Email Marketing is Here to Stay

Email marketing still remains an important tactic in the digital marketer’s toolkit to drive traffic to ecommerce websites, increase engagement and boost sales. Industry research agrees, email marketing is here to stay;

· The number of worldwide email accounts is expected to increase from 3.3 billion accounts in 2012 to over 4.3 billion by year-end 2016. (Radicati Group, Inc)
· The UK market for email marketing platforms and services grew by an estimated 15.5% year-on-year to a value of £388 million by the end of 2011 (Econsultancy)
· The average email user receives 147 messages every day, deletes 71 emails daily and spends more than 2 ½ hours on email a day (Boomerang) 

But what email marketing techniques achieve maximum results for ecommerce? 

Drip Marketing

Drip marketing is the practice of sending a series of pre-written emails at set intervals. The main purpose of drip marketing is to engage with a prospect over a period of time and in doing so, encourage the individual to buy a product. Most email marketing software packages can be programmed to automatically send out several emails over a course of time after the introductory email. A successful drip marketing campaign gradually builds awareness and ultimately wins the customer. 

Re-engage

A recent Forrester survey (Understanding Shopping Cart Abandonment) indicates 88% of web buyers say that they have abandoned an ecommerce shopping cart without completing a transaction. This is the same percentage as five years ago, suggesting that retailers have yet to address cart abandonment and lost sales. Another ecommerce email tactic is to send a series of three emails to re-engage the web buyer. These emails could perhaps include a product the user nearly purchased, a comparison guide with a similar product or an invitation to revisit the website and view the product description page.

You could also re-engage with existing customers who haven’t purchased any of your products in some time. ‘Welcome Back’ promotional emails offering discount or ‘Customer Survey’ emails both work well in these circumstances. 

Segmentation

According to The Email Marketing Industry Census by Econsultancy & Adestra, companies who practice basic segmentation are 95% more likely to rate email return on investment (ROI) as excellent or good compared to those who do not use any form of segmentation.

Segmenting your existing email lists is time consuming but well worth it. For ecommerce lists, organise email addresses into categories based on past purchase history. Create highly targeted email marketing campaigns suitable for each different category. Additional tips to bear in mind when targeting ecommerce segments;

1. Target ‘First Time Purchasers’ by building awareness; product education and entertainment emails will likely inspire first timers to purchase.
2. Offer strong purchase incentives to ‘One Time Purchasers’. Low price guarantees, free shipping or a free product will stimulate ‘One Time Purchasers’ to re-purchase as soon as possible.
3. Cross-selling and up-selling tactics will entice ‘Multiple Time Purchasers’ to re-purchase. Also reward this segment with valuable e-vouchers to thank them for their continued business. Increase the level of targeting and personalisation as the level of loyalty rises.

Try Video

Video is becoming an increasingly important component of ecommerce product marketing. Top e-tailers use video to build brand loyalty, reputation, engage with customers and boost sales. According to eConsultancy, shoppers who view product videos are more likely to add cart than other shoppers.

Don’t be intimated by creating product marketing videos for email marketing campaigns. Microsoft Movie Maker and Apple iMovie are free editing software packages that are surprisingly simple to use. As for the video theme, ask a well known face to endorse your products or involve your customers in the brand by getting them to speak about your products. Customer testimonials and brand endorsement work extremely well in video, as do product demos. Online buyers want to see a product in use before they can make an informed decision. Other successful videos for email campaigns include event coverage and special announcements.

Special Offers

Within an email marketing campaign, you can surprise your existing database with special offers, over stocked item blowouts and newly released products. Send a one off email to promote various products or set up a weekly/monthly email campaign showcasing ‘Products of the Week/Month’. Direct each product image with an inserted link to its specific product page on your website. This call to action encourages sales by making the buying process as simple as possible – only a few clicks away from email to checkout. Word of warning though; try not to spam your database with special offers until the users hits unsubscribe!

Ecommerce & Email Marketing at The Web Bureau

To find out more about E-commerce and Email Marketing visit www.thewebbureau.com. Alternatively, contact us on 028 9073 1190 or email info@thewebbureau.com