How to Increase Revenue Through Email Automation & Remarketing

The average basket abandonment rate is almost 80%. 

Whilst abandoned shopping baskets are inevitable when running an ecommerce business, many merchants have turned to automated emails over the past decade to convert shoppers who never quite made it to the checkout. 

In this post, we explain what email automation and remarketing actually mean, and how they can ultimately increase revenue when implemented correctly. 

What is email marketing automation?

Email marketing automation refers to the strategy of making your messaging more personalised, and ensuring it reaches its recipient at the right time. In short, it’s the process of setting up automatic marketing emails so you don’t have to take care of this aspect of email marketing manually. 

Why email automation is important

In simple terms, email automation is important because it helps to increase conversion rate and revenue. It reminds website visitors of products/services, and keeps your brand on their mind.

Chances are, the majority of people who land on your website each day won’t make a purchase, which could be down to any number of reasons. Whilst we can’t read their minds, we can make some educated guesses around the issues/thought processes that lead to basket abandonment. Indecision, price, additional costs such as shipping, or a desired product being out of stock can all lead to lost sales. But automation and remarketing can bring some of these back.

Examples of email automation

Welcome emails – if you opt in to receive marketing communications via email, chances are you’ll receive a welcome email soon after. Welcome emails provide an opportunity to connect with customers, communicate your brand values and offer an incentive to make their first purchase, whether this be a discount code or other limited time offer.

Birthday emails – if customers are required to fill out their birthday when creating an account, you can send birthday emails to offer a more personal touch and drop a special discount or offer into their inbox to encourage a purchase.

Surveys/feedback – surveys are a great way to gain insight into how your customers feel about your website and company as a whole. When someone makes a purchase, why not include a survey link in the confirmation email to find out how they found the process? 

Product/collection launches – if you’ve recently or are about to launch a brand new product, campaign or collection, you want your customers to hear about it. Those already familiar with your brand are probably more likely to be interested in new products than those who’ve never heard of you, so sending out an update to your email subscribers could very well be the difference between a successful and unsuccessful launch.

Remarketing emails – retargeting emails are used to try to increase conversions by re-engaging with customers who have come close to making a purchase but not followed through. This is the type of automation email we will focus on in this post.

What is email remarketing?

Email remarketing is the term used to refer to the act of re-engaging customers who have visited a particular website or shown interest in a product but have not made a purchase. 

It’s an email marketing strategy that aims to re-attract website visitors or customers. 

What is the difference between remarketing and retargeting?

Although the terms remarketing and retargeting are often used interchangeably, they actually refer to different aspects of digital marketing. Whilst they both work towards the same goal, retargeting refers to paid display ads that a customer who has visited your website or social media profiles will be served through the Google Display Network and Facebook. This means your ads can be shown on a range of websites as well as social media. The aim to usually to convert those who have not yet made a purchase.

Remarketing generally uses email to target those who have already made a purchase or done business with your brand – its aim is to retain those who are already customers. 

How effective is email remarketing?

It’s thought that a customer needs to hear your message at least seven times before they make up their mind about purchasing something from your brand. Remarketing helps build much-needed exposure and visibility with those already aware of or interested in your products and services. According to Mailchimp, you can see an average of 34 times more orders per recipient with an automated email series than with bulk email alone. 

Examples of email automation & remarketing