If You Don't Have These Automated Emails Set, You're Leaving Money on the Table
By Elissa Boll, Designer at Irish Titan
Email marketing is the unsung hero of ecommerce success.
Automated email flows are not just a "nice-to-have"— “they are the backbone of your marketing strategy” according to our Designer and resident Klaviyo Queen, Elissa Boll. Flows help consistently generate passive income and keep your brand top of mind for existing and potential customers. Unlike time-sensitive campaigns, these flows are constantly running in the background, triggered by customer actions and engagements with your brand. From Elissa’s marketing mind to yours, here are the essential automated email flows you need to implement to ensure you're not leaving money on the table.
1. Welcome Flow
The welcome flow is your digital handshake, or as we like to call it, the “howdy.” It’s your chance to charm the socks off your new subscribers. This flow should:
- Introduce Your Brand: Tell ‘em who you are and why they should care—just sayin’…
- Build Anticipation: Highlight your best products, the creme of your crop.
- Incentivize First Purchase: Offer a discount or special offer—because who doesn’t love a good deal?
- Stay Top of Mind: Send a couple emails over the first week or two to build familiarity with contacts. This isn’t the time to be shy. Some prospective customers may take longer to convert.
2. Browse Abandonment Flow
This flow targets customers who’ve been window shopping but haven’t whipped out their wallets. It’s a subtle nudge, not a shove. Here’s how:
- Reminding Them of Products: Highlight the items they viewed, like whispering, “Pssst, you still want this.”
- Cross-Selling and Upselling: Suggest related products—because if you’re buying a saddle, you might as well get the polish too.
- Personalizing Recommendations: Use browsing behavior to tailor suggestions—like recommending the best lightweight jacket to your customer who was browsing hiking boots.
3. Checkout Abandonment Flow
Cart abandonment is a significant lost revenue opportunity. Businesses can recover 5-10% of their lost revenue by implementing abandoned cart emails. For every 100 abandoned carts, sending recovery emails can potentially convert 10-30 of those carts into purchases. Try these tactics:
- Immediate Reminder: Send the first email within an hour or two of abandonment, “Oops, you forgot something!”
- Product Image and Link: Make it easy for customers to return to their cart, because we all need a bit of handholding sometimes.
- Incentives: When it makes sense, offer a discount or free shipping.
- Follow-Ups: Send another reminder or two if the cart remains abandoned—channel your stubborn qualities here. Keep at it, but don’t be too pushy (monitor those unsubscribe rates).
4. Replenishment Flow
Depending on your industry, implementing replenishment flows can enhance the customer lifetime value by 30-40%, as they encourage repeat purchases and foster long-term loyalty. This flow should:
- Predict Usage Cycles: Know the average lifecycle of your products. Yes, you need a new kilt every year.
- Timely Reminders: Send emails when it’s time to reorder—because nobody wants to run out of their favorite thing.
- Value-Added Content: Include tips on usage or care, making you the helpful friend everyone needs.
- Incorporate SMS: Use SMS for a more intimate and timely reminder. You have thousands of unread emails (busted) but you have much fewer unread texts.
5. Post-Purchase Flow
The post-purchase flow is about nurturing the relationship and ensuring customer satisfaction. This flow could:
- Offer Your Thanks: Express gratitude for the purchase—manner’s cost nothing, right?
- Provide Useful Information: Share tutorials, care instructions, or usage tips—like showing someone the proper way to pour a Guinness. This is important.
- Encourage Reviews: Ask for feedback and reviews—because everyone’s got an opinion, and your customer’s opinion is one you actually WANT to know!
- Promote Loyalty Programs: Introduce any loyalty or referral programs—because nothing says friendship like a bit of quid pro quo.
6. Re-engagement Campaign
Customers can become inactive over time cue the song Baby Come Back by Player. Re-engagement campaigns help boomerang them back by:
Sending Friendly Reminders: Let them know you miss them—“Where’ve you been?” Offering Incentives: Provide exclusive discounts or offers—because who can resist a good deal?
- Highlighting New Products: Show what’s new since their last visit—keep it fresh and exciting.
- Requesting Feedback: Ask why they haven’t engaged recently—because sometimes you need to face the music.
7. Birthday and Anniversary Emails
Your friends forgot your birthday, but your favorite brand didn’t! Personalized milestone emails can significantly boost engagement and sales.
- Celebrate with Customers: Offer special discounts or gifts—everyone loves a birthday surprise! Except some people actually really hate birthday surprises…. Alas.
- Personalize the Message: Use their name and purchase history.
- Create Exclusivity: Make them feel special and appreciated—the world needs more of that.
The Impact of Automated Email Flows
Implementing these automated email workflows can lead to substantial business results. Consider these statistics:
- Welcome Emails: These emails generate 320% more revenue per email than other promotional emails (Omnisend, "Ecommerce Email Marketing Statistics").
- Abandoned Cart Emails: They boast an impressive average open rate of 45% and a conversion rate of 21% (Barilliance, "Cart Abandonment Email Statistics").
- Post-Purchase Emails: These emails can increase the likelihood of repeat purchases by 47% (Klaviyo, "How to Win Back Revenue with Abandoned Cart Emails").
- Re-engagement Campaigns: On average, these campaigns re-engage 12% of inactive customers (SaleCycle, "Re-engagement Email Statistics").
Final Thoughts
Automated email flows are essential for creating a personalized experience for your customers, driving engagement, and boosting revenue. They run in the background, making them a powerful tool for passive income. “Whether your email list is 200 or 200,000 strong, these flows are scalable and effective” - Elissa Boll, Irish Titan.
Ready to set up your automated workflows? Reach out to us, and let’s take your email marketing to the next level—because, at the end of the day, we know how to bring in the green.
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