Email marketing in e-commerce is often the most profitable channel, yet it is still too often relegated to the background.
Social media creates proximity. SEO builds your visibility in the long term.
Online advertising accelerates acquisition.
Email allows you to stay connected with your customers and keep them coming back... again and again.
Provided you use it correctly, because a newsletter sent out randomly every month is not enough to build loyalty.
In this article, we show you how to structure an email strategy that really engages.
One that turns a visitor into a loyal customer.
With concrete examples, best practices you can apply tomorrow, and above all, tips for building loyalty the smart way.
Email isn't dead, it's just become more professional.
In a highly competitive market, it's a stable, profitable, and highly customizable lever.
In short, it's everything you need to stay connected with your customers and generate regular sales.
E-commerce email marketing is the art of sending the right messages to the right people at the right time.
It's a direct channel, with no algorithms or intermediaries. You're right at home in your customers' inboxes.
Whether you want to inform, sell, or build loyalty, email lets you create a real conversation. And that changes everything.
Because it's not just about selling once, it's about getting people to come back.
Email is a pillar of customer retention.
It allows you to finely segment your database, personalize your messages, and speak differently to a prospect, a regular customer, or an inactive customer.
You can create value without resorting to constant promotions.
Send useful advice, product news, birthday messages... every email becomes an opportunity to engage your customers in your world.
And unlike social media, your email database belongs to you.
You build a real asset over the long term.
There is no effective email strategy without diversity. In e-commerce, each step of the customer journey deserves its own message.
Transactional, relational, promotional... every email has a role to play. We'll help you with a common thread example, good journey 😀
Sent to someone who has shown interest but has not yet made a purchase, this type of email provides information in a subtle way, without pushing for a sale.
For example, a message explaining the benefits of an eco-friendly water bottle, with a discreet link to the product page, can make all the difference.
The first message sent immediately after registration, it lays the foundations for the relationship and sets the tone.
A welcome email can introduce your world in a simple way, slip in a promo code, and create an initial emotional connection.
This is often where brand loyalty begins.
This email is sent when a visitor has added a product to their cart without completing their order.
It's a simple reminder, but often very effective. A message that subtly reminds the customer of the product they left behind, accompanied by a photo and a button to complete the purchase, is often enough to rekindle their interest.
This type of email is ideal for quickly mobilizing part of your customer base, especially during peak periods such as sales or flash sales.
A short, clear, and slightly urgent message announcing a discount on that popular water bottle can generate a spike in engagement in just a few hours.
Sent immediately after purchase, this email confirms that the order has been received.
It can include a tracking link, an estimated delivery date, and a reassuring tone.
It's a simple message, but essential for building trust from the very first order.
Once the product has been received, the post-purchase email extends the shopping experience and strengthens the bond with the customer.
It can thank them, give care advice, or invite them to refer a friend.
It's also the perfect time to introduce your loyalty program via a discreet but strategic link.
👉 For inspiration, take a look at this example of a loyalty program email.
This email is aimed at customers who have been inactive for a while.
The goal is to rekindle their interest with a well-thought-out offer and an engaging tone.
A message that plays on curiosity, with a light-hearted hook and a surprise at the end, may be enough to bring them back to your site.
Sent on a birthday or other important date, this email creates personalized attention that strengthens loyalty.
It can remind customers of a past purchase, suggest a complementary accessory, or offer an exclusive discount.
Timing is everything. Sending the right email to the right person at the right time is what makes all the difference.
Here are five essential practices to turn your email campaigns into a real performance driver.
An effective campaign cannot be improvised.
It starts with a clear objective, a well-thought-out message, and a simple but impactful design.
The subject line/title should make people want to open the email, the content should grab their attention, and the CTA should guide their action.
Timing is also important. Good planning will prevent you from sending too many or too few emails. In short, think about your strategy before you hit “send.”
A generic email goes unnoticed. A personalized email triggers action.
First name, purchase history, location, product preferences... every piece of data is an opportunity to make your message more relevant.
Personalization creates a sense of direct connection, and your customers appreciate that.
To achieve this, you will need to segment your email databases.
This work is essential and will take you to the next level compared to ineffective emailing strategies.
Pssst... You might find this interesting!
Email linked to you loyalty program are strategic for your brand, and we can probably help. Check out our platform!
A good strategy is based on a well-managed schedule.
Send at the right pace according to your segments, your peak periods, and your purchasing cycles.
Not too much, not too little. Anticipating key moments allows you to be present without being intrusive.
👇 To guide you, an expert will help you find the right sending frequency in this video
Even a good idea deserves to be tested. Subject, visuals, call-to-action, sending time... everything can affect the results. An A/B test allows you to make decisions based on concrete data, not assumptions. It's a reflex you should adopt before each campaign.
What isn't measured doesn't improve.
Open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, unsubscribes, revenue generated... these indicators give you an initial read on performance.
But to go further, also look at customer lifetime value or the repeat purchase rate after the campaign.
Correctly attributing a sale to an email campaign sometimes requires a more precise attribution model (first click, last click, multi-touch, etc.).
The more detailed your analysis, the more effective your campaigns will be.
And to connect all of this, rely on your CRM or loyalty tools. Loyoly offers integrations with Brevo, Insiders, Hubspot, and Klaviyo.
And to save time, you can activate pre-designed flows or automate your sequences using the auto flows available on Klaviyo.
Handy, right? Request your Loyoly demo!
A good database can't be built overnight. You need to capture the right email addresses at strategic points.
Every interaction with your site is an opportunity to collect an email address.
A well-placed pop-up, a sign-up block at the bottom of the page, a checkbox at checkout... everything counts.
You can also use more engaging formats such as a contest, a loyalty program or downloadable content.
But for this to work, the promise must be clear.
A discount code, a practical guide, exclusive offers... your visitor must understand what they stand to gain.
And of course, think GDPR from the outset.
Checkboxes, links to privacy policies, double opt-in...
It's better to have a small, qualified database than an unusable file.
What's more, segmentation will be easier!
👉 To learn more, check out a more comprehensive ebook on emails to include in your loyalty program.
An email address with a little context is much better. When visitors sign up, you can collect one or two useful pieces of information: preferred product type, desired purchase frequency, purchase objective.
Nothing intrusive, but enough to refine your mailings.
And to keep your database healthy, remember to check the addresses.
A double opt-in process helps avoid errors or ghost addresses (email verification).
Doing this work at the outset will help you segment better later on.
And that means sending more personalized, more engaging, and more effective messages (it's all about segmentation!).
The best part, which we've mentioned several times in this article: segmentation!
A poorly maintained database will drag down your performance: high bounce rates, plummeting deliverability, and rock-bottom engagement.
To avoid this, start by checking your addresses.
A clean address means your campaign has a real chance of being read.
Validation tools, double opt-in, regular cleaning... these are simple habits, but they make all the difference.
Next, segment intelligently. Purchasing behavior, page views, order frequency, acquisition channel... everything is useful for creating dynamic groups that evolve over time.
Your emails will be more targeted, more relevant, and therefore more effective.
And if you want to go further, consider isolating your most engaged customers.
You can offer them referral, review, or UGC content opportunities.
This is a powerful way to activate your best ambassadors.
👉 To structure this approach, take a look at our article on RFM segmentation.
Email becomes much more powerful when it is integrated into your loyalty or referral program.
It is an excellent channel for offering tasks, triggering rewards, or highlighting customer testimonials.
It creates a natural bridge between your website, your social media, and your most engaged customers.
With a tool like Loyoly, you can automate these mailings: personalized reminders, activation emails, point reminders, or invitations to refer friends... all triggered at the right time, without any manual effort thanks to integrations with 4 CRMs : Klaviyo, Hubspot, Brevo and Insider
What if you could activate customer engagement directly from your inbox by integrating it into a real loyalty strategy?
Discover our loyalty program solution for e-commerce.
Loyoly is a loyalty and referral platform combined with UGCs, which helps to engage customers in 40+ ways to increase LTV and social proof, while reducing CAC.
