Why email marketing and your eCommerce store need to work in harmony

The so-called ‘death of emails’ has been talked about for almost as long as emails have been around, with each new digital fad claiming that it’s taking over in importance. But while they come and go, email marketing remains just as important and just as powerful a tool for eCommerce stores.

How powerful exactly? Here are some email marketing for eCommerce statistics you should be aware of:

• 4 billion people around the world use emails every day
• More than 306 billion emails are sent each day
• 64 percent of small businesses reach their customers through email
• 50 percent of people buy from marketing emails at least once per month
• 99 percent of consumers check their email every day

Email is capable of bringing customers to your site. Combined with UX best practice on your website, you can then convert these customers into sales. In this article, we’ll explain more about how works.

How email marketing can drive sales on your eCommerce store

“If you build it, they will come” might work in the movies, but in the real world you need more than just a great eCommerce site to attract customers. The stats above show why emails need to be factored into your sales and marketing plan. If you need more convincing, here are more ways it can support business success:

• Building customer relationships - Emails help to keep your eCommerce store in the minds of your customers through targeted messages, newsletters and offers. This is crucial because it’s much easier and cheaper to get business from existing customers than it is to win new customers.
• Driving sales – We’ve already shown you the statistics about customers buying from emails. Email marketing lends itself to eCommerce marketing as you can segment your email database to target more effectively by location, age, gender, previous buying history and many other preferences. This provides better confidence that your emails will convert.
• Reliability - Emails have been around for a long time and they’re still delivering. As a communication tool, they have outlasted many of the things that were meant to replace them, and unlike social media platforms, they can’t have their algorithms changed. You know where you stand with emails and in these turbulent economic times, that’s worth a lot.

What types of eCommerce email marketing are commonly used?

There are three main forms of email marketing to consider for your eCommerce store:

Transactional emails

Transactional emails are sent when a customer buys something from your store. They’re called transactional because they’re functional emails. For example, confirming an order, sending a receipt, giving details of when the item is expected to be delivered, information regarding refunds, etc.

Sometimes they can form a series of emails, particularly if the item isn’t due to be dispatched immediately, or if the purchase is for a service or membership rather than a physical item. They’re also an opportunity to upsell by showcasing related items or offers, like a potential discount for repeat customers. Including offers and calls to action can turn a transactional email into a sales opportunity.

Promotional emails

Having an email list that you can use to promote new goods, services or offers is crucial for your eCommerce store. This is why you need to make it easy and appealing for customers and visitors to your site to sign up. Once you have their details and their consent, you can send out promotional emails.

Maybe you have a new product or service being released soon, or perhaps you are running a time-sensitive sale and you want to raise awareness. Having a ready-made, engaged audience gives you a great launchpad, as part of a general campaign to raise awareness and drive sales.

Newsletters can also be promotional emails. These are regular opportunities for you to broadcast your products, services, news and offers to your customers, but be sure to include added value in terms of engaging content.

Lifecycle emails

You’ll be familiar with the customer lifecycle and how important it is to communicate the right messaging at the right stage to ensure you are converting the user, not losing them. This is where emails can be a powerful tool. For example, if customers have placed items in their cart and not checked out, you can follow up with an email reminding them of the items they haven’t bought yet. Within this, you can instil a sense of urgency and provide offers such as a discount to encourage them to complete their purchase.

You can use similar emails for lapsed customers who haven’t ordered from you for a while. These can be automatically set to trigger when customers have been inactive for a certain number of days and can feature incentives and offers to try and tempt them back to your store.

How to get started with emails

Anyone can send an email. But not everyone can send an email that delivers measurable results. To create campaigns that pack a punch and ultimately increase conversions, you need to have the correct tools in place and a platform that can support your goals.

Finding the right choice for your brand can feel like a never-ending task, but there are some simple features and functionalities you should look for from your email marketing provider. When hunting for the perfect fit, be sure they have:

1. 1
   The right pricing plan for you
2. 2
   Flexible email templates
3. 3
   Easy-to-use drag-and-drop editors
4. 4
   Powerful reporting and analytics features

While these features are vital to helping you send emails that deliver results, the capabilities of your email marketing platform don’t matter if you don’t have an email list to work from. To make the most of your onsite visitors, make sure you’re capturing their data when online through opt-in forms. Providing incentives in the way of discounts or early-bird product information will help encourage users to sign up to your newsletter.

Used correctly, email remains one of the most powerful marketing tools to help you connect with your audience. But finding the right balance between what works and what doesn’t can be a challenge in itself, which is where seeking support from the experts comes in.

Tap into our expertise

At IDHL, we have access to a wealth of expertise across our divisions including our proprietary email marketing platform, Conesso. With over 10 years of experience in email marketing automation, Conesso is home to a team of experts who can help you propel your email strategy to success.

Working together, we can align your eCommerce store and email marketing to create a seamless solution. From customer attraction and retention to boosting sales, we create a tailor-made approach to help your brand excel online.

Interested? Find out more.