Shopping online is an ever-growing trend, that has become more and more natural for people all around the globe. In some industries, it has become the norm. With the rise of eCommerce websites, companies have discovered various marketing strategies to gain more customers and improve their profits. One of the most effective techniques is email automation, which can have various benefits for businesses.

There are more than a few automatic email flows that work wonders for eCommerce websites. The possibilities are endless, which is why it can be daunting at first. When you are starting out, you want to focus on two main types, the ones that will benefit your profit the most: browse abandonment and cart abandonment automation.

Browse abandonment automation

While you might have heard of, or even seen in your own inbox, abandoned cart emails, browse abandonment email flows are not that well known. They are even sometimes used interchangeably with cart abandonment. However, they are not the same. Browse abandonment refers to a potential customer that has visited a few product pages on your website but hasn’t actually put something in their cart. That’s the easiest way to differentiate between the two email flows.

Even if the subscriber hasn’t decided on a product yet, it’s clear to see that they intend on buying something from your brand. In most cases, these visitors are researching the products and trying to decide if they’re the right fit for them. This is also when your competition is most likely to steal their business. Therefore, you need to be prepared with a strategy to get your subscribers back on your website.

The browse abandonment email doesn’t need to be too complicated, it can be as simple as “Hey, we’ve noticed you like this product. Just wanted to remind you it’s only on sale until…” One of the best practices, that most companies use when crafting browse abandonment emails, is to include a section with similar products that might catch the shopper’s eye and convince them to click.

Cart abandonment automation

According to a study by SalesForce, an average of 81.08% of shoppers abandoned their carts in 2021. This percentage might be shocking, but it’s been shown time and time again that most shoppers don’t finish their orders on the first website visit. The reasons are diverse, from needing more time to think about the price, to struggles with the ordering process.

This is why automated cart abandonment email flows are essential for an e-commerce business. With the right incentive, you can convince your customers to take the last step and purchase the products they were interested in.

There are many ways in which you could persuade your subscribers to make their orders. Even a gentle reminder that they left some products in their cart is a good approach, similar to the browse abandonment email flow. However, bringing forth some of the benefits of your products or a special offer your company has usually yields better results.

For instance, if you have international free shipping, then make sure to remind them of that perk. You can even go a step further and offer them a special 5% off their order if they purchase in the next 24 hours. An offer like this is a great incentive to use for higher-priced products since it creates a sense of urgency.

Best of all, you can test multiple strategies to see what works best for your business with an integrated email platform like Klaviyo. This marketing tool helps you set up easy email automation flows, with a special focus on browse and cart abandonment campaigns. You can personalize your emails based on the product category your shopper was looking at and even A/B test different elements to get the best results. In addition, Klaviyo Abandoned Cart Flows generated over $17 million for their customers only in 2019.

Another thing to keep in mind with both browse and cart abandonment email flows is that you need to find the right timing. There are some standard recommendations such as sending the email after 12 or 24 hours. In reality, most brands strive to find what works best for them. While some companies have great success rates with three cart abandonment emails set 12 hours apart, some will achieve their goal with just one.

Automation is a great tool for a marketer to save time. However, these email campaigns shouldn’t feel inhuman. Think about your shopper’s experience and don’t stress them out too much. Yes, you want them to make their purchase, but you should aim to help them too. This way, you will gain a long-term client instead of an unsubscribe when dealing with abandoned cart flows.

Klaviyo often tests out their timing, and through their research data, they found that an email sent a few hours after the cart abandonment has the most conversions. Therefore, you can start by sending the email with a delay of 4-6 hours and just keep testing from there.

 Welcome, Birthday and Re-engagement emails

Just because the two automated email flows above are the ones that will bring you the most revenue, it doesn’t mean you should ignore the rest. For example, a welcome email is often the first point of contact your subscriber has with your business. You want to spend some time designing these emails as well and include information such as the type of content you will send them or a special new subscriber discount.

Birthday emails are also a great email flow you can leverage to deepen customer relationships. A cheerful birthday message topped with a special birthday offer just for them is sure to brighten their day and make them feel a little closer to your brand.

Last but definitely not least, re-engagement email flows have the ability to “revive” your relationship with subscribers. If your reader hasn’t been opening their emails in a while, you can send an incentive or offer to send them fewer emails focused on their preferences. Even if this method seems counterintuitive, having them read a fraction of your emails is better than none. On top of that, they will likely be impressed by your genuine intention to be helpful to them and not barrage them with sales campaigns.

Combining these types of automated email flows into your email marketing strategy is sure to supercharge your eCommerce business, strengthen customer relationships, and return more revenue for your company at the end of the quarter.

About the Author

Michelle Ford fell in love with digital marketing when she saw the huge impact that a proper email outreach campaign can have on a business’s profits. She now spends her time tweaking email templates in order to convert readers to clients.