Taking Basic Email Automation to the Next Level for your E-Commerce Business

Email marketing continues to be one of the most effective marketing channels, but like many technology offerings today, it is evolving, and at breakneck speed. While one-off campaigns and regular newsletters will always have their place in most email marketing strategies, the smart marketing teams are starting to capitalize on automated email solutions that are triggered by the actions of users.

By tapping into the latest advanced automation techniques, you can make every email you send personalized, hyper-relevant, timely and most importantly, more likely to convert.

Getting Started With Advanced Email Automation

Now is the perfect time to adopt more advanced email automation strategies and make your mark. Recent research has shown that only a third of marketers are using email automation for basic profile-based targeting, and so there is a significant gap in the market to be filled.

The most basic principle of email automation is to capitalize as much as possible on user data. This may include the details you have about your subscribers or preferences they have set on your mailing list or through your website. From information they have entered into custom fields to data you hold on them from previous campaigns or data based on how they interact with your product(s), you should be using this information fully in your email marketing efforts.

Email Marketing With No Limits

With basic email automation, you are often limited to work with one rule per condition. For example, if a subscriber is a repeat customer, you can send them an email that suits that profile. If they are a new subscriber, a different email is sent. This works well, but advanced email automation takes things one step further.

With advanced conditions and rules in place, the bar is raised and you are no longer limited to using one rule per condition but can specify multiple rules. This allows you to truly target your customers by digging down a lot deeper into personalization. If a subscriber is a repeat customer and they have bought or expressed interest in a particular product, send them this email. If they are a potential new customer that hasn't converted yet and they live in this region, send them this email, and so on. The only limit is your user data.

Improved Results Through Automation

Besides freeing up time, advanced email automation can also increase the impact of your campaigns. According to Epsilon, emails triggered by consumer actions generate 76.7% higher open rates than business-as-usual emails, and click-rates 151.9% higher than business-as-usual. 

However, starting with more tailored emails doesn't need to be complicated. One example for a simple yet effective personalization is mumsnet.com. The largest parenting website in the UK goes for the personalized approach by sending out automated pregnancy newsletters that are tailored to the baby's due date, thereby staying relevant throughout the pregnancy.

As you would expect from one of the world's largest media agencies, BuzzFeed is also using automation to deliver engaging content. They have developed over 20 automated newsletters that are tailored to the specific interests of the user. From pets and animals to health and beauty, users can enjoy news and images that are interesting, relevant and which could have been written just for them.