Why it works
Email reaches people who have chosen to receive your messages. It is one of the channels with the best cost-to-results ratio, provided the list is high quality and the content is useful.
The basics
- Consent: only subscribe people who have opted in, with a clear privacy notice and an easy way to unsubscribe.
- Segmentation: different messages for customers, prospects and inactive contacts.
- Subject line and preview text: they are what persuades people to open.
- A single call to action per email.
The most useful automations
- Welcome: for new subscribers.
- Abandoned basket: for people who left products in their basket.
- Post-purchase: thank-you, instructions, review request, repeat-purchase offer.
- Reactivation: for people who haven’t bought or opened in a while.
What to measure
Click rates, conversions and revenue per email or per flow. The open rate on its own can be inflated by privacy protections in email apps.
An example: the welcome flow
A natural cosmetics brand sets up three automated emails for new subscribers: a welcome with the brand story, a guide to the ingredients and a 10% discount valid for seven days. Within three months, 14% of new subscribers make their first purchase, without a single email written by hand.
