Automated email flows are one of the easiest ways for you to nurture your customers and increase your revenue for your eCommerce store. 

 

All you have to do is set the sequences up for your automated emails and the work is done. 

Thank goodness for automation. 

There are many automated email flows you can set up for your business, but the following three sequences are absolutely necessary. Every eCommerce store should have these flows set up, including yours!

Without them, you’re missing out on big-time behind the scenes nurture and revenue generation. 

Here’s what you need: 

 

A Welcome Sequence 

The welcome sequence is a series of emails that are set up after someone subscribes to your list. We recommend that your sequence includes between 3 and 6 starting emails. 

The purpose of this sequence is to introduce your brand to a warm customer (someone who has actively taken interest in your brand, products and/or services). 

Each email should serve a specific purpose. When you’re crafting these emails, think about the stage of the buying journey that your prospect is in. For example, email one shouldn’t push hard sales, rather it should create a compelling first impression, welcome your customer, set expectations and start building trust and credibility by providing high value content. 

Here’s an example of a high performing three part welcome sequence we set up for one of our clients, in stress management & relaxation niche. 

 

Email 1: Welcoming the customer and telling the brand story 

Subject Line:  Welcome to the World of Better Sleep 🌏💤

Email Includes: 

• A warming welcome message 
• Company values 
• Inviting lifestyle imagery 
• Support contact details (relationship building) 
• A 10% discount code for a future purchase

 

Email 2: Educating the customer with high value content 

Subject Line:  Do [insert product] actually work? See what the experts are saying…

Email Includes: 

• Educational / value adding content related to product – the science behind their product.
• A testimonial from an occupational therapist who uses the products for their clients (building trust and credibility).
• Reminder of the 10% discount expires scoon (scarcity). 

 

Email 3: Offering a time sensitive discount 

Subject Line: Your 10% Discount Code Ends Today, Don’t Miss Out! ☁️

Email Includes: 

• 10% discount code expires (scarcity). 
• Compelling lifestyle images
• Copy that says “If you read our last email” to encourage engagement. 
• Brand differentiation points (eg. Premium quality, free and fast shipping, 100% money back guarantee, fast communication). 
• Customer testimonials
• Clear CTAs 

 

An Abandoned Cart Sequence 

The next must-have automated email flow is an abandoned cart sequence. As the name suggests, this is a series of emails that are sent to a prospect when they leave item(s) in their cart. They are personalised, automated emails that remind the prospect to complete their purchase, often with some kind of reward for doing so. 

According to Active Campaign, three of every four customers that visit your website add something to their cart but don’t check out. That’s a huge group of hot leads that you can target and convert to customers. 

Once you have your sequence set up, your emails will automatically generate revenue for your business, at no extra effort. 

Speaking of the sequence, we have a six step recipe for a high performing abandoned cart sequence that we’ve tried and tested. In this blog post, you’ll find all the ingredients you need, and an easy to follow method for creating an abandoned cart sequence that drives results.

 

Post Purchase Sequence 

Once your prospect has made a purchase, you shouldn’t forget about them. In fact, you should make an extra effort to continue to build your relationship as marketing to repeat customers is far more cost efficient than trying to market to cold audiences. 

This is where a post purchase sequence is so useful. 

After making a purchase, your customers should enter a series of emails that focus on nurturing the customer after the sale. Again, we recommend a series of 3-6 emails. This is your opportunity to thank your customer, offer them support, let them know how to use the products, ask for feedback and to make some upsell offers. 

Here’s what we included in a post purchase sequence for the same client as above. This sequence has a click through rate of up to 77% and generates a significant amount of revenue for the business – all through automation.  

 

Email 1: Thanking the customer

Subject Line:  Thank you so much, {{ first_name }}

Email Includes: 

• A personal thank you message from the founders.
• A welcome to the community.
• A support email and phone number.
• Encouragement for the reader to engage with the brand on Instagram and Facebook.

 

Email 2: Educating the customer

Subject Line:  Your First Time… 😉

Email Includes: 

• Punny copy that talks the prospect through their ‘first time’ using the product. 
• Educational content on how the customer can make the most out of their purchase. 
• Added value: 30 day money back guarantee. 
• A support email and phone number.

 

Email 3: Upselling the customer

Subject Line:  Because One Is Never Enough… 🙊

Email Includes: 

• Upsell – encouragement to buy another blanket.
  *Note: In this instance our client has 1 primary product, so we encourage customers to buy another, however, if you have many different products on your site, this is a good opportunity to offer other products that compliment the ones they have bought. 
• A testimonial to support upsell: “My kids fought over who was having it so I had to purchase a second one. The two of them are now having much more settled sleep.” – Loren B
• A time sensitive 10% discount code for the upsell. 
• Lagre, image based icons to encourage upsell. 

 

Another upsell offer to expand your customer base is to create a refer a friend upsell email which may work for your business depending on the makeup of your ideal customer avatar. 

 

Email 3: Requesting a review 

Subject Line: Can we ask you a favour? 

Email includes: 

• A short, easy survey that the customer can fill out to gain feedback on their experience. Not only are these reviews gold mines for providing third party credibility and validation for future customers, but they’re also extremely useful for improving your business and providing optimum value for your customers. 
• A reward for completing the survey – eg. free product or discount code. 

 

 

And there you have it.

Three automated email flows that once you have set up, will generate revenue without you having to lift a finger. 

Need help setting up your automated email flows? We can help you create sequences that drive the results you’re looking for. 

We’ve tried and tested hundreds of automated email sequences and we know what works. As well as these three crucial flows, we can help you with:

• Re-engagement sequences
• Upsell sequences 
• Educational sequences
• Update sequences
• + Any other email marketing content you need. 

 

Want to start generating your own automated emails?

Get in touch with us about our email marketing services today. 

 

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