Learn more about what are ecommerce welcome emails and their importance.
It’s no secret that consumers are now more distracted than ever.
Nowadays, it’s even more difficult than ever to grab the attention of online shoppers. They’re inundated with a constant barrage of emails, ads, and social media posts every time they open their browser—and your brand is just one in that ocean of options.
That’s why it’s essential for you to tap into every opportunity you get to establish a relationship with potential customers. One such moment is when someone subscribes to your store or makes a purchase from it.
Think about it: these are people who have demonstrably shown interest in your brand and products by giving you their contact info or spending their hard-earned money on what you’re offering. So, how do you make sure that you don’t let them slip through the cracks?
The answer is simple: you need to send them a memorable welcome email.
What are ecommerce welcome emails?
Welcome emails are the introductory emails you send to new email subscribers of your online store. They’re one of the most important email campaigns you’ll ever create—and they’re also one of the easiest!
Welcome emails are a great way to introduce yourself and your brand to new subscribers. They’re an effective way to give people more information about your company, and if done right, they can even encourage customers to buy right away.
Here’s an example of the same:
Welcome emails provide a great opportunity to establish trust in the quality of your service and strengthen your connection with your new customers. They are highly effective in encouraging visitors to return to your website, improving your conversions and customer lifetime value.
Welcome emails are often personalized, which means they feel more friendly and less like a generic mass email blast. This initial communication is an opportunity for the brand to:
- Connect with the recipient on a personal level.
- Introduce themselves and their company.
- Confirm details about the purchase.
- Suggest additional products or content the customer may be interested in.
- Include links that encourage customers to engage with their social media channels, website, or other marketing channels.
You can also use welcome emails to get subscribers excited about what’s coming next: new products, limited-time deals, or promotions. You can set up a series of welcome emails so that each one has a specific goal.
Here is what an ideal ecommerce email welcome flow looks like:
- Welcome email #1: The first piece of content you send after someone subscribes. It should thank them for signing up and tell them what kind of content they can expect from you in the future.
- Welcome email #2: Tell people about your product or service and why it’s so great. This could include special offers or discounts for first-time customers only!
- Welcome email #3: Introduces users to your company culture by sharing stories from employees.
But when we analyzed the welcome emails of ecommerce businesses, we noticed that more than 80% of them only had the first email set up. And that translates to the business missing out on opportunities to really connect with the consumers.
That’s why we’re going to now talk about its importance.
Why are welcome emails important?
Welcome emails are incredibly important because they give you a chance to establish contact with a new subscriber and make a good first impression.
Welcome emails have the highest open and click-through rates of any marketing email—and that’s saying something.
Open rates for welcome emails average 60%, compared to 17% for other types of marketing emails.
Moreover, 74 percent of subscribers in fact anticipate a welcome email from a brand and are often able to generate 320% more revenue when compared to other promotional emails.
Customers are more likely to open a welcome email than any other kind of marketing email, so it’s the best time to make an impact.
1. Builds customer engagement
Welcome emails get your customers to engage with your brand right off the bat.
These emails can help you show your brand’s personality, highlight something interesting about your company, and set expectations for what to expect next in the relationship. By optimizing your welcome email—and working on making it memorable—you’ll be able to stand out from the crowd!
2. Increases customer loyalty
Welcome emails are important because they help build brand loyalty. They do this by allowing the company to communicate with their new customers on a personal level, which helps them get to know their audience and build a relationship with them. This is also beneficial because it allows businesses to create content that will resonate with their audience, which will make them more likely to return in the future.
With a click-through rate 50% higher than other kinds of promotional emails, welcome emails help you get your customers excited about what you have to offer and help them get started using your product or service.
And not only that, but welcome emails are an early opportunity to set expectations for the type of content your subscribers can expect from you, and how often they’ll be getting it. You can even take this opportunity to collect some information about what types of content they want most by asking them to fill out a short survey!
3. Saves time
Welcome emails can save you time in the long-term by helping you automate personalized responses to new customers and by showing your new customers how to use your products/services so you won’t have to answer as many questions later on down the road.
They’re also a great way to introduce these new customers or subscribers, and get their journey with your brand initiated.
4. Helps you segment your customer base
A welcome email is the perfect opportunity to segment your customer base.
Purchasing behavior and email activity can help you determine which new customers will be more likely to buy from your company. This information helps you create smarter email marketing campaigns that are relevant to each subscriber’s interests.
5. Reduce spam complaints or unsubscribes
Welcome emails reduce spam complaints and unsubscribes because they let people know what to expect when they sign up. This can make people feel more in control, which means they’re less likely to complain or unsubscribe when an email keeps its promise.
When should you send welcome emails?
We recommend sending 4 welcome emails in a series over the span of 5 days. Here’s how you should send them:
- Your 1st welcome email should be sent immediately after a new subscriber signs up to your mailing list. This gives them something to look forward to as they continue to learn about your business, and it gives you the chance to immediately start building trust with them. Make sure to include a link to your social media pages as well, so they can quickly get acquainted with your brand on all platforms.
- Your 2nd email in a welcome series should be sent 1 day after a subscriber signs up. This is when you’ll really elaborate on what your company does and what you can offer them in the long run. Let them know how you plan to help solve their problems by telling them about the products or services you provide. You can also share testimonials or customer stories elaborating on how they’ve benefitted from your product/service in the past.
- Your 3rd welcome email should be sent 2 days after a subscriber signs up. Now that they’ve had time to settle in and get used to hearing from you, this is when you’ll provide readers with a welcome offer and recommend products they can check out.
- Your 4th and final welcome email should be sent 2 days after the last one. This email could be a personal text from the brand’s founder and include a limited-time offer. This is your last attempt at getting the reader interested in trying out your products
After sending this 4 email flow, if your subscriber still hasn’t purchased, you can choose to add them to a separate email flow aimed at getting them to purchase. This new flow should email the subscribers less frequently than your welcome series email.
Here’s a visual glimpse at the above recommended ecommerce welcome email flow:
How to write a welcome email and best practices to follow
The welcome email is the first impression your business makes on a new customer, and it’s a chance to make a strong impact. The key to writing a great welcome email is to make it personal, show your brand’s personality, and provide value. You want the reader to feel like they’re getting an exclusive peek at what they can expect from your company, while also making them feel like they made the right choice in signing up for your emails.
Here are a few tips for writing engaging ones:
1. Introduce your brand
Take this opportunity to tell a little bit about yourself and your company, including anything unique or interesting that sets you apart from your competitors. You can also link them to your ‘about us’ page, driving them to your site for a first touch interaction.
2. Thank them for their business with you
Whether someone has signed up for your newsletter or purchased something from your store, giving thanks is always appreciated. Let them know how much you appreciate their time and attention by saying “thanks.”
3. Write an attention-grabbing subject line
Subject lines are powerful. In fact, 47% of people will open an email based on the subject line alone. Write a compelling and catchy subject line that will grab subscribers’ attention in inboxes.
Here are some tips to write an attention-grabbing subject line for readers to open your welcome email:
- It should be concise (that is, no more than two or three sentences). Also, get creative with using emojis in your subject lines to stand out.
- It should include relevant information about you, what you promote, and how it can benefit your customers.
- It should be specific and clear about what the reader can expect when they open the email.
3. Set clear expectations
Set expectations for what the reader can expect from your emails in the future, and give them an easy way to change those preferences if they want to. This should include the frequency at which they might hear from you, or the moments at which you might send out communication.
4. Offer value upfront
Offer value upfront in the form of information about your product, links to relevant blog posts, or coupon codes for their first purchase. This will help to encourage your readers to open future emails from you as well!
5. Send Personalized messages
When someone signs up for your newsletter, they’re telling you that they want to hear from you. So show them you’ve been listening by personalizing your welcome message with their name, or with their brand if it’s a business that signed up. The smallest level of personalization in a welcome email can lead to 7x higher open rates on the communication.
6. Include a relevant and clear call-to-action
The call-to-action is the part of your email that tells people what you want them to do next. The better you can describe the action you want people to take, the more likely they are to actually do it.
For example, instead of asking people to “check out some videos,” tell them to “watch our first three videos.”. Or if you’re sending them a first purchase discount, your call to action should ask them to “avail the offer today”.
7. Share useful resources
People who sign up for newsletters are looking for information that helps them solve a problem or achieve a goal. If you can give them something like this in your welcome email, it will make it easier for them to learn how to use your product and see its value sooner.
8. Get social
Social media is the place where most people go when they want something new and exciting—and chances are those are the same kinds of people signing up for your newsletter! Help integrate your customers into your social media community by adding social sharing buttons within your welcome email.
Should you be sending welcome emails?
The bottom line is that, when implemented correctly, welcome emails have a great chance of improving your brand image and increasing your sales.
People often forget about the welcome email because it seems like a small part of their overall strategy, but the truth is that this simple email can make a tremendous difference in your relationships with new customers.
If you want people to see your company as being friendly and helpful, then sending out a welcome email is an easy way to do just that!
In the next few posts, we will be sharing examples, templates, tools, etc that can help you craft a memorable welcome email. Subscribe to our blog to get them right in your inbox.
Are you ready to unlock the potential of welcome emails?