The email automations every Shopify merchant needs to know

I don’t like relying on cliches if I can help it, but there’s one that I simply cannot avoid when it comes to email marketing. 

If you’re not using email automations, then you’re leaving money on the table. 

Email newsletters serve as the bread and butter (sorry, another cliche) for a lot of Shopify stores. But when you’re using an email marketing app, you’ve got to take advantage of all that it has to offer. 

And marketing automations are part of the equation to a high-performing email marketing strategy. They scoop up that extra money by meeting your subscribers where they’re at. 

How? Unlike newsletters that are sent to everyone — or perhaps a portion based on segmentation — a specific subscriber action triggers an automated email. That means the subscriber receives a message that’s pertinent to their place within the customer journey. 

There’s a bunch of ready-to-activate email automation templates right within Seguno — 12 to be exact — awaiting your customization. Each falls into one of five categories: subscriber activity, commerce activity, back-in-stock alerts, custom automations, and blog post published. 

Continue on for a brief explanation for each pre-built marketing automation, plus a correlating email example to give you some ideas of what you might do for your shop. 
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For the technical details regarding our automations, visit the Seguno Help Center.

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Automations for subscriber activity

This batch of automated emails correspond with replying to new subscribers.
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Coming soon

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‍Purpose: Build excitement for your ensuing store during the pre-launch period. It helps if you can give a peek with a coming-soon webpage, too. 

‍Email example: The Boston Store keeps it brief with this automation but packs in a few things — saying thanks, offering a discount, and assuring that they’ll report on opening plans. 
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Welcome
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Purpose: Send a proper “hello” to your new subscriber and let them know what they can expect. These high-performing email automations — they’re 86% more effective than your typical email newsletter — are a must-have. 

‍Email example: Chickadees Wooden Toys kicks off the relationship by adhering to some of our welcome email best practices, including a fun “Chickadee” greeting, brief intro that gives an overview of things to come, best-seller suggestions, and an invite to join the social channel. Lovely imagery is the icing on the cake.  

Discount reminder

‍Purpose: Give your subscribers a small nudge with a reminder that they’ve got 48 hours to cash in on a Shopify discount code before it expires.   

‍Email example: Maude’s discount reminder is simple yet effective. I appreciate the clean design aesthetic created with beautiful product photography. 

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Automations for commerce activity

Each of the following email automations relates to email subscribers and their purchase activity (or lack thereof).

Abandoned checkout

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‍Purpose: Remind the subscriber of items they left behind in the shopping cart after stopping the checkout process. The abandoned checkout email is another one that converts well in our experience. Need motivation? A study shows almost 80% of online shopping carts are abandoned.  

‍Email example: Nomad gets straight to the point with its abandoned checkout automation. There’s no question about what the subscriber was contemplating — the image of the cart’s contents is front and center. Plus, “Seal the Deal” and “Checkout” are two on-point calls to action. 
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The abandoned checkout automation is one avenue for personalization. See other behavioral targeting methods to engage email subscribers.

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New purchaser

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‍Purpose: Acknowledge your subscriber’s first purchase to start building loyalty. You want to keep the momentum going and hang on to these folks. After all, marketing costs for attracting a new customer are roughly five times that of retaining a current one. 

‍Email example: While Painting with a Twist expresses its appreciation through this text-based approach, it also points out ways for the customer to continue the fun and slides in a review request. 
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Repeat purchaser

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‍Purpose: Loyalty matters a whole lot in ecommerce, especially for small Shopify stores. Those loyal to a brand will spend upwards of ⅔ more than they do with a new-to-them business. Whether you define your dedicated crowd as those who have purchased at least twice, or have a higher threshold for who makes the cut, it’s always a good idea to show gratitude. 

‍Email example: Wow. DAVIDsTEA sets the bar high for repeat purchaser messaging. This gem of an email automation is a grand thank you that demonstrates it knows its customer. Some may think it veers a bit on the creepy side by pulling up customer data, but I think it’s a fun way to demonstrate the importance of an individual subscriber. 

Review request

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‍Purpose: Build your authority by asking for a review. Reviews and testimonials are part of establishing trust among prospects. About one-third of consumers trust reviews “a lot,” while half indicate that ratings have some level of merit. 

‍Email example: Michael’s leans on a popular tactic for encouraging reviews: the chance to win something. In this case, a contribution is met with an entry for a $250 gift card giveaway.

Looking for non-cringy ways to ask for a product review? We've got seven best practices for the review request email.

Lapsed purchaser

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‍Purpose: Connect with customers who haven’t graced your shop in a while. The lapsed purchaser automation — also known as the customer win-back — is particularly appropriate when your inventory of products is consumable, like pet food or cosmetics.  

‍Email example: GrubHub leans on the standard “hey, come back!” message, with a discount as the lure. 
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Back-in-stock automation

Purpose: Inform subscribers when a product is restocked and ready for purchase. Back-in-stock email alerts help you recover lost revenue and automatically target shoppers who are motivated to buy.   

‍Email example: Nine West’s back-in-stock email example makes a splash with bold yet short text and scaled-back product photography.

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Custom automations

This next set of automations use triggers based on your subscriber's customer profile and new purchases. They can be used in many different ways, and there’s flexibility to build out as many as you want. 

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Product purchased

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‍Purpose: Follow up once an order is received for a specific product. This is your chance to provide information for products that need special attention, like care tips or install instructions. 

‍Email example: Through our Seguno brand, Madison Paige, anyone who hypothetically orders the Signature Leather Jacket receives a message with care instructions. We want our customer to get the maximum amount of life from their new purchase! 

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Customer tagged

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‍Purpose: Engage a subscriber based on a tag that’s added to their customer profile. You’ve got lots of options to make this your own. For example, tailor automated messages to subscribers who find you by way of a paid advertisement, sweepstakes participants, “friends and family,” wholesale purchasers, and more.    

‍Email example: Here’s a good one from Public Rec. The brand could trigger a “you’re entered” confirmation message to appear on the contest registration page. But they take it a step further with this email, enticing the subscriber to take a closer look at their brand by pointing out its unique selling propositions. 

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Blog post published

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‍Purpose: You put work into crafting valuable blog content, so don’t let it go to waste! Get more eyes on your Shopify Blog by sharing it directly with your subscribers. 

‍Email example: Cranmore Home & Co. shows one way to push subscribers to read about a topic that’s very relevant to the brand, lighting trends. They also include a plug at the bottom for some of their products. 
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Let the automated emails do the work 

Marketing automations aren’t as scary as they might sound, especially when using a provider like Seguno. 

We give you the templates to get started, whether you want an abandoned cart automation or are keen on encouraging first-time customers to open their wallets a second time. We also configure the automated email flows, so no technical background needed.

I can’t overstate the role of automated emails in growing your business. 

Activate one and then once you’ve got your feet wet, get another one going. Let them marinate for a bit before checking on performance. You’ve got plenty of time thereafter to improve, refresh, and build your automation collection. 

Start making email automations a part of your marketing arsenal and, over time, you’ll drive revenue behind the scenes with a relatively small amount of effort.