Our inboxes are full. There’s tremendous competition and noise. How can a marketer break through and reconnect with customers? Ecommerce email marketing is typically littered with time-sensitive offers and promotions to get users to the checkout. But what about those customers who have gone silent? They aren’t opening your emails or shopping on your site.
Well, most ecommerce email marketing strategies execute the ever-popular “we miss you email” that’s usually complimented with a special offer. But users may not feel so special. Especially if your offer is no different than the promotion you’re giving to everyone else. They aren’t going to feel “missed.” Not to mention, that numerous other retailers all have the same message. Chances are, you are just going to be deleted.
It’s time to ask some big questions: Are there alternatives? How do you tap into your former customer’s head? What happened?
Buyer Persona: What’s changed?
From a buyer persona perspective, this persona may have changed. Her motivations may be different. It’s your job to find out why. Is her expendable income less? Does she no longer find your brand interesting? Have life changes like marriage, childbirth, divorce or retirement shifted her tastes and priorities? If you ever want to get her to open another email, you’ve got to answer these questions.
Rethinking the email
Once you figure this out then it’s time to rethink that email. The first hurdle is getting your email opened. You need a subject line with a bit more inspiration than “we miss you” because frankly, it’s a bit condescending and trite. Look, you need to go big here. Ecommerce email marketing is about driving people to buy! So why not try something different like:
Remember when we were buds?
Don’t you need something fun in your mailbox?
You’d look stunning in this, we had to share.
We have lots of new stuff you might like.
Treat yourself, you deserve it.
With some clever subject lines, you could get that elusive open. So if they do, be prepared to bring your A-game. Focus on images but make sure they load quickly. Spotlight specific items. Break them up with white spaces. But don’t forget about that offer. You are still going to need to provide them a percentage discount or other offer to get them back. This should be prominent, and call attention to what the price would be for the highlighted items with the discount. Do the math for them right there in the email; it may give them a much-needed nudge. You can still impart urgency with a time-sensitive offer, but give them at least a few weeks.
Ecommerce email marketing is a competitive space. Understanding your audience’s motivations and marketing toward them can help you get back to the friend zone. Just be original, and ditch the “we miss you email.”
