Ecommerce marketing: 5 email campaigns to drive conversions and increase sales

Ecommerce marketing success is not a mystery. It’s about understanding customer intent. What do they need at a specific stage of their journey to drive them closer to conversion? Timing is everything.

Ecommerce merchants have the tools they need at their fingertips. Customers are willing to give you the data you need to deliver relevant messages that meet their needs. Marketing automation and ecommerce store platforms collect data about browsing behaviors that ensure you can send targeted and relevant communications when the time is right.

Like dotdigital’s new eRFM customer modeling tool, new tech makes it even easier for merchants to recognize customer intent and utilize these moments to generate more sales.

Customer intent for ecommerce marketing

Why is customer intent important?

Being able to identify moments in the customers’ journey where they’re preparing to act is vital. It enables ecommerce merchants to pinpoint key stages where customers will be most susceptible to your marketing.

eRFM customer modeling looks at a customer’s RFM (recency, frequency, and monetary value) score and adds engagements such as email opens and online browsing. Using this you can keep track of customers as they begin to show signs of intent to buy.

You can build dynamic segments based on eRFM scores to target customers on the verge of conversion or on the edge of unengagement. Pulling in new data every day, this customer modeling tool ensures you never miss an opportunity to act on customer intent.

5 ecommerce campaigns to drive conversions and sales

Using the tools at your fingertips you can create campaigns designed to target the right customer at the right time. eRFM segments help you understand which stage of the journey your customer is at. This makes it easier than ever to design automated email marketing campaigns that are relevant and timely.

1. The welcome program

Welcome emails are a central pillar in ecommerce email marketing.

They experience higher open rates and engagement rates than any other email campaign. Signing up to receive your email marketing is a clear indication that your new customer is ready to take action. Triggering this series as early as possible ensures you are acting on this intent.

Discount codes, clear CTAs, and options to update preferences are essential for this campaign. But most of you will probably have had these running for a while. So how can we shake things up?

At the early stage, you probably won’t have a lot of data on your customers. This makes sending highly relevant communication tough, but not impossible.

Even if they’ve not bought anything with your brand before, your eRFM model will let you know which of your new recruits are most engaged with your marketing and which are not. You can create new branches in your welcome program to deliver different messages to those of have or haven’t opened your email.

2. Abandoned cart email series

Like welcome programs, abandoned cart emails are a guaranteed money-maker for ecommerce marketers.

Triggered by customers’ actions, these emails are timely and relevant when built correctly. Emails that land within 30 minutes of cart abandonment generated more opens, better clicks, and higher sales. By arriving quickly, you’re recognizing that the customer intends to make a purchase. A well-timed prompt is all they need to return to your website and close the sale.

Using eRFM segments you can target your abandoned cart emails depending on their level of engagement with your brand. First purchase intent should be taken seriously by every ecommerce merchant.

This is the first step towards creating a loyal customer. Use your abandoned cart program to offer coupon codes and drive first-time buyers to make a purchase by providing information about shipping and returns policies.

3. Aftersales campaign

Aftersales care is often a stage forgotten or neglected by ecommerce marketers.

Beyond transactional emails such as order confirmations and shipping notices, you are missing out big time if you’re not delivering engaging and relevant content post-purchase. While these emails can take many forms, you should focus your attention on creating quality content that improves the shopper’s experience.

Provide customers with tips about how to care for their new items or hints about how to get the most out of your products. This will boost their overall experience but will offer you the chance to cross- and upsell your products. AI-powered product recommendations can surface catalog items based on past purchases to drive customers to make another purchase.

Using eRFM you can build segments of customers to showing signs of intent to make a second purchase. Promoting, cross- and upselling items using AI-powered product recommendations prompt the reader back to your website to make that all-important second purchase.

4. Loyalty campaign

All marketers, ecommerce or not, know that it’s cheaper to keep exiting customers than to acquire new ones.

Loyalty campaigns are essential for maintaining high levels of customer engagement. The more engaged customers are, the more they’ll continue to turn to your brand when they need to shop. Rewarding shoppers for their loyalty through points and coupon codes typically keep engagement levels high, but it’s not a guarantee.

While typically low-maintenance, loyal customers still need your attention. eRFM allows you to identify loyal customers who are showing signs of low engagement. When your loyal customers stop opening your emails, it’s time to act. This is a key segment you do not want to lose.

Creating a separate branch in your loyalty program designed to reconnect with this segment will help you maintain customer loyalty.

5. Re-engagement campaign

While list churn is an accepted aspect of marketing, it’s not one we enjoy.

Re-engagement campaigns are all about reminding customers why they chose to sign-up for your marketing in the first place. Showcasing your bestsellers and demonstrating your brand value is essential in a re-engagement campaign.

To achieve success with this campaign, it’s essential to be timely, to target customers early before they’ve disengaged completely. By using eRFM, you can create specific re-engagement campaigns based on how much they have lapsed. A customer who was once a high spender can be targeted with a discount coupon, as they have a higher likelihood to convert. Customers who are not likely to spend as much can be targeted with product recommendations or CTA to update marketing preferences.