Key email automations (flows) your brand should be running

Make your emails work better for you, from subscription to VIP.

Email is one of the highest converting channels for e-commerce so getting email automations right is an integral part of growing your brand. The personalised content connects your business with people who are interested in your products. 

Learn how different email flows, based on individual customer interactions, have the power to foster stronger relationships with your subscriber base, leading to more loyal customers and ultimately more sales.

Look out for our top tips where we show you how to elevate your email automations to the next level.

Welcome Email

These emails are often the most well received as new customers are interested in the brand, and intrigued to learn about benefits. They have 4x the click rate of non-automated email campaigns. 

• Introduce your new subscribers to your brand. 
• What makes your company tick? How are you unique? 
• A personal message from the company’s founder has proven popular. 
• Remember to link all of your social media and be sure to have links back to your website so customers can find your best selling products easily!

Top tip: creating more than one welcome email flow is optimal. This makes the content even more personalised for different customers and will more likely lead to a sale.

Abandoned Browse Email 

These email flows recreate window shopping- everyone’s favourite pastime especially during the holiday season. They have a conversion rate of 1% of recipients to sale and while this might not sound like a lot, adds up over time. 

• Send subscribers an email with a couple of items that they had been browsing to jog their memory and incentivise a sale. 
• This email flow is more of a gentle reminder than a call to action so in terms of text- less is more. 
• Try ‘remember this?’ or ‘this would look great on you!’. 
• The image of your product should sell itself: remember, the subscriber has already expressed interest. 

Top Tip: think about how frequently the customer would like to receive these emails and adjust accordingly as too many emails can lead to unsubscriptions rather than sales.

Abandoned Cart Email 

You got the item to the basket- congratulations! But now your customer has abandoned their cart. How do you regain that potential sale?

The Baymard Institute says that 70% of British shoppers leave items in their baskets without checking out. This is a large customer base that this form of email automation is open to. Abandoned cart emails have a conversion rate of 4% of recipients to sale. 

• Similar to above this email is a gentle nudge towards the sale. 
• Do not include cross selling in the email, remember the customer has already expressed an interest in purchasing. 
• Consider adding a discount code to seal the deal.

Top tip: you will want to experiment with the amount of time between the customer abandoning their cart and sending the email. Studies have shown that products with a higher price benefit from a longer delay, as it offers time to explore alternatives and research competitors, whilst impulse buys or lower priced items benefit from shorter delays. 

Order Thank You Email

In a world of competitive selling and surplus ‘stuff’ this subscriber chose your product. That is something to be proud of and grateful for. A small thank you goes a long way in fostering stronger relationships with your customers and are more likely to retain subscribers in the long term. 

• Warm, friendly, and genuine 
• Keep the aesthetic in line with your brand and products 
• Some of the most effective thank you email automations look like a letter or note from an individual. That way it doesn’t look like it’s going to thousands of other people, even if it is. 

Top tip: attach a discount code or exclusive offer with your thank you email to reward customers for their sale.

Instructional / Informational Email

Wow customers with the benefits of your product, whilst offering industry-related knowledge that, paired with your product, could improve a customer’s quality of life. 

These emails are less angling towards a sale and more about fostering stronger relationships with customers. They have the added benefit of cutting down on customer service questions as they serve to educate customers about your product. 

• Link blog posts within this email to start discussions
• Connect customers to others in order to build a community. 
• Subscribers will be invested in the industry surrounding the products, and will also (hopefully) be loyal customers, willing to share details with friends and family. 

Top Tip: if there is no marketing content on this email flow, you can tag it as informational so all subscribers in your base are eligible to receive.

Back in Stock Email

Prompt your customers to sign up for a ‘back in stock’ email if products are unavailable. This makes customers feel appreciated as you reach out to them personally when products become available. 

• Image of the product to jog memory 
• Ensure that the number of people that you email about products being back in stock does not exceed the amount of stock available to purchase as this may lead to some dissatisfied customers.

Top Tip: you might want to give limited early access to the customers with the email link to show gratitude for their sale.

Customer Winback Email

This is the email that you send to the customers who have not interacted with your brand in a while, typically six months or more, designed to win them back. These emails increase the lifetime value of subscribers who may otherwise have not returned to your website and products.The average open rate of winback emails is 29% (according to Klaviyo data)

• Sweeten the deal with added discount codes not available online. 
• Remember to remind them of your best selling products. 
• Add information about how to get the most out of buying from your brand.

Top tip: add a time limit (e.g. this offer expires in 30 days) to add a sense of urgency to their purchase. 

Altum is a Klaviyo Silver Agency Partner. We manage email marketing services for our clients; building email lifecycle plans, and helping them generate more revenue on their website. Check out our work here.

Interested to learn more about Klaviyo or even sign-up for a free account to get started - simply follow this link: Sign-up to Klaviyo.