In short: The emails that bring a shop the most orders are automated: welcome, abandoned cart, post-purchase, reorder and win-back of inactive customers. You only write to people who have given their consent, with a single goal per message. You measure the clicks and orders generated by each flow.
A weekly newsletter takes time on every send. An automated flow is set up once and works every day: it is triggered when the customer does something and writes to them at the moment they are most likely to be interested. For an online shop, it is the cheapest way to do marketing.
The basics: consent and your list
Only write to people who have given their consent. Service emails (order confirmation, shipping) are a different matter and are not marketing. Every promotional message must include an unsubscribe link. See privacy for an online shop.
1. Welcome
Triggered when someone subscribes. It is the most-read email because it arrives while the customer is thinking about you. Introduce yourself in a few lines and show your best-selling products. Explain your delivery and returns terms. If you offer a welcome discount, think it through: it teaches the people who receive it to wait.
2. Abandoned cart
Sent a few hours after the customer has left the cart. It shows the products with a link that takes them back to checkout. A second email after a day or two can sum up the information on delivery and returns. Those are the questions that hold back a purchase. Stop there: three reminders are too many.
3. After the purchase
After shipping and after delivery. Explain how to use and look after the product. Ask for a review once the customer has had time to try it. Offer help if there are any problems. A customer who is well looked after is the easiest to bring back.
4. Reorder
For products that get used up (cosmetics, coffee, supplements), work out how long they last and write shortly before they run out. A message with a link to reorder the same item is simple and useful.
5. Customers who don't come back
After a period without purchases, write to those who haven't ordered for months. Remind them what they bought and show what's new. If they don't respond after a couple of sends, stop: carrying on writing to people who don't open your emails damages the reputation of your sending address.
How to write well
- A single goal per email and a single main button.
- A clear subject line that says what's inside.
- Short copy and lightweight images. Check how it looks on a phone.
- A recognisable sender and an address the customer can reply to.
What to measure
Don't stop at opens: many email programs distort them. Look at the clicks and orders generated by each flow. Compare similar periods. Change one element at a time, for example the subject line or the send time.
Tools
Shopify has built-in email tools. For WooCommerce and for more advanced cases, there are specialist services that connect to the shop. The quality of your data and copy counts for more than the name of the tool.
Further reading: email marketing · SPF, DKIM and DMARC · personalising your online shop
Frequently asked questions
Which automated emails should an online shop have?
Five flows: welcome, abandoned cart, post-purchase, reorder for products that get used up and win-back of inactive customers.
How many abandoned cart reminders should you send?
One or two. The first after a few hours, with the products and a link to pick up where they left off. The second after one or two days, with the information on delivery and returns. Three are too many.
What should you measure?
The clicks and orders generated by each flow, comparing similar periods. Opens are often distorted by email programs.