Email marketing in the world of eCommerce doesn't just have to be the plain old confirmation receipt that gets sent to customers after they make a purchase. In fact, email marketing should be an essential part of any eCommerce strategy because it's a great way to engage with customers, build relationships, and increase sales.
But it's also normal to feel a little lost when it comes to email marketing for eCommerce because there are so many different ways you can go about it. So, to help give you some inspiration, we've put together a list of some of the best eCommerce email marketing examples to get you started.
The Best 5 eCommerce Email Marketing Examples to Inspire You
Ready to see some examples of what great email marketing for eCommerce looks like? Here are 5 of our favorites.
1. Happy Birthday Email from Sephora
Who doesn't love getting a present on their birthday? Certainly not Sephora's customers!
To make their customers feel extra special on their big day, Sephora sends out a happy birthday email with a coupon for a free gift. The email is simple but effective, and it definitely makes an impression because it's all about personable customer service.
Plus, studies have shown that birthday emails outperform all other types of promotional emails in all KPIs–from revenue per email (which is 342%!) to transaction rate (481%!). That means that if you're not already sending birthday emails, you're missing out on a big opportunity.
2. Re-Engagement Email from HireVue
If your email list happens to have a lot of inactive subscribers, then you're not alone. One way to combat this is by sending re-engagement emails to people who haven't interacted with you in a while. That's exactly what HireVue did with this email.
Playing on FOMO (fear of missing out), this email does a great job of enticing inactive subscribers to come back and engage with the brand–or else, HireVue will say "goodbye" within 3 business days. Plus, it's short, sweet, humorous, and to the point–which is always a good strategy for email marketing.
Think of re-engagement emails as a second chance for your inactive subscribers. If they don't take advantage of it, then they're probably not worth keeping around on your list anyway.
3. Thank You Email from Kate Spade
Did you know that 74% of customers expect to receive a welcome email when they sign up for a brand's email list? That's why it's so important to make sure that your welcome email makes a good impression.
Kate Spade does a great job of this with their thank you email. Not only is it a welcome email that thanks the customer for signing up, but it also includes a coupon code for 15% off the subscriber's next purchase.
This is a great way to get new subscribers engaged with your brand from the start, and it doesn't hurt that it also incentivizes them to make a purchase.
Automate your mailing system to send out a similar email as soon as a customer signs up for your email list. They've shown interest by signing up for your list, so make sure you take advantage of that opportunity and engage with them right away.
4. Survey Email from Rapha
Customer feedback is essential for any eCommerce business, but it can be hard to actually get people to take the time to fill out a survey. That's why it often helps to offer an incentive–like a discount or a free gift. Unfortunately, though, many eCommerce brands still don't do this.
Rapha, an online cycling retailer, is one of the exceptions. They send out a survey email to customers after they've made a purchase, and they offer a 20% discount on the upcoming order to anyone who takes the time to fill it out as well as a chance to win a hefty prize.
This is a great way to get valuable feedback from your customers while also encouraging them to make another purchase. And since repeat customers are 9 times more likely to convert than first-time visitors, it's definitely worth it to put in the extra effort to keep them happy.
5. Confirmation & Cross-Selling Email from Crate & Barrel
Remember how we spoke about plain confirmation emails earlier? Well, Crate & Barrel's confirmation email is the perfect example of how to do it right.
Not only does this email confirm that the customer's order has been placed, but it also offers a few suggestions for other products they might be interested in. And since these items are similar to what they just bought, there's a good chance they'll be interested.
This is a great way to increase average order value and encourage customers to buy more from your store. All you need to do is place a couple of relevant product recommendations in your confirmation email (at the bottom), and you're good to go. Watch your sales go up in no time just from cross-selling!
The Takeaway
While these eCommerce email marketing examples are from different brands in different industries, they have one thing in common: they're all great examples of how to do email marketing right.
They don't try to sell you something in every email. They're personal and engaging. They offer value–whether it's a discount, a free shipping offer, or valuable content. And they're timely and relevant to what's going on with the customer. All of these are essential components of a successful email marketing strategy.
What helps with executing it is certainly automatizing some of the processes and using great eCommerce platforms that already have email marketing functionality built-in, like ConvertedIn. Using data and shoppers' insights, our platform empowers you to create personalized emails for your customers at each stage of their shopping journey. Request a demo to see it in action!
