While social media is subject to the whims of display algorithms, email gives you guaranteed access to your customers in a medium they trust. But once customers enter your funnel, how do you keep them there? With a beautiful, branded email automation program.
The magic of automated emails is that they’re always on in the background. They give your customers consistent, brand-aligned content at every single touchpoint. They help you nurture your email list and keep subscribers around for the long haul. Think of your email automations like a Roomba—you turn them on and they quietly keep things in order.
New to ecommerce, or looking to amp up your existing email program? Here are the three types of must-have email automations that keep customers coming back.
1. Customer Service Automations
Let’s start with the low-hanging fruit. Customer service automations are the most basic emails consumers expect to receive. Once your customer takes an action—like making a purchase, signing up for an event, filling out a form or creating an account—these emails are triggered.
Customer service automations build trust and create clarity. They keep your customers up-to-speed as their relationship with you progresses. Another bonus? They save your customer service team from fielding repeat phone calls and emails about the same topics—which adds up to significant time-saving in the long run.
These automations are essential (all ecomm businesses should set them up before launch). The big email platforms like Mailchimp and Klaviyo provide templates for automations. However, there are many ways you can customize your automations to create a branded and memorable experience that drives conversion.
The key customer service email automations your brand should have:
- Order confirmation
- Shipping confirmation
- Account set-up confirmation
- Account update
- Password reset
2. Brand-building Automations
Before customers are ready to make a purchase, they need to get to know you. Email automations ensure every prospect who signs up for your email list gets a deeper look into your brand, products or services. Over time, these automations give your audience consistent reminders about why they should remain on your email list and consider making a purchase.
The more your customers use your products, the stronger their brand loyalty. And email automations can help with this. You can set up automations to drive product use and request feedback.
The key brand-building email automations you should have:
- Welcome
- Brand story
- Loyalty or rewards program overview (if applicable)
- Product review request
- Post-purchase product tips and how-tos
3. Conversion-driving Automations
Conversion-driving automations can make a customer’s journey to their cart feel like a special, highly branded experience. These automations check in with your customers during the consideration phase and keep your product top of mind until that customer converts.
These emails also drive repeat purchases, bump up average order value and help distracted online shoppers complete their purchase.
The key conversion-driving email automations you should have:
- Abandoned cart
- Abandoned browse
- Back-in-stock
- Price drop
- Cross-sell
Automations save you time, drive consistent revenue, and keep your customers engaged. Set them up and you’ll be thanking your past self again and again. They’re not design- or copy-heavy, so the investment required to set them up is more than worth the return. The steady, consistent results will validate the investment. Start with one, then add another automation every month until you have a robust email program that’s doing the work for you.
