5 email templates to drive eCommerce business growth in 2024

Global eCommerce revenues look set to continue their upward trend throughout 2024 with experts anticipating total online retail sales will touch $6.5tn. That’s a predicted increase of almost 10% on 2023, and means more than one fifth (21%) of all retail revenues will be snapped up by eCommerce businesses.

With such a big prize on offer and competition for customers stronger than ever, you’ll want to make sure your marketing communications cut through, prompting sales and propelling growth at your business.

But it’s not always obvious to the busy entrepreneur how best to connect with customers. That’s especially true when you’re trying to make sure your message lands well in their email inbox.

Let’s consider the elements of eCommerce email marketing best practise, with a focus on setting the right sequence of communications.

Here’s a guide to five handy email templates that you can recreate to boost the growth of your eCommerce business.

eCommerce email templates: five to try in sequence

Sending all the right emails in the right order is an efficient and effective way to propel growth. Today’s eCommerce customer expects to be contacted when it’s convenient if they’re to be persuaded to part with their hard-earned cash.

Following these five steps will push them towards a purchase – and keep them coming back for more.

1. Hello - and here’s a reason to return

New customer? It’s the perfect chance to kick off an email contact strategy.

According to marketing data, welcome emails enjoy four times the open rate and five times the click-through rate of standard email campaigns (source: Wordstream).

Your recipient will already know a little about your business, but seize the opportunity to explain more about your mission, values – and products. And don’t forget an offer, such as a discount code or other product promotion, to make sure they click again. Here’s a welcome email we like (who doesn’t want free coffee?):

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2. Nurture and nudge the customer to buy

So far, so good. Your customer is on board and may already be thinking of buying the same product again from your eCommerce store, or perhaps is browsing for something else,

A nurture email sequence is key to keep them engaged. After the ‘welcome and thank you’ email, feel free to ask them to share their product preferences, shopping habits and other aspects of their behaviour so you can tailor follow-up email content and give them value.

You could present relevant products and tempt them with other things they might like based on previous purchases and any personal data provided. And don’t just stop at one email; within reason, you can contact them regularly to nudge them through checkout again.

3. Overcome abandonment with fresh offers

Customers have many reasons for crashing their shopping cart onto its side just as they appear to be heading for the checkout. Unaffordable cost could suddenly dawn on them. They may just have been distracted as they approached the final click. Or they might have received a better offer…

Regardless of the reason, eCommerce website analytics can fairly easily confirm that someone dropped out of the funnel. What the data won’t necessarily tell you is the exact reasons why. A post-abandonment email can clarify that, so consider the following copy:

Remind them first of the products they’ve left behind – this alone may tempt purchase completionBe bold – ask why they didn’t buy, and set out the benefits of the products cast asideIf all else fails, further discounts can act as a magnet to finally seal the sale

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4. Win back lapsed customers with emotion

Perhaps even more concerning than an abandoned shopping cart is the customer who comes for one or two products, then disappears without trace. Email can be the answer to online ghosting.

Re-engagement - or win-back - campaigns are a common and cost-effective way to bring lapsed customers to your site again. Remember, wisdom suggests it’s generally five times more expensive to secure a new customer than bring back an existing one.

Content should major on the value your eCommerce business and the products that you stock will add to the customer’s life. You may want to offer a discount, perhaps on items they have previously bought through your site. Don’t be afraid to press emotional buttons with language like “We miss you” or “You haven’t visited us in a while”. Think carefully, consulting data insights at your disposal: what would truly make them give you another try?

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5. Up, up and away with a product upsell email

Finally, if you’ve been successful in winning back a lapsed customer, finally sealing the deal following cart abandonment, or you’re simply enjoying seamless repeat purchase, don’t waste the opportunity to reward your customer.

Offers on email might be prevalent from eCommerce brands today, but they’re very effective at making customers choose your brand again rather than race off to your rivals.

Order confirmation or follow-up emails are also a great chance to upsell products. Can you convince the customer to spend more, increasing value for them while boosting your bottom line further as they head to the checkout again? Try time-sensitive promotions and recommend other items they might like.

Our five-step email sequence has proven success for eCommerce businesses shooting for rapid and sustained growth. The message is loud and clear: email content is king, as long as you use it well.

Does your eCommerce marketing need a cash injection to ensure it reaches the right consumers? Revenue-based financing (RBF) might be the right option for you. Read our report on RBF and contact Stenn today to find out more.