How often do you check your email inbox?

Most people open their email at least once a day. Over 12 billion business emails and a staggering 111 billion personal emails are sent every day. That’s a lot of internet traffic you shouldn’t ignore when devising a marketing strategy for your e-commerce business.

Despite the rise of social media marketing, email continues to be a solid means of driving e-commerce sales. It might seem hard to believe because social media seems ubiquitous, but more people use email than social media.

Why email still matters

Email continues to be trusted by marketers to increase conversion rates across industries.

Why?

For one it is a simple medium. It is direct but flexible enough to adapt to varying target markets.

The most important factor for email’s success though is the ability to engage with customers through longer and more targeted messaging.

Not all visitors to your store will return. By generating an email list and sending targeted messages you remind your audience that there is value in your products and give them an incentive to return to your store.

The right email campaigns can help you:

•         build strong customer relationships;
•         improve your conversions;
•         encourage customers to make more purchases;
•         not only retain customers but also grow your eCommerce business.

 “Email has an ability many channels don’t: creating valuable, personal touches—at scale.” – David Newman

Types of emails to send for your print-on-demand store

Email marketing is considered permission-based marketing because your target audience gave you their email address and gave you permission to send them relevant material. If you send them content they are not interested in it would result in you getting unsubscribed. In order to make the most of your email list you have to spend time on developing quality content.

Done right, email marketing can do wonders for your print-on-demand store. Your emails will fall into the following main categories.

• Transactional: These are the emails that you send to your customers to facilitate their purchase at your store. For example, order confirmation emails with the relevant information on order number, expected delivery time, total cost etc.
• Promotional: These are the emails you send to inform your customers of any deals and offers. These can be for holiday deals and new product discounts among others.
• Lifecycle: These are the emails that relate to a step in the customer lifecycle. For example a welcome email will be triggered when a customer signs up.

Whether you use MailChimp, GetResponse, Constant Contact, or any other email service software, paying attention to the content of your emails will pay off. 

Let’s look at five of the most important emails that you can use to engage with your print-on-demand store customers.

[1]   Welcome emails

A welcome email is your chance to make a great first impression. They are expected by your customers as they sign up or make their first purchase. Welcome emails have a higher open rate than any other type of email at 45-50%.

Your first message or set of messages (in case of a welcome series) determines how likely your audience will be to open your subsequent emails. So using the right tone and messaging is important.

Here are some tips for your welcome email series.

•         Use your welcome email as an opportunity to provide value to your customers to set the tone for your relationship. Offering a discount will incentivize them to make a purchase and improve the chances of them opening your next emails.
•         Send your welcome email immediately after a new customer signs up to your list or makes a purchase.
•         Include your social media channels or link to your blog to build engagement. 

[2]   Order and shipping confirmation emails

Order and shipping confirmation emails are an opportunity for you to create a great customer experience. These emails are also anticipated by your customers and have high open rates. Make sure that these emails provide the basic information about the order and how the customers can reach you with questions.

Here are some tips for your transactional emails.

•         Use the opportunity to upsell related products, present an add-on or accessory to go with their purchase.
•         Provide a bounce-back offer by offering a limited time discount code or free shipping for their next purchase.
•         For your shipping confirmation emails make sure you’ve provided customers an easy way to track their order.
•         If you have a referral program use the shipping email to suggest customers to refer their friends and get discounts. 

[3]   Abandoned cart emails

The shopping cart abandonment ration for e-commerce retail transactions is over 72%. Trying to win back those customers can be quite rewarding. Sometimes all they need is a gentle nudge to checkout. On average abandoned cart emails are able to bring back 5-11% of the customers who left off in the middle.

Here are some tips to recover your lost sales.

•         Remind customers about the items left in their cart. Get them excited again with special features. Also display images of the products for a visual reminder.
•         Use compelling copy to gently nudge them towards checkout.
•         Try an interesting subject like to encourage open rate.
•         You can add an incentive like a discount or free shipping.
•         If there are a limited number of items in stock, tell them so they don’t miss out if they are still interested. 
•         You can also include customer reviews to use social proof in your favor 

[4]   Follow-up emails

Your print-on-demand store can benefit greatly from your customers’ feedback. Critical feedback can help you make improvements while positive feedback will help you convince others to make a purchase while also identifying popular items to promote. A check-in email is a great way to ask your customers for their feedback. You may use a survey or ask them to submit a product review.

A follow up email after you’ve made a sale also lets you customers know that you care about them.

Here are some tips for follow up emails.

•         After you’ve completed a sale thank you customer and include relevant information on the product use and care etc.
•         Your business’s main goal should be customer satisfaction. So don’t just ask for feedback, make sure you work to implement some of the changes desired by your customers.
•         Add the survey to your website so visitors can easily look at your top products and deals.
•         Show customer reviews on product pages to encourage others to buy.
•         Make it easy for your customers to leave their reviews and give feedback by reducing the number of steps they’ll have to take. 

[5]   Educational emails

Emails with educational material serve to build rapport with customers. It shows that you’re interested in their wellbeing and success beyond just making profits. This type of email campaign is especially useful if your business has a niche market. You can include information on product use ideas, FAQs, or content on your niche subject. For example if you sell pet themed products, you can create a series of emails on pet care etc.

Here are some tips.

•         Keep your content informational and avoid sounding salesy.
•         You can also educate customers about what to expect from future products.
•         Provide product information that customers may not have considered on their own. For example, if you sell posters you can create content around wall décor ideas.