your email list, they're signaling interest in your brand. By sending a warm and engaging welcome email, you reciprocate this interest.
A well-crafted welcome email influences potential purchasing behavior by coloring a subscriber's perception of your brand. Ideally, a welcome email should achieve the following:
- Let the audience know that their subscription was successful.
- Inform them about what they can expect next, e.g., offers, articles, news, etc.
- Let them know about your messaging frequency.
Don’t use a no-reply email address
Using a no-reply email address tells your subscribers you're not open to direct communication. It can feel impersonal and even discourage potential customer feedback. Instead, embrace an approachable persona in your e-commerce business.
Opt for a valid return address that encourages dialogue. It’s OK if the address contains “help,” “support,” or other variations. It just needs to feel like it comes from a human being. As long it can achieve that, your customers will trust you.
Personalize your subject lines and body text
Personalization is the key to capturing attention in a crowded inbox. Tailor the subject lines and body text of your messages to the preferences and behaviors of your subscribers to boost engagement and relevance.
Choose an email marketing tool, like YAMM, that allows you to segment and personalize easily. So that, instead of generic messages, you can send targeted content. By leveraging YAMM’s easy-to-view analytics, you can use data-driven insights to craft emails that resonate deeply.
Make your messages easy to skim
Your audiences have a limited attention span. When subscribers open your emails, they often skim the content to catch the main points. That’s why it's essential to structure your messages in a manner that supports that user preference.
Use short paragraphs, bold headings, and bullet points. Break up text with engaging visuals. By ensuring your content is skimmable, you increase the likelihood of retaining your audience's attention and conveying your primary message effectively.
Segment based on behavior and purchase history
Segmentation is pivotal in delivering relevant content. You can categorize subscribers based on their behaviors, purchase histories, or even patterns of interaction with your emails. This allows you to tailor your emails to match their unique profiles.
Segmentation sounds complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. When you use YAMM, you can segment your audience before sending emails right from Google Sheets. This is why we always recommend partnering your e-commerce email marketing efforts with easy-to-use platforms.
With no complicated user interfaces to learn, you can focus on crafting compelling offers and messages, making your email marketing efforts more efficient and impactful. Check out how easy it is to segment your audience with YAMM.
Give them an offer on abandoned cart items
Abandoned cart emails present a golden opportunity for e-commerce platforms to recapture potential sales. When a customer leaves items behind:
- Trigger promptly: Send a reminder within hours, capitalizing on their fresh interest.
- Showcase the products: Include images of the abandoned items to reignite desire.
- Entice with offers: Provide exclusive discounts or free shipping to incentivize completion of the purchase.
- Highlight scarcity: Mention limited stock to evoke urgency and drive action.
Focus on click-through rates more than open rates
Focus on the essential metrics. While open rates do indicate the initial interest of your subscribers, Click-Through Rates (CTR) provide a deeper insight into engagement levels. An opened email means the subject line worked, but a clicked link shows that the content resonated.
By prioritizing CTRs, you're concentrating on the subscribers who are genuinely interested in what you're offering. Continuously optimize your content, CTAs, and design to enhance click-through rates, driving genuine interactions and conversions.
Make it easy to unsubscribe
Even though it may seem counterintuitive, making the unsubscribe process smooth is essential. Clinging to uninterested subscribers can skew your metrics and even damage your (sender) reputation.
An easy unsubscribe option shows respect for your recipient's preferences and maintains brand integrity. By allowing a clear exit path, you ensure your email list remains high-quality and filled with engaged subscribers genuinely interested in your offerings.
Follow other sending and marketing best practices as well to enhance the efficacy of your marketing efforts.
Start sending e-commerce email marketing through Gmail with YAMM
Now you know all the makings of effective email marketing for e-commerce. Partnering with easy-to-use and effective tools is fundamental to the success of your e-commerce platform. With Gmail and YAMM by your side, you can have personalization, segmentation, scheduling, and many more features at your fingertips.
Whether you're a newbie or an expert, YAMM streamlines your marketing process, ensuring maximum reach and engagement. Explore YAMM’s features today!