This post was last updated on August 7th, 2023 at 07:06 pm.
Boost product engagement and improve your online store conversions using MailChimp’s suite of eCommerce tools designed to help entrepreneurs like you sell more. Email marketing is an invaluable tool in your digital marketing arsenal, but it shines brightest in eCommerce.
As web developers, Mailchimp has allowed us to significantly enhance the functionality of our client stores. Business owners already enjoy a return of 4100% on their email marketing efforts, but the potential is greater for eCommerce store owners.
Email marketing provides a lot of automations that provide opportunities to engage your audience more. Mailchimp has developed this functionality to give you tools to create added opportunities for your website visitors to engage with your products.
As business consultants, we have a great appreciation for the role automation can play in growing businesses. Particularly small businesses. We are always looking for ways to free up our clients’ time so they can do more.
Marketing is one business area that takes up a lot of the time available for entrepreneurs. This is why as a Mailchimp Partner we are always looking to use the platform to automate our clients’ marketing.
Additionally, we have found great success with eCommerce automations. Email marketing has become a massive part of our conversion rate optimization strategies. Our clients rely on us to help their stores sell more. We not only increase our client sales, but we also do so while requiring significantly less effort from them.
Have you grown tired of the traffic you drive to your website not engaging with your products more? We have just the solution. Let’s look at some of the email automations we use to help you get more sales on your website.
Boost product engagement with personalized recommendations
Personalisation has pretty much become a prerequisite for ensuring an engaged audience, throughout your organisation. With the increased noise from multiple voices marketing to clients, clients want to know your efforts are directed at them.
As such, you can win clients over and boost product engagement by sending them personalized product recommendations and personalised emails. So, for every other email suggested from here on, be sure to personalise it for the best results.
Use Mailchimp tools like groups and tags to send your audiences a personalised email experience. Personalize every aspect including send frequency, the timing of sending, plain text or HTML email, graphical or simple design and every other element.
However, personalisation here is mostly concerned with personalised product recommendations. Mailchimp offers you a few ways to make sure that recommended products are relevant to the email recipient.
These use the information on what clients have purchased or viewed online to suggest products they are likely to be interested in. There is no better opportunity for your products to get engagement than bundling them with products that have already gotten some love.
Now, personalised product recommendations are not so much a campaign but an important part of successful campaigns. Throw them into everything. Throw them into your abandoned cart emails, order notifications, product retargeting emails and every other email we discuss here.
They are very versatile. Personalised product recommendations make for a great call to action because we love familiarity, and product recommendations are a great similar to section.
Just as you can’t stop browsing YouTube because of the thumbnails on the right, your clients won’t stop engaging with your products.
They could even be better than the calls to action in the middle of your email. According to Mailchimp, they can increase your click-through rate by up to 2%.
Boost product engagement with subscriber welcome sequences
Email welcome sequences are a great way to introduce your brand to clients. Not only can they introduce your brand, but they can also be used to put your best products in front of new clients.
This is a great way to boost product engagement with customers who have just signed on. As a product discovery tool for new clients, very few match their efficiency.
Welcome sequences are not just an opportunity, they are an opportunity that delivers. You can expect an open rate of around 50% for your welcome emails. That’s a lot of exposure for your products. Welcome emails are not only great for your brand but they are also expected.
74% of email users expect some form of welcome when they sign on. That’s an overwhelming demand for you to say hello to new subscribers. Why would you not take advantage of a marketing opportunity you are invited to?
Now, all we have to do is strategize. Just as goals are important for every part of your business, goals are important for your welcome sequence. Yes, you want to boost product engagement on the store but let’s break it down.
Do you just want exposure for an obscure product range? Perhaps you want customers to immediately get excited about a product range that sells well? Do you want to preemptively answer any questions that arise a lot about the store, products or brand? Or do you just want to be nice and say hi?
These answers help you structure your welcome series. This is where we get the answers to important questions that will help the sequence succeed. How many emails to add? The right calls to action? The right email structure to use? All of these questions are easily answered by breaking down our goals for the sequence.
Boost product engagement with order notification emails
Order notification emails are a great opportunity to increase engagement with your brand. Of all the types of emails you’ll send as a brand, perhaps none will be received with as much enthusiasm as order notification emails.
In fact, order notification emails generate the best open and click-through rates of any email. The joy that rushes through us when our order is confirmed can’t be replicated with any other email. This allows your business to adapt your order notifications to drive further engagement from your clients.
Firstly, make your order notification emails on brand. As great as WooCommerce is, the standard order notification email can cause a disjointed shopping experience.
They are most likely very different from the rest of your brand, and may not be immediately recognizable. With Mailchimp, you can create order notification automations that not only match your brand aesthetic but your voice and tone as well.
By doing this, you retain your customer in their shopping state, and any message delivered after that converts easier. Be sure to capture, enhance and utilise your buyer’s excitement to encourage further product engagement.
Every element of your email should embrace the exciting mood of a new purchase. The subject, content and everything in between should carry the tone. The timing, as well, should be great.
Send your notifications as soon as possible after the purchase, when clients expect them the most. Be careful though, not all purchases illicit joy. Some may illicit relief, a sombre mood, or any other range of emotions.
Regardless of the emotion though, the formula is the same. Mirror the emotion in your emails, and you are sure to boost product engagement. Just combine the essential information with a great call to action like product recommendations and you are good to go.
Boost product engagement by thanking your first-time clients
There is absolutely no one who doesn’t like being shown appreciation. A personalised thank you makes us feel valued, and clients go where they are valued. Thanking your first-time customers with automation could be the cheapest way to show you value your clients.
Your thank you email needs to be human, and genuine. This means 2 things; you have to thank your clients in the tone and voice of your business. The same way they have interacted with your business up to the point they finally engaged is the same way they should be thanked.
This will make your gratitude immediately recognisable because this humanizes your brand. It creates the image of a friend your clients are familiar with. Secondly, be genuine. Take your time to remember what your very first sale meant to you.
Not your current client’s first purchase, but your business’s very first sale. Ever. Channel those emotions into thanking your first-time purchasers. Your emails will not only be genuine but will make every client realise the difference they brought to your business.
And that’s an addictive feeling they may just want to get more of by engaging with more of your products. Basically, a great thank-you email can turn that first-time email into lifetime advocacy.
Now enhance that thank you by asking clients for feedback. This shows that you care for their experiences and want to improve. Who wouldn’t want to continue engaging with a brand that shows them they are valued from the first day?
Boost product engagement by sending product follow-ups
This is a product engagement email that allows you to boost engagement for current and future clients. Not only will you be able to boost engagement with the client who just purchased, but future clients as well.
You achieve the first by sending recommendations and the second by asking for feedback. When a client makes a purchase from your store, send a follow-up email with recommendations for products frequently bought together with what they purchased.
Thanks to Mailchimp’s automation tools, you can do this automatically for every purchase. And product follow-up emails are nothing to scoff at. According to Mailchimp’s data, product recommendation emails bring in about 5 times the results of bulk emails.
Specifically, Mailchimp found they bring in five times more orders than bulk emails. Let’s face it, orders are a great way to measure returns. They are the reason you built your eCommerce store and a huge part of the reason for your business.
It only makes sense that they drive great results. Product recommendations in follow-up emails demonstrate additional value to people who have shown a desire for your products.
Secondly, and equally important, ask for client feedback. Don’t just ask for feedback on the product itself, but the whole purchase journey. Find out how your clients find the journey from discovering your brand to experiencing your products.
Where and how did they find you and where would they like to see more of you? How easy is your website to navigate and make purchases from? How was the shipping, and how satisfied are they with the product they got?
Answers to questions like these will improve your entire marketing funnel. And remember, this is feedback from clients who have shown they want to engage with your business. Their feedback is highly valuable.
Boost product engagement by thanking your best customers
The concept of a VIP is nothing new but a lot of businesses don’t use it enough. When a client brings more value to your business, it’s only fair that you recognise this value and reward them. They have, after all, earned it.
Designating clients who are deserving as VIPs can help you create automations or campaigns targeted specifically at them. While they may not know they are designated VIPs, they will soon start to see this appreciation and effort.
Granted every client in your business matters, but the simple truth is you need to treat your VIPs better. Placing more of your efforts on them will give you a better marketing ROI. This is because whatever the criteria you use to designate VIPs, they have already shown the greatest interest in your brand.
This is likely to continue if you continue to cater to them. The best place to start with your VIP emails is your VIP list.
You want a systematic approach to determining who is a VIP. You want the system to be balanced, not too harsh, while at the same time not allowing every customer in. Next, you need to consistently be on the lookout for ways to treat your VIPs better.
It could be giving them first dibs on specials or giving them access to exclusive discounts, you have to find a way to show appreciation for the support they give. You will appreciate them even more when you learn that 40% of your revenue comes from just 8% of your customers.
Your VIP clients quite literally keep your brand alive and a VIP campaign shouldn’t just end with added benefits above everyone else. You must also remember to say thank you. Don’t make it as bland as saying ‘thank you’, you are our VIPs, but be sure to make them feel extra special.
Boost product engagement with occasion emails
Consumers increasingly don’t want to engage with faceless corporations. You can boost product engagement on your online store by showing your target market that there is character behind your brand.
This is because we can imagine a face on anything once we can attach a character to it, and this has worked great for many brands. Brands like Nando’s have used that strategy to win social media.
If you aren’t already following their social media accounts, firstly, what are you even doing on social media? Secondly, go follow on your favourite socials ASAP. The humour behind their accounts will have you thinking of Nando’s as more of an online friend than a corporate account.
And that is what gets their content engagement. You can use that strategy to boost product engagement for your own brand. While Nandos leverages humour to win social media, occasion emails primarily use empathy in email marketing.
You remembered. And that matters. Occasion emails can even win back lapsed customers that have not engaged with you in a long time. There are a lot of occasions you can remember, just make sure to remember the ones most relevant to your business.
Anniversaries could work great for jewellery brands. Birthdays can work great for baby boutiques. Valentine’s Day can work great for gifting brands. There are a lot of approaches to adopt depending on the occasion you are emailing about.
You can wish your client a happy birthday with a gift or discount. You can walk down memory lane with a client with a celebration of their first purchase. Help your client give the best Valentine’s gift with free shipping to a destination of their choice.
However, a well-timed, well thought and well-executed occasion email will have your clients back in your shop. Even better though, it just might have them looking forward to your next email, social media post or ad. It can build bonds. And ultimately, that’s the key to any great digital marketing strategy.
Boost product engagement with abandoned cart emails
This is the first tool in the email arsenal businesses use to boost product engagement. It’s found in almost every email marketing service and Mailchimp is no exception. You can even find it natively via apps and plugins in your favourite eCommerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, Presta Shop and Ecwid.
The reason why abandoned cart emails are so common is that they work, work very well. Firstly, you should know some 60% of your clients will abandon their carts. This is a large number of potential sales you have already worked hard to drive to your store and almost lost.
However, you need not fret or despair when these carts are abandoned, because you can win them back. You can expect a 45% open rate for abandoned cart emails. This is a huge number of clients showing they are glad you reminded them. And a further 30% of shoppers will go on to purchase a product they previously abandoned.
Therefore abandoned carts are a great investment. An investment that should be well-built and maintained. A well-built abandoned cart email starts with a great subject. Be sure to capture attention and make sure the email is opened.
Timing is also important. Wait too long and you are out of mind, but send too soon and whatever stopped the initial purchase may still be an issue. Be sure to give incentives to purchase but don’t overdo discounts.
Maybe hold them off for the second or third reminder. And yes, you have to send multiple emails. This gives you greater leeway to get the timing right and encourage sales, and never forget to add a customer support option.
An abandoned cart could genuinely be a fault on your side, and no amount of reminders will get clients to complete that specific cart add. Get all of these right though and you will surely boost product engagement and drive more revenue.
Boost product engagement with product retargeting emails
But what if the product was never added to a cart? Mailchimp has a solution for that as well. That’s a product retargeting email. These are emails that are triggered when a client views a product on your store but doesn’t take any action.
Needless to say, these clients far outnumber your abandoned cart clients, making them arguably more important. If you are going to successfully boost your product engagement, they should be a prime segment.
Additionally, you can provide personalised product recommendations. These could be complementary products that can encourage the sale or alternative products that could overcome the limitations of the first product.
Best practices for product retargeting emails are pretty much the same as the ones for cart abandonment emails, but these can be taken a step further. Your retargeting email needs to address possible roadblocks to making a purchase.
To do this efficiently, you should always ask for customer feedback. After a long time of feedback collection, you should be able to guide your client with a few pre-emptive questions with proposed solutions to make sure they can move forward with their purchase.
Boost product engagement by re-engaging lapsed clients
Identifying and re-engaging lapsed clients on your eCommerce store may open easy revenue streams. Unlike new clients, they don’t have as many touchpoints as they have already passed through most of the phases in your sales funnel.
To this end, email automation is great for this re-engagement. The first step is to set a realistic reengagement period. Different types of stores will have very different periods they can consider clients lapsed.
A fashion brand would have a much lower time to re-engagement than say, a car dealership. Once you have your lapsed clients identified, it’s time to re-engage. Again, the strategy here will depend on your brand but there are a few options to choose from.
Discounts, feedback surveys, and information update prompts among other strategies can be used to get clients thinking about your store again. Whatever strategy you use though, your re-engagement should encourage communication.
Customers lapse for a lot of reasons. While you may not immediately know those reasons, the results can be disastrous if they are ignored. Therefore, encourage dialogue. Open by showing the client you are very invested in their reason for lapsing in a very empathetic way.
Any other attempts to re-engage should follow after that, and be prepared to have this re-engagement be a multi-part conversation. It’s a good sign when a client responds with reasons for disengaging.
Use this information to address their concerns and improve their experience and soon enough, you’ll have them back in your brand’s family. Even if their specific issue cannot be resolved, they may surely appreciate the gesture and may grow to be brand advocates. That’s also a massive win.
Boost product engagement with promo emails
Allow me to state the obvious: promotions boost product engagement. Allow me to go further into this adventure in the obvious: emailing your promos boosts product engagement even further.
In the interest of being thorough, let’s dive in further nonetheless. People love an opportunity to get more value for less. I mean we trample each other for Black Friday every year. Globally.
There is no greater evidence for this love for value than this one day of the year. Your online store probably already leverages some promos to boost product engagement. You are likely promoting these specials on social media, online search and pay-per-click ads, but email marketing can turbocharge your efforts.
Not only do your promo emails go to a more controlled target audience, but they also go to an audience that’s probably looking for any excuse to re-engage with your products. With the segmentation options Mailchimp gives you for your email campaigns, the results can’t be matched.
Promote new products to clients who make regular purchases to give them a boost. Promote stragglers in your shop to clients who have shown an interest in related products to give them a push.
Drive more sales for time-specific products by promoting them to clients approaching an important date. Email marketing allows you to promote the right products at the right time.
To be precise, it allows for promoting the right products with precision. The only hard part is coming up with great promotions for your campaigns to shine. Email marketing is great, but not great enough to turn terrible promotions into great sellers.
For many businesses, turning any prospect into a buyer can be very tough. A great promo email could be just the push that’s needed for that transformation. Simply because we all love to get value at a reduced cost.
In conclusion
Up to 46% of your audience prefers being reached via email compared to SMS, Whatsapp, or phone calls. This is good news for you because email is quite easy to use and affordable.
You can get started with most of these automations for free with Mailchimp. One of the reasons email marketing works so well is because of its ability to boost your sales.
This boost is even more amplified for eCommerce store owners. The right automations can help your store sell more with minimal effort from you.
We successfully use Mailchimp’s suite of eCommerce tools to help our clients increase sales. How can we help you grow your sales today?