Let me tell you something.
In my experience with running an online store I’ve discovered that there’s so much more to email marketing than just sending out those generic newsletters or “10% off sale” announcements.
Every single email you send out is a chance to boost your sales.
And there are certain types of emails that can really make a difference in your bottom line.
Today I want to share five powerful types of emails that can help you bring in more revenue with your WooCommerce store.
These emails are easy to set up many of them are even automated and they can seriously boost your sales right away.
Abandoned Cart Recovery Emails: Your Second Chance
Abandoned cart recovery emails are like a friendly nudge to your customers who have forgotten something in their shopping cart.
Think about it you’ve probably all been there – you start browsing fill up your cart then get sidetracked and forget to complete the purchase.
Here’s the thing: Studies show that about 70% of shopping carts are abandoned. That’s a huge chunk of potential revenue! But the good news is a lot of those customers actually intended to come back and finish their purchase. They just got distracted.
Here’s where the magic happens. With abandoned cart emails you can gently remind those customers about the items they left behind giving them a chance to complete their purchase. Think of it as a helpful reminder because they’re already interested!
Think about the numbers. Let’s say you have a store that processes 150 orders each month and your average order value is $40. With a 70% abandonment rate that’s about $20000 in lost revenue each month! But if you can even recover a small percentage of those carts like 15% that’s an extra $3000 per month!
The secret weapon: Jilt the eCommerce email marketing platform I use has default cart recovery emails that can achieve an average recovery rate of 12%. And if you take the time to tweak the content a little you can even get that rate up to 15% or even 20%. That’s serious money!
The first step: You need to capture that email address. If the customer is logged into their account you’ll have it. Or if they entered their email during checkout you’re good to go. Jilt also has a clever feature called Early Email Capture that prompts customers to enter their address as they add items to their cart. This is a huge advantage because it increases the number of recoverable carts and boosts your potential revenue.
What about the email series? I recommend sending a three-email series for cart recovery. Think of it like a friendly follow-up. You can experiment with the timing content and frequency to see what works best for your store.
Here’s an example from Fab.com: They create a sense of urgency with the subject line “Act fast if you want it” and in the body of the email they emphasize “Limited quantities.” They include a nice picture of the product to jog the customer’s memory. And they make their customer service options super clear in case the customer had a question or concern.
Win-Back Campaigns: Reconnect with Lost Customers
Win-back campaigns are all about re-energizing those customers who have gone silent.
It’s like a reunion with old friends who you haven’t heard from in a while.
Here’s the reality: Studies show that about two-thirds of the email subscribers on an average list are inactive. That’s a huge opportunity for you! Win-back campaigns can be a super effective way to get those dormant customers back into the fold.
Think about the results. Those win-back emails have an impressive open rate—about 12%. That’s great considering their open rate was basically zero before! And 75% of those re-engaged subscribers went on to read at least one more email within just three months.
The first step: You need to identify those inactive customers. Jilt uses a default setting of 90 days—meaning anyone who hasn’t made a purchase in 90 days is considered inactive.
Now it’s time for the email series. When crafting your win-back emails don’t blame the customer for going inactive. Instead use friendly language like “We miss you” or “It’s been a while.” And a generous discount can be a great incentive to get them to buy again.
Remember: Keep your win-back sequence short and sweet—two or three emails are usually enough. If you overdo it you might just scare them off or they might even report your emails as spam. So if your emails don’t win them back after two or three tries it might be time to say goodbye to them and move on.
Take a look at this win-back email from American Apparel: It’s simple so the call to action is crystal clear. It says “We Miss You” and offers a 15% discount to sweeten the deal.
Order Confirmation Emails: A Window of Opportunity
Order confirmation emails are like a friendly confirmation that the customer has successfully completed their purchase.
It’s an essential part of building trust but it’s also a chance to sneak in a little marketing magic.
Think about the open rates. Order confirmation emails have a fantastic open rate – some studies show they have a rate that’s four times higher than standard broadcast emails!
Here’s the thing: When you’re crafting your order confirmation emails you need to include all the vital information about the purchase. That’s important legally because of the U.S. CAN-SPAM Act. These emails have a “primary purpose [that] is transactional.”
The strategic part: Many companies are a bit hesitant to add too much marketing or sales pitches to these emails. Some add a small selling point at the bottom while others use it as an opportunity to ask the customer to do something other than make another purchase.
If you want to sell: Use this opportunity to cross-sell related products to what the customer just bought. And it’s a good strategy because the probability of selling to an existing customer is much higher than selling to a new customer.
If you’re not selling: Use this email to ask the customer to do something that benefits your business like referring your business or product to friends inviting them to join a loyalty program asking them to follow you on social media or requesting feedback on their experience so far.
Take a look at this order confirmation email from Crate & Barrel: They put all the order information up front and then at the bottom they showcase a small selection of related products. If someone’s buying sconces they might just be in the mood to buy some pendant lights too!
Thank You Emails: Build a Relationship and Nurture Repeat Business
Thank you emails go beyond just saying “thanks” – they’re about forging a bond with your customers and making them feel special.
Think about the power of a thank you: These emails should be set up to trigger automatically after a purchase. You want your customers to feel good about their purchase and you want to start building a loyal following.
The opportunity: Use your thank you email to showcase your brand’s personality. For example if you sell chocolates you could say something like “Get hungry your order is on the way!”
Thank you emails don’t have to be all about selling. Many stores use them to educate customers on how to get the most out of the product they just ordered. But they can also be an excellent way to spark another purchase. While your customer is still feeling happy about their purchase it’s a great time to highlight other products they might like.
Here’s a thank you email from Etsy: They immediately offer a discount coupon to encourage the customer to come back for more.
Segmented Broadcast Emails: Target the Right People with the Right Message
Broadcast emails are the more traditional marketing emails—newsletters sale announcements product updates new product announcements company news and general blasts to your list.
Segmentation means sending these emails to specific groups of your audience instead of just blasting everyone.
Imagine this: You send an announcement about a sale on women’s clothes only to your female customers. Or you send a newsletter with your blog posts about dogs just to those who have bought dog toys not the ones who buy cat toys.
The results are phenomenal: Segmented campaigns drive a 760% increase in revenue! And in tests they outperform un-segmented campaigns in every category: more opens more clicks lower bounce rate fewer spam reports and fewer unsubscribes.
Here are the four main ways to segment your list:
- Demographics: Basic information like age gender location and interests.
- Purchase history: What they’ve bought before what they’ve added to their cart and how much they’ve spent.
- Website behavior: What pages they visited how long they stayed on those pages and what they clicked on.
- Engagement: How often they open your emails how often they click on links in your emails and how often they make purchases after clicking on links.
Ideally most of your broadcast emails should be segmented. Sure a newsletter packed with information or content might appeal to your entire list. But when it comes to specific promotions the more targeted you can be the better.
Take a look at this example from Brooks: They segment based on local weather. In hot areas they send the email on the left. In rainy areas they send the email on the right.
Boost Your WooCommerce Revenue with Powerful Emails
As you can see there are many types of eCommerce marketing emails you can send to boost your revenue.
And the best part is many of these are automated so once you set them up you don’t have to do any extra work!
Here are the five types of emails we discussed:
- Abandoned cart recovery emails
- Win-back campaigns
- Order confirmation emails
- Thank you emails
- Segmented broadcast emails
Remember: There are many other types of emails you can and should be sending too. Think about feedback or review requests replenishment reminders shipping notifications and more. Start with these five emails and see what kind of results you get. Then expand your email marketing strategy once you see those sales rolling in!