What can you do with Shopify Email Automation?

21.Jun.2021 Vanhishikha Bhargava - Shopify email automation, Shopify email marketing

Do you know that the approximate number of people who use email is 4.03 billion, as of 2021? That’s almost more than 50% of the entire population. Not only this, it is estimated that this number will grow up to 4.48 billion by the end of 2024.

Crazy, right? Surely a statistic that should tell you how important it is to have a proper Shopify email marketing strategy in place, given the volume of people who have access to it.

But, is having an email strategy the only thing you need to do? Imagine having the most amazing content and graphics in hand, enough to convert any subscriber into a customer, yet neither do you receive the requisite numbers nor the visibility. What could go wrong?

Maybe, your emails are good-looking, but not going out to the right person at the right time. For instance, if you send out your emails at a time when your recipient is sleeping, it’s a moot point. You might as well have not sent it. That’s where Shopify email automation comes into effect.

Email automation is a tool that lets you set up various subscriber triggers. As soon as one of the triggers is met, the relevant email is sent off. For example, when a person visits the store for the first time and then subscribes to get the first purchase discount code, that is an act of email automation as there is no human intervention involved. 

Basically, email automation is all about sending the right information at the right time in the form of an email to the subscribers and the existing customers at the moment they’re most likely to engage so that conversions happen. 

What are the benefits of Shopify email automation?

Approximately 63% of companies are outperforming their competitors with the help of email automation. In fact, an increasing number of businesses are even adopting automation into their email communication.

Here’s why.

1. Increases transactions

If you are still sending out emails with generic content and failing to convert, you should know how beneficial personalizing your emails can be. The transaction rate of personalized emails is nearly six times more than that of generic ones. Also, the open rate of personalized email subject lines is 26% more than that of the others. 

Email automation enables exactly this level of one-on-one conversation with your subscribers and customers. 

2. Helps send relevant messages

Don’t just consider your subscribers as potential customers. Of course, you want them to convert and if they are already your one-time customers you want them to be regular. But, you have to ensure that you do not lose them too and that’s where value-add emails come in. You should also consider building your email list!

Email automation helps you customize fields such as company name, customer name, etc so that you can use your emails to increase your transactions. In fact, you can leverage dynamic modules to personalize the content in your emails; especially when it comes to product recommendations.

Notice your buyer’s journey, also known as the purchase cycle. A purchase cycle is a path taken by the customers right from the first contact they have with the brand, to the point of after-purchase. This too can be leveraged to automate customized emails. 

3. Escalates revenue

Do you know transactional emails can help you generate revenue six times more than generic emails? All you need to do is leverage them the right way. Transaction emails are the emails with basic information that the subscriber or customer may be expecting to receive after a certain action is completed on their part.

Email automation works with a certain subscriber or visitor triggers such as downloading an e-guide from the website, making a purchase, browsing certain types of products, etc. With email automation, you can truly leverage transactional emails keeping your message contextual to those triggers.

For instance, an order confirmation email need not just give information about the order, it can also have recommendations. Alternatively, you can send them a discount coupon for their next order. 

Since the customer is already expecting the email and will open it for the relevant details, chances are you can convert their ready frame of mind into making another purchase; if not today then soon after.

 

4. Syncs emails with the customer purchase cycle and pattern

With email automation, you can send subscribers emails based on their journey with your brand, and at what stage they are. 

For example, is it a new subscriber who needs a little motivation to make that first purchase? Or is it someone who has repeatedly bought from you and you’d like to know more about them via quick feedback? 

Similarly, if you are into a pharmacy and you know there is a certain medicine that needs to be restocked after a certain period, email automation will help you send an email just at the right time so that the customer not only gets a reminder but also the link to re-purchase. 

It works both as a reminder for the customer and a purchase for you. It also helps establish customer loyalty as they would know they have a brand that will take care of their purchase cycle.

 

5. Enhances lead engagement via drip campaigns

What about those subscribers who haven’t converted yet? How does email automation help there? For starters, it helps in keeping the leads warm by sending automated emails with relevant information. It can be anything, such as FAQs, brand information, brand achievements, demonstrations, etc; anything that addresses the pain points of the recipient and nudges them one step towards making a purchase.

But you need to do this in a spaced-out manner. That means each of these value-adds must go as different emails, and change according to how the recipient interacts with them. These are typically known as drip email campaigns and their goal is usually to keep the subscriber interested in the brand.

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Now that you know the benefits of automating your emails, let’s get into the workflows you should be setting up to reap them! 

Workflows to put email automation to work

An email workflow is basically a series of automated emails. These workflows are triggered on the basis of subscriber behavior or even the data collected. 

Here are some of the different workflows you can utilize to drive more engagement, sales, and revenue for your business with Shopify email automation.

1. Welcome email workflows

Welcome emails are the first impression emails that can make or break a deal with a first-time subscriber or customer. It has to convey the fact why the recipient is in for a treat in the form of facts and offers and is now a part of the brand family.

While welcoming a subscriber is a staple template deed, welcoming a customer is a little tricky. Here, the first purchase triggers the act of adding them to the mailing list. So you want to make sure that you’re thanking them for trusting you!

Don’t have a welcome email ready yet? Get free templates on BayEngage today.

2. Abandoned cart email workflows

People can abandon their carts for many reasons. They may have got a better alternative elsewhere or may have simply forgotten the product. Automated cart recovery email workflows help to nudge these shoppers towards making the purchase. 

It can be a single email or a series spread over a few days, depending on the email strategy you have and the product you sell. You can start off with a simple reminder, move over to offering them an incentive to make a purchase or wrap it all into one email. The main aim is to use this email automation to convert the cart.

Want to make your cart recovery emails convert? Get free abandoned cart email templates on BayEngage.

3. Celebratory email workflows

Birthdays, anniversaries, etc can also serve as a trigger to automate emails. And we don’t just mean customary customer occasions. These celebratory occasions can also be your first purchase anniversary with the customer, the brand completing a milestone, etc. The key is to identify these triggers so that you have customized emails automated and ready to be sent out.

4. Lead nurturing email workflows

Creating lead nurturing email workflows is for those subscribers who continuously show interest in the brand or product but do not convert. Here, the best way is to create a series of automated emails that address their problems and pain points and offer solutions or answer their concerns regarding the purchase. 

For instance, you can send them guides on how to use your product. If the buyer has been shying away from making a purchase, they’re probably unsure of how to put it to use.

You could even promote new blogs that inform them of the latest developments with your brand, share information on trending topics or simply teach them something new.

 

And if you have upcoming sales and offers, you could even nurture them by keeping them in the loop consistently.

5. Re-engagement email workflows

Do you see any inactive subscribers or customers on your list? Buyers who haven’t made any kind of interaction with your brand in more than 30 days? Automate emails to win them back. This will also help you realize whether there is any scope of getting those subscribers back and converting them. Else, you can clean your email list.

You can send them simple ‘Miss You’ emails that are targeted at either motivating them with a discount to bring them back; or requesting feedback to understand why they haven’t gotten in touch with you.

Here’s an example of a re-engagement email that uses incentives and discounts to nudge them towards coming back.

You can also leverage your reward points system if you have one. Tell your customers that their points or credits will expire to create a little urgency or offer them some extra credits with an expiry date to make them want to come back instantly. 

6. Customer satisfaction email workflows

The order is never complete. No, not even when you have delivered it. If you want a continuous cycle of purchase and engagement, you also need to trigger emails and find out about the customer’s experience. This will help you understand how they do not just feel about the product they just bought, but also their buying journey with your brand. 

Shopify email automation makes this easier. You can easily trigger emails to seek feedback on an order that was recently fulfilled, after a set number of days post-delivery. 

Similarly, with email automation, you can also create a follow-up email to nudge happy customers from the feedback to drop you a review on the storefront. But more importantly, follow-up the ones who weren’t happy, offering them something of value to prevent them from speaking ill about your brand online. 

7. Order status email workflows

These are perhaps the easiest Shopify email automation that you can create and take advantage of. Your order status emails can be automated in four ways.

The first one gets triggered in the form of an order confirmation email when the order is placed.

The next one gets triggered in the form of an order shipping email when the order is dispatched.

The subsequent one gets triggered in the form of an order tracking email when the tracking id gets generated.

The last email gets triggered in the form of an order-delivered email when the customer receives the order.

And of course, as in every other email, these emails too, give you an opportunity to sell more to the customer you’re notifying. So don’t forget to experiment with adding product recommendations, a feedback form, and other elements to capture more information about the buyer!

Escalate your email strategies with Shopify email automation

Want to close more sales and market your business efficiently? It’s time you start reaping the benefits of Shopify email automation. Getting in touch with your subscribers and customers at the right time, with the right message holds more importance now than over – especially owing to all the competition out there that is trying to take them away from you.

Make sure you have the right workflows set up from day one to not lose out on any buyer that could have become a customer with just a little nudge! 

Ready to automate emails on your Shopify store? Install the BayEngage app today and explore the 14-day free trial.