This time, I will introduce comprehensive email marketing strategies with Shopify. Email marketing is extremely cost-effective, so be sure to operate it properly.

It is almost impossible to monetize your business without email marketing. That’s how vital it is.

Here are the foundational tactics of email marketing. Please contact me individually if you would like to receive more detailed advice.

The Reason Why Email Marketing is Effective

There are two main reasons why email marketing is effective.

• CVR (Conversion Rate) is high.
• Less affected by the platform.

High CVR (Conversion Rate)

As you’ve already known, email marketing has a very high CVR. The Official Shopify Blog features email marketing as the highest CVR channel.

Emails regarding the abandoned checkout or product recommendations based on purchase history have three times higher CVR than the organic search inflow.

Less affected by the platform

In advertisements and SEO (Search Engine Optimization), sales may drop sharply due to changes in Google and Facebook algorithms or specifications. On the other hand, email marketing, there is no such effect.

Look at the email open rate and CVR figures; it seems that email marketing will not disappear for a while even though the chat and LINE become mainstream.

Email Marketing Process

The primary email marketing process in Shopify is as follows.

1. List Building
2. Segmentation
3. Compose Email
4. Tracking & Improvement

Let’s take a brief look at each step.

List Building

List Building is the collection of customer email addresses. Please refer to my previous article, Grow Your Email List.

Offer some incentive and request to fill out the opt-in form at the accepted timing.

For the specific processes, please refer to the previous article.

Email List Maintenance

If you don’t maintain an email list, the email arrival rate will decrease.

The email provider may filter the email as spam if a customer ignores it for so many times. It doesn’t matter if you send it to the email address the customer provided in the opt-in forms.

Once it filters as spam mail, it will go straight to the trash box, and you cannot reach the customer.

For customers who haven’t opened the email for a certain period, try sending a coupon email. Remove it from the sending list if a customer still doesn’t open it.

To maintain an accurate email list, a tool like NeverBounce to check whether the email address is still active.

It isn’t free, but it’s worth a try.

Segmentation

Do not send mass emails without segmentation. Segmenting the customer, and approach with a personalized message suitable for each segment.

The finer the segment, the more likely the email open rates and sales increase. However, it will consume more time to set up and prepare the contents.

The method of dividing segments is like craftsmanship. It is based on the balance between results and operational efficiency. It is easier to classify by dividing the customer experience in chronological order.

The figure below is from the email marketing platform Rejoiner article. It is comprehensible. Divide the customer’s experiences into three-phase categories and nine- phases in chronological order.

I recommend segment customers according to the list above. Make an adjustment to match it with your store demand.

In the case of the Shopify app, Klaviyo, there is a detailed explanation of the segmentation.

Compose Email

Compose email once you have classified customers’ experience scenarios into segments.

Since the email content is personal and cannot unify, it isn’t easy to explain whether the content is suitable for each customer. I will summarize what I think is right in general and from my experience.

Subject Line is Crucial

The subject line is the most crucial part of email marketing. The email open rate will boost tremendously, depending on the subject line. Put all your effort into creating an eye-catching subject line. The open rate may change significantly with just a few tricks, such as using value numbers or entering the recipient’s name.

The sender should be a person’s name

The email open rate is higher when the sender’s name is not anonymous. It will be higher when the sender is the actual person’s name like “Junichi KUROSE (Actual this blog author’s name)” than “Customer support” or “store management.”

Segmentation & Personalization

The email open rate will increase if the subject line and content of the email is personalized. Composing an email after segmenting it into smaller groups leads to the open rate and CTR (Click Through Rate).

It isn’t easy to make attractive emails for everyone. But it is attainable to compose captivating emails for a small group of audience.

Use Preview text

Gmail and other email services display the preview text. Many people will look at the preview text to decide whether to open it. Personalizing the preview text is essential.

Simple Actions

Encouraging multiple actions such as new product introduction, providing coupons, loyalty program invitation, etc. with one email is too much to ask. Make it simple to understand what you want for your customer to do. An overly complicated email will drop the CVR.

Use one type of CTA (Call-to-Action) for each email. It’s fair to have the same CTA in multiple places.

Cohesive Email and LP (Landing Page)

Cohesive email and LP is just as crucial as the relationship between advertisement and LP. Even if the email is attractive, the LP derived from the email is hideous. It will not increase CVR. In particular, be aware of the first glance of LP and make it cohesive with emails.

Simple opt-out

Unopened emails that are caught in spam filters will suffer your overall email marketing. Provide simple opt-out for customers who are not willing to browse.

Best Days and Times

Find the best days and times for customers to open emails. According to the research of  CoSchedule Blog, at 6 am, 10 am, 2 pm, 8 pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Wednesdays are suitable. 

While referring to these data, let’s find the best timing for your customers by examining closely.

Transactional Email (Additional)

The Transactional emails are intended for information notification rather than promotion. Such as order notifications and shipping notification emails are examples of transactional email.

The Transactional emails have a higher email open rate than promotional emails. Use transactional emails as a promotional opportunity.

However, emails with too many promotional aspects will be sorted as a promotion email by a Gmail filter. The worst case is a customer refuses to open important notifications.

I recommend that promotion should be less than 20% of the total email. It should appeal as a sub-content.

Tracking

 Let’s measure whether email marketing is working. The Shopify Apps such as Klaviyo or Omnisend, indicate the email open rate and sales. It will be convenient if you integrate with Google Analytics. You can compare it with other channels in Google Analytics.

UTM parameters in Google Analytics

Use UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters to be able to measure in Google Analytics.

Set the parameters at the end of the URL, as shown below. You can compare it with other channels and see the performance in chronological order with Google Analytics.

For Klaviyo, UTM parameter settings can be set on the “Account”> “Overview”> “UTM Tracking” screen.

You can change the default settings for “utm_source,” “utm_medium,” and “utm_campaign.” Also, Check on “Automatically add UTM parameters to links.” The default settings will automatically reflect in the links in the email.

In the case of Klaviyo, whether to use the default value of the UTM parameter or adjust it for each campaign can be set on the “campaign edit test” screen.

If you want to perform the A/B test of emails with Google Analytics, you can do it by checking “Add variation letter as a UTM parameter to all links.” At the bottom of the “Test Settings” screen in Klaviyo.

Standard settings

Now, I will introduce the standard email marketing settings.

Welcome Email

This email is right after a customer subscribes. It is often sent in 2 to 3 times, as shown below.

• 1st time: Greetings and coupon/ gifts
• 2nd time: Brand and member introduction
• 3rd time: Useful information on the store usage

Please refer to the following Welcome emails. There are lots of useful examples.

The Abandoned Checkout Email

The abandonment checkout email is sent to the page visitor who has added a product to the cart but failed to checkout. In some cases, you may send the abandoned checkout email several times.

Be sure to set up the abandoned checkout email since preventing abandonment increases sales significantly. In most cases, the abandoned checkout emailing is a standardized system in the Shopify apps.

First-time Buyer Email/ Cross-selling Email

Provide coupons and recommend related products right after the first purchase, which leads to repurchase.

It is an incontrovertible eCommerce theory that if the customers purchase multiple times within a short period from the first time, they will continuously purchase for a long time after that. Let’s recommend related products, cross-selling, offer coupons, and encourage them to repurchase.

As mentioned above, if the email contains too many promotional aspects, it may be sorted as a promotion email by a filter. The worst case is that a customer refuses to open important notifications.

Replenishment Email

It is possible to predict when daily necessities and supplements will be empty. Send an email urging customers to repurchase at the right timing.

Reactivate Dormant Customer Email

The reactivate dormant customer email aims to revive purchases with incentives such as coupons for customers who have not purchased for a certain period.

Once customers become dormant customers, merely sending a coupon does not work. Examples of the reactivated dormant customer emails are the following. Let’s refer to them and build your strategy.

 

It isn’t easy to revive a dormant customer, so it is crucial to prevent customers from lapsing.

Review Requesting Email

The review requesting email is for collecting product reviews from customers after purchase. The review app, Stamped.io, automatically sends the following emails after purchase to collect product reviews.

Reviews can help promote sales. Even if it’s a negative review, you can take action early to prevent abandonment.

Birthday Email

Offer coupons for customers’ birthdays. Birthdays are an excellent opportunity to send coupons. It would be the right timing to ask the customer’s birthday about the third time in the welcome email.

Loyalty Program/ Referral Program Invitation Email

If you operate a loyalty or referral program, it is essential to send an invitation email to customers who have purchased many times or high review scores.

The Shopify apps for loyalty and referral programs, such as ReferralCandy and Smile, are useful since they have email promotion and LP creation features as standard.

 

Please refer to my previous blog, “Referral program- Complex but potential to skyrocket! How to Implement a referral program on the Shopify store.”

Newsletter

A newsletter is not just a marketing email, but a regular email that conveys the brand worldview and useful information.

I believe writing the newsletter is like writing a love letter (LOL).

Before, I talked to the owner of a handmade crafts business. He runs a newsletter with a high email open rate. He said that he meets customers at events and writes emails based on tiny details regarding the day they met.

I think even you can write an attractive newsletter with techniques, though it is fundamental to think deeply about the audiences and compose an email that would make them happy.

If you run out of ideas, you may want to check out the newsletter ideas below.

Promotional Email

The promotional email notifies promotional plans and new product launches. I’m sure that every store owner sends promotional emails.

Please remember that sending out too many promotional emails decreases the email open rate steadily.

Summary

I introduced the method of email marketing in Shopify.

It is often said that emails are frumpy. But emails are very profitable, and they have a high CVR and aren’t as expensive as advertisements.

If you don’t operate email marketing properly, you can certainly increase sales just by improving your email operation. Email marketing contributes to profit. Use The Shopify App explicitly. If you have any difficulties or questions, please leave them in the comments or contact me. Your comments are highly appreciated.

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