E-mail marketing is a powerful tool for e-tailers. One of the most effective strategies for boosting sales is the use of follow-up e-mails. Whether you're looking to recover abandoned shopping baskets, reactivate inactive customers or promote new offers, we've got some practical advice on how to optimize your follow-up e-mail campaigns.
In e-commerce, it's common for visitors to add products to their shopping baskets but not complete their purchase. Similarly, many customers may become inactive over time. These emails are designed to remind customers of their initial interest and encourage them to take action. They can be personalized according to customer behavior and preferences, making them even more powerful.
Why follow-up emails are important in e-commerce
Firstly, they enable you to recover lost sales. By sending a reminder e-mail to customers who have abandoned their shopping cart, you have a chance of convincing them to finalize their purchase.
Secondly, follow-up e-mails help you to reactivate inactive customers. By engaging these customers with special offers or incentives, you can encourage them to return and make a purchase.
Last but not least, following up your customer by e-mail can help you promote cross-selling, thus increasing the average value of orders.
The different types of reminder mails
Follow-up e-mails for abandoned shopping baskets
When a customer adds products to their shopping cart but doesn't finalize their purchase, it's essential to send a follow-up e-mail to recapture this potential sale. In this type of e-mail, you can remind your customer of the items they've left in their basket and offer them an extra incentive, such as a promo code. Use a friendly, engaging tone to encourage the customer to return to your site and complete their purchase.
Reminders for inactive customers
Inactive customers are those who haven't made a purchase in a while. To reactivate them, send them a personalized email. In this email, remind them of their previous purchase history, offer them a discount code or a special offer, and highlight new products or recommendations based on their past preferences. The aim is to rekindle their interest in your online store and encourage them to make a new purchase.
Follow-up e-mails for cross-selling
Follow-up e-mails can also be used to stimulate cross-selling. Following a purchase, you can follow up with complementary products or special offers on additional products. For example, if a customer has bought a phone, you can offer accessories such as protective covers or headphones. This approach increases customer loyalty.
Tips for effective follow-up e-mails
To maximize the effectiveness of your follow-up e-mails, here are a few tips to bear in mind:
- Personalize your reminder emails
Use the data available on your customers to personalize your reminders. Include their name in the message, refer to their previous purchases or their activity on your site. This shows that you really care about their experience and increases the chances of conversion.
- Use a friendly, engaging tone
Adopt a friendly, engaging tone in your follow-ups. Connect with your customers using simple, accessible language. Create that feeling of closeness and trust to encourage them to act.
- Creates a sense of urgency
To encourage customers to act quickly, create a sense of urgency in your reminders. You can use phrases like "a limited-time offer", "limited stock" or "exclusive promotion valid today only". This will make customers want to take advantage of the offer before it's too late.
- Attractive incentives
To encourage customers to respond to your reminders, offer them attractive incentives. This could be an exclusive discount or free delivery on an additional order. Make sure the incentive matches their interests and needs to increase the chances of conversion.
- Use A/B testing to optimize your follow-up emails
When sending out follow-up e-mails, use AB testing to evaluate the effectiveness of different variations. Test different elements such as the subject line, message content, images or call-to-action buttons. Don't hesitate to test a different model on the same customer segment. By analyzing the results, you'll be able to identify what works best for your audience and optimize your future relaunch campaigns.
Examples of reminder e-mails
Below you'll find the essential information you need to include in a reminder email as an e-merchant, as well as a template by type, all created by Kiliba. The tool sends these emails automatically thanks to its predefined scenarios based on buyer behavior. Each email sent is personalized thanks to the data collected on the online store and sent in the form of one of the templates presented below.
1. Example of an abandoned cart reminder email
- Eye-catching subject line: Create an eye-catching subject line that piques the recipient's interest and encourages them to open the e-mail.
- Friendly, engaging tone: Adopt a friendly, engaging tone to build trust.
- Personalized greeting: Address the recipient by their first name to create a personal connection.
- Context reminder: Briefly reminds the recipient of the context of the interaction: an abandoned shopping cart.
- Clear call to action: Use a clearly visible button or link to direct the recipient to the shopping cart.
- Basket list: Remind him of the products he has just left in the basket.
- Product recommendation: Take the opportunity to recommend products you think your customer might like, with a link to each product.
- Professional signature : End the e-mail with a professional signature including your contact details. You can also add your social networks.
2. Sample reminder email for inactive customers
For your inactive customers, using a personal event to get them back in touch is a good strategy. For example, you could send an e-mail on your customer's birthday:
- Attractive object: Create an eye-catching, personalized object for your recipient.
- Friendly, engaging tone: Adopt a friendly, engaging tone to build trust.
- Personalized greeting: Address the recipient by their first name and wish them a happy birthday.
- Background: It's his birthday and you've prepared something for him.
- Product list: Your selection of products specially designed for him (and the price).
- Clear call to action: Use a clearly visible button or link to direct the recipient to each product in your selection.
- Product recommendation: In addition to your special selection, suggest ancillary or complementary products that might appeal to him.
- Professional signature : End the e-mail with a professional signature including your contact details. You can also add your social networks.
3. Example of a cross-selling reminder e-mail
After a purchase, you can send him an e-mail containing products to complement his purchase:
- Attractive object: Create an eye-catching, personalized object to thank your recipient for their purchase.
- Friendly, engaging tone: Adopt a friendly, brief tone to establish an effective customer relationship.
- Personalized greeting: Address the recipient by their first name and thank them for their purchase.
- Background: Your recipient has made a purchase and you've found him some other interesting and useful products.
- Product list: Your selection of products related to your purchase, followed by the price.
- Clear call to action: Use a prominent button or link to direct the recipient to each product.
- Professional signature : End the e-mail with a professional signature including your contact details. You can also add your social networks.
Conclusion
Follow-up e-mails play a crucial role in e-commerce success. They enable you to recover lost sales, reactivate inactive customers and increase sales through cross-selling. By following the tips in this article, you can create effective follow-up e-mails that capture your customers' attention and encourage them to take action.
Don't forget to personalize your follow-up emails, use a friendly and engaging tone, create a sense of urgency and offer attractive incentives. Try out different variations using A/B testing to optimize your results, and make sure you deliver an outstanding customer experience every step of the way.
By applying these strategies, you can maximize conversion opportunities and strengthen your relationship with your customers. Follow-up e-mails are a powerful tool for increasing sales and developing your e-commerce business.
If you'd like to set up reminder mails for your online store, please contact Kiliba.
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