Why automate
A newsletter reaches everyone at once. An automated flow reaches one person when they do something specific: subscribe, leave a basket or receive their order. It is the right message at the right moment and, once set up, it works every day without anyone having to send it.
For it to work, the email tool has to be connected to the shop and receive the events: what the customer has viewed, what they have added to the basket, what they have bought and when.
The six essential flows
These are the flows we set up first in any ecommerce business, in order of typical impact:
- Welcome: introduces the brand, explains what makes it different and, if one was offered, delivers the sign-up incentive.
- Abandoned basket: reminds the customer of the products they left behind, answers questions (shipping, returns, sizing) and, only if needed, adds an incentive.
- Abandoned browse: for people who viewed products without adding them to the basket; suggests those products and alternatives.
- Post-purchase: confirms the order, gives shipping updates, explains how to use or care for the product and asks for a review once they have tried it.
- Replenishment: for products that run out (cosmetics, food, consumables), it lets customers know when it is time to restock.
- Win-back: for customers who have not bought for a while; it reminds them of the brand and gives them a reason to come back.
What to put in each email
Each flow has one goal and each email has a single main action. The best flows do not just offer discounts: they provide useful information (how-to guides, how to choose a size, combinations) and use customer data to personalise products and messages.
Discounts work, but if you always offer them, customers learn to wait for the email. It is better to save them for the final steps of a flow or for specific segments.
How to measure them
Each flow is measured separately: open and click rates as indicators, but above all attributed revenue and conversion. It is also worth reviewing unsubscribes and complaints, which warn of excessive frequency.
With the data, you test subject lines, delays between emails and content. A flow is not set up once and forgotten: it is reviewed every few months.
Beyond email
The same flows can combine email with SMS, WhatsApp or app push notifications, depending on each customer’s preferred channel. The key is to coordinate the channels so they complement each other rather than overlap.
Frequently asked questions
How many emails should an abandoned basket flow have?
Typically two or three, spaced over the days following the abandonment. The first reminds the customer of the products and the following ones answer questions or, where it makes sense, add an incentive.
Which email automation tool is best for an ecommerce business?
It depends on the shop’s platform, the volume and the channels you want to use. What matters is that it integrates natively with the shop and receives purchase and browsing events.
Can I send emails to all my customers?
Only to those who have given their consent or have a prior commercial relationship that allows it under data protection legislation. Collecting consent is part of the project.
Leads Webimpacto’s Marketing Automation team: CRM, email, SMS and push strategy for ecommerce, from data capture to repeat purchase.