Ecommerce email marketing, contrary to what many people think, goes far beyond a sales email.
In fact, it is the result of a strategic relationship, created so that this result occurs.
For ecommerce email marketing to reach the public, it is because the persona has interacted with the product or service in question and, above all, the user wanted to receive emails from that purchasing element.
The fact of allowing emails to be received, also known as opt-in, is what characterizes a message delivered to the recipient’s inbox, and not to the spam box.
Email validation is therefore more than necessary. It is a sales strategy, because through it, ecommerce emails reach the public that is really interested in the subject of the sale.
That’s when an email becomes an opportunity. But before this can really happen, you need to follow a few steps to connect the company with consumers.
That’s what we’ll see next.
Table of contents
How to build a relationship with an ecommerce email marketing
The decision to buy is a process that takes time. Following the parameters of the sales funnel, we have a broader idea of this process:
- Top of the funnel: the user becomes aware of a need they didn’t know they had. At this stage, the content presents elements that attract consumers.
The email marketing strategy is to create data capture forms so that interested parties can access rich materials on the topics that involve the needs they were unaware of.
In this way, lists of emails with valid addresses are generated, through which the company will communicate to offer the solution at a later date.
It’s important to note that the real-time verification API installed in the registration forms protects the bases against the entry of invalid emails, which cause a great deal of wasted investment.
Middle of the funnel: the user is interested in the solution presented by the product or service and is ready to decide to buy.
At this stage, the user becomes a lead, which is subdivided into two groups: cold leads, who are considering the possibility of buying and, after a period of settling in, become warm leads, who already intend to purchase the product or service.
The recommended email marketing strategy is to send relationship emails while the lead is cold. Gradually, the messages are transformed into sales emails, but always taking care not to “freeze” the communication. This way, the lead understands that the product is adapting to their needs, and not the other way around.
Bottom of the funnel: the consumer is one step away from acquiring the solution to their problem. At this point, specific actions are taken to close the sale.
Here, ecommerce email marketing achieves its goal of selling, with messages containing offers and special payment conditions.
Important strategies for ecommerce email marketing
Purchase receipts
The great advantage of purchase receipts is their high open rates, since customers tend to open emails containing confirmation of their purchases.
And since they do, why not add other products that may be of interest to the user? Or offer a more complete experience with the product or service the customer has just purchased?
These two techniques are called cross selling and up selling, respectively. Purchase confirmation emails can represent new business opportunities.
Cart abandonment
The cart abandonment email is a challenge. That’s because abandonment means giving up. And the email sent to this recipient has only one form of persuasion: copywriting.
That’s why you should be careful with your arguments, using the benefits of the product, mental triggers such as “loss aversion” and any other justification that can make the consumer revert from giving up to deciding to buy.
It’s always good to remember the importance of the email subject line. This is where the lead decides whether or not to open the message.
Ecommerce email marketing and personalized offers
Personalization is present in almost all Inbound strategies. And email marketing is no different.
Who doesn’t like to receive a special discount in their birthday month, or special payment terms to buy again after a period without purchasing the company’s products or services?
Just as important as acquiring new customers is gaining the trust of existing ones, so that they buy from you again and again.
Personalized offers signal that the company is thinking about the consumer. And this generates engagement. Even if the purchase doesn’t happen, this strategy is important for maintaining a digital presence with the public.
Relationship emails
Even if your customer is at the bottom of the funnel, it’s important to humanize communication through relationship emails.
This is because the sale itself is cold, and we mustn’t forget that we’re dealing with people. And people have a need to belong.
An email containing an interesting article or even a newsletter can provide information capable of generating insights that lead to a purchasing decision. It’s the famous “selling without selling”.
Conclusion
Strategic selling requires consumers to get used to the product or service, and this takes time. You also need to build relationships so that the customer will buy again.
Ecommerce email is not just about sales: it is an extremely useful tool for creating and maintaining direct communication with the public about their needs, which, incidentally, change from time to time.
A company that keeps its ecommerce emailmarketing respectful of humanized communication offers an increasingly optimized shopping experience for the consumer.
FAQ
The ultimate goal of an ecommerce email is to sell, but this doesn’t happen overnight. Ecommerce email marketing involves a process of maturing and engaging the consumer at all stages of the sales funnel so that, at the end of the marketing onslaught, the lead can decide to buy.
Purchase receipts represent business opportunities, as their open rates are high. Cross-selling and up-selling can therefore be included in the message.
Cart abandonment is also a sales strategy, but as it involves recovering from a cancellation, the challenge will be greater and the argument will be centered on copywriting.
Personalized offers are always a good way to highlight the consumer’s sense of belonging and relationship emails are part of a more humanized communication grid.
A sanitized and bounce-free mailing list is able to deliver emails to the recipients’ inbox. This is essential if ecommerce is to achieve results in terms of open rates; the gateway to sales.