Using email to boost ecommerce conversions

Why email is important

When you have an ecommerce store, you need to try and build relationships with your customers. Once you’ve built those relationships, you need to spend some time maintaining them. Maintaining customer relationships strengthens the bond between the customer and your business and encourages them to become loyal customers.

One way to maintain customer relationships is through email. There are two main types of email you can send your customers: direct and transactional.

Today we’re going to discuss both types of email:

• How direct emails can boost ecommerce conversions
• How transactional emails can boost ecommerce conversions

How direct emails can boost ecommerce conversions

What is a direct email?

A direct email is one you send out on a mass scale. They’re often referred to as promotional emails because often you use them when you want to promote an event or specific product.

For example, if you’re offering a special offer for Easter, you might send a direct email to all your customers letting them know that during Easter, you’re offering them 15% off.

Examples of direct emails that work:

If you’re thinking about what kind of direct emails you can send out, we’ve provided some examples below:

Think about: buying guides, money off, discount codes, special offers.

How you can use them to boost ecommerce conversions:

If you want to make direct emails work then you need to make sure the email is:

• Relevant: Only offer your customers things they actually might want or need
• Call to action: There should be only one aim of a direct email. This meaning, decide what action you want the customer to take after reading your email and make everything in the email lead them towards that decision. Don’t distract them with other links that aren’t relevant to the action you want them to take
• Social proof: If you want the customer to take action on your direct email then you need to provide social proof to give them an incentive to do so. Remember, they’re not expecting their email so you need to work extra harder to encourage the sale

How transactional emails can boost ecommerce conversions

What is a transactional email?

Transactional emails go on the principle of “if this then that”. Meaning that customers actions trigger the email you send out. These emails are often much more personable as they’re not sent to everyone at the same time, they’re sent out to people who complete a certain action at a certain time.

Examples of transactional emails that works:

• Abandoned cart emails. These work by sending an email to a customer when they’ve progressed to the stage of adding items to their cart, but haven’t successfully checked out the items. There’s normally a whole bunch of reasons why someone would abandon their cart, but a transactional email can help you salvage some of those potential lost sales.

• Post-purchase email sequences. Post-purchase emails happen after the customer has purchased something and you attempt to sell them something else. These work by offering relevant items the customer might like in addition to the item they’ve already purchased.

• Cancellation emails.  When a customer has made a purchase and then for some reason cancelled their transaction, a transactional cancellation email can help increase ecommerce conversions. You can also use these types of emails as a tool to work out why the customers cancelled. Then, use this information to improve your product.

How you can use them to boost ecommerce conversions:

Transactional emails help boost ecommerce conversions because they’re targetted. By the nature of the customer at this stage, you already have enough data about them and their preferences to send an email to them that could really change their mind. These emails are more targetted.

You can also use transactional emails to boost ecommerce conversions and reward your loyal customers. For example sending an email out to customers who are just a few points away from claiming a reward would encourage them to make another purchase the reap the benefits your loyalty program offers.

Takeaways

Direct and transactional emails are both excellent tools to increase ecommerce conversions, but you need to make sure you understand which email you’re sending out and what you hope to achieve from it.