For Shopify merchants, email marketing presents one of the best ways to engage with customers and drive sales. However, Shopify email marketing isn't quite as simple as sending the occasional ad or promotion to your list. If you want to see real results, you need to take advantage of optimized campaigns and automation.
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Shopify eCommerce: Everything You Need to Know
To help you master email marketing for Shopify, we'll go over the proven strategies you can use to create successful email marketing Shopify campaigns and grow your business.
Shopify Email Marketing Overview
Email marketing for Shopify involves strategically using email communication to build relationships with your customers, promote your products, and drive traffic to your online store. When done right, it offers numerous benefits to Shopify merchants—such as enhanced engagement, better customer relationships, and, ultimately, more sales.
Campaigns vs. Automation
Shopify email marketing strategies typically fall into two categories: campaigns and automation. Both play unique and vital roles in a store's overall email marketing strategy, and here's what you need to know about each one:
Campaigns
Campaigns are scheduled emails, and they can be sent to either a broad audience or segmented groups. These messages are commonly used for promotions, new product launches, or seasonal updates.
Example: A Shopify merchant could run a seasonal campaign during the holidays to announce special deals and discounts.
Automation
Automation, on the other hand, involves emails that are triggered by specific customer actions. These messages enable you to engage with customers at key touchpoints throughout their journey and nudge them toward a sale.
Example: An abandoned cart email could be sent automatically when customers leave items in their online shopping carts. We helped Elmhurst 1925 automate these and other messages, resulting in substantially more revenue.
Essential Automation for Shopify Merchants
Automation allows Shopify merchants to reach customers with the right messages at the right times. And, best of all, it requires no manual effort after setup. Here are three must-have email marketing Shopify automation techniques that you can use to drive sales:
Abandoned Cart Emails
Around 70 percent of customers abandon their carts before completing purchases. With automated abandoned cart emails, you can remind customers of these items and recover lost sales.
Tip: To increase conversion rates, add an element of urgency or offer a discount on the abandoned items.
Welcome Series
A welcome series is a sequence of emails sent to new subscribers to introduce them to your brand and products. This automation helps create a strong first impression of your brand.
Tip: Offering a special discount on the first item will encourage new subscribers to make immediate purchases.
Post-Purchase Follow-Up
A key to driving repeat business is to keep customers engaged after their initial purchases. Post-purchase follow-up emails can include thank-yous, product recommendations, or cross-selling offers. They are a powerful tool for increasing customer loyalty.
Tip: Use personalized product recommendations based on the customer’s previous purchases to make your follow-up emails more relevant and valuable.
Campaigns That Boost Engagement and Sales
Strategic email campaigns can be used to engage customers at peak shopping times or during product releases, driving excitement and urgency. Here are two types of campaigns commonly used in Shopify email marketing:
Seasonal Campaigns
Seasonal campaigns take advantage of major holidays or sales events to promote special offers. They are typically time-sensitive, pushing customers to act quickly and take advantage of discounts or limited-time promotions.
Tip: Countdown timers or limited-quantity messages can boost conversions by amplifying the sense of urgency.
Product Announcements
Email campaigns represent a great way to build anticipation when launching a new product. Start with teaser emails before launch day to generate buzz, and follow up with a launch-day announcement to drive sales for your new product.
Tip: Behind-the-scenes content, sneak peeks, and early access offers are a few effective ways to create excitement for a new product and build an emotional connection with your subscribers.
Choosing the Right Email Marketing Platform
Effective Shopify email marketing requires merchants to use an email marketing platform to manage campaigns and automation. Shopify offers a built-in email marketing tool called Shopify Email; it's a straightforward and user-friendly option to consider. However, it doesn't provide the advanced features most merchants will need to benefit from sophisticated email marketing strategies.
Our top recommendation for an email marketing platform is Klaviyo. With Klaviyo email marketing for Shopify, you can leverage advanced list segmentation features and automation to reach your customers at the right time with the right messages. At Groove Commerce, Klaviyo is our top tool for powering eCommerce email marketing services, and it's one we highly recommend.
Conclusion
Email marketing is a highly effective way for Shopify merchants to engage their customers and drive sales. By using an advanced platform like Klaviyo email marketing for Shopify in combination with the strategies listed in this article, you can start maximizing your Shopify email marketing strategy today! To get started, please contact us or request a free performance audit of your website.
