Marketing

How to use personalization to boost e-commerce email marketing ROI.

Ufuoma Uvomata
May 3, 2023
Contents

Just like you, people only really care about the things that interest them. That’s why it’s a lot easier to connect with people when you take the time to get to know them. 

People like it when you use their name and remember the things they are interested in. It shows that you pay attention and recognize them as unique individuals. It creates the sense that you know them.    

Understanding this can help you build better customer relationships. By using personalization in your email marketing, you can increase customer engagement because people will connect more with your messages.    

Personalization in marketing is simply the process of tailoring your content to individual customers based on their characteristics, preferences, and behaviors. Personalized emails have a higher open rate, click-through rate, and conversion rate than generic, impersonal emails. 

In this article, you’ll get a complete guide on how to use personalization to improve the email marketing performance of your online business.  

Better understanding your audience by collecting and utilizing customer data.

Understanding your audience allows you to create targeted and personalized emails that resonate with them and lead to conversions. 

To implement personalization effectively, you need to understand who your customers are and what they would like to read about. This simply means you need to gather data about who they are and what they like.  

Think of customer data as the secret spice that makes your subscribers want to read your emails. It’s the special information that allows you to share only the most relevant content with each client. 

When you know someone’s name, age, location, and likes, you can create much better email campaigns. For example, if you run an e-commerce business that sells shoes, you can recommend shoes in your newsletter, based on the customer’s characteristics. 

If you don’t have enough data about your customers, you may waste time sharing information that they just aren’t interested in. 

For example, a 26-year-old lady who keeps getting emails recommending nice office shoes for middle-aged men would either unsubscribe or mark the emails as spam. This is why you need to send personalized email campaigns that your clients connect with.  

Use the data you have to group your subscribers based on their characteristics and interests. This would help you make sure you’re sending content that’s relevant to your target audience. 

Simpu helps e-commerce businesses collect data in different ways, including sign-up forms, surveys, and tracking tools. Once you have this data, you can use it to segment your email list and create targeted campaigns.

With the software, you can easily collect data on your email subscribers and track customer behavior on your e-commerce store. You can then segment your audience into lists to help create clear customer categories. 

Segment your email list based on customer behavior or preferences so you can send targeted emails with relevant content. This makes your emails more likely to convert subscribers into customers. 

Rules to follow when collecting customer data.

  • When collecting data, you need to ask for permission through a sign-up form. 
  • Be transparent about how you will use the data. 
  • Only collect data that is relevant to your email marketing campaigns. 
  • Keep the data secure and make sure you comply with data protection regulations.

How to personalize email campaigns.

You can use a customer's name in the email greeting to make it more personal. You can also use their location to send targeted content that is relevant to their geographic location.

Another way to use customer data is to recommend products based on their purchase history and browsing behavior. If a customer has recently viewed a specific product on your website, you can send them an email promoting that product.

1. Make your emails about the customer.

When you send a welcome email to you can use their name, location, or interests to make the message more engaging. For existing customers, you can use their purchase history and browsing behavior to recommend products or offer promotions.

Send post-purchase emails with a discount code for products that repeat customers may have previously purchased. By offering exclusive deals to repeat customers, you can increase the lifetime value of your e-commerce business.

You can also send promotional emails to customers who left items in their carts. Offering a discount can encourage them to complete their purchase.

Make your emails about your customers
2. Make accurate recommendations.

One of the most effective personalization techniques is recommending products based on a customer's purchase history and browsing behavior.

If a customer has recently viewed a specific product on your website, you can send them an email promoting that product. Similarly, you can recommend related products to loyal customers based on their purchase history.

For example, if a customer has been looking at running shoes on your store's website, you can send them an email with recommendations for similar products, such as running clothes or backpacks.

By using the customer's browsing behavior to tailor your email content, you’re more likely to engage the customer and encourage them to make a purchase.

3. Customize your emails with dynamic content.

Dynamic content allows you to tailor your email content based on the individual subscriber's characteristics and behaviors. By doing this, you can create more personalized and relevant email campaigns that drive engagement and sales.

Amazon, for instance, uses dynamic content to send different email content to its customers based on the weather in their location. Customers in colder climates can receive emails promoting winter jackets, while customers in warmer climates can receive emails promoting summer dresses. By using dynamic content to tailor the email content, Amazon is more likely to engage customers and encourage them to make a purchase.

By leveraging dynamic content, you can create a more personalized and relevant email experience for your subscribers, increasing the chances of them converting into paying customers.

4. Make your reader the subject.

Personalizing the subject of your emails increases open rates and engagement with your emails. Make the reader the subject of your subject lines. You can use a subscriber's information in the subject line to make the email more personal. You can also use their purchase history or browsing behavior to offer a personalized promotion.

An example of personalized subject lines in email marketing is when an online store sends an email with a subject line like "Hi John, get 10% off sneakers this week!" 

Email marketing strategies to maximize engagement and conversion.

Personalization is a strategy that helps e-commerce businesses increase open rates and click-through rates of emails, ultimately leading to more sales and revenue. Here are some effective strategies for personalizing your own ecommerce business email marketing efforts to boost engagement and drive conversions

1. Send welcome emails to begin your relationship.

Starting a new relationship is always exciting, and it's no different when it comes to welcoming new subscribers to your email list. Welcome emails are your chance to make a fantastic first impression and start building a lasting connection with your future loyal customers.

To really make an impact the personalization of promotional emails is key. Use the subscriber's name and any other information you have to create a warm and welcoming tone. This not only makes the email more engaging but also increases the likelihood that it will be opened and read.

Take advantage of this opportunity to offer a promotion or discount to new subscribers. This can entice them to make their first purchase on your e-commerce site and start their journey toward becoming loyal customers. 

Send welcome email to customers
2. Show your customers some love with post-purchase emails.

It's not just a way to say thanks, it's also a smart business move. By sending a thoughtful email after a customer makes a purchase, you demonstrate that their business matters to you and that you're invested in their satisfaction.

Go the extra mile and ask for their feedback or a review with a post-purchase survey email. Not only will it provide valuable insight into your ecommerce store, but it'll also help build trust with potential customers.

Check out 20 response templates to help you get started here.

3. Automate segmentation using Smart Lists on Simpu.

"Know thy customer" is an age-old business adage that still holds true today. And with the power of segmentation, it's never been easier to do just that. Customer segmentation allows you to group your email list based on shared characteristics, ensuring that your emails are reaching the right people with the right message.

By sending targeted and personalized emails to specific groups of customers, you'll see a boost in open and click-through rates. For example, if you segment your list based on customer behavior or preferences, you can send promotions, product recommendations, or review requests that speak directly to those customers' interests.

Simpu's automated segmentation feature allows for new customer data to be automatically grouped into smart lists based on customer characteristics, enabling accurate targeting.

Email list
4. Ensure proper optimization.

Crafting an email that looks great on a desktop computer is one thing, but ensuring it's optimized for mobile devices is a whole different ball game. With more and more people checking their emails on their phones, you want to make sure your email is designed to look great no matter where it's opened.

Simpu makes this easy by providing optimized email templates that are designed to look great on any device. With responsive design and shorter subject lines, your emails will be more engaging, easier to read, and ultimately, more effective.

Ways to optimize your email campaigns.

Follow these simple strategies to optimize your emails and get the most from your e-commerce marketing. 

1. Use a recognizable name.

Your sender name should be recognizable and trustworthy. The sender name email field lets the recipient know who the message came from. The sender name also reinforces your subject line and preheader, increasing your email open rates.

Simpu’s email marketing software sends emails with a custom email domain name. This improves email deliverability and brand image. An email with a custom domain, such as infor@simpu.com, would have a higher open rate than emails from free domain services like Google or Yahoo.

2. Keep it simple.

When it comes to email design, less is often more. A cluttered email with too many images, fonts, and colors can be overwhelming and distract readers from your message. Stick to a simple and clean design that highlights your content and call to action. 

3. Use visual cues.

Use hierarchy and visual cues to guide your reader's eyes through your email. Use larger fonts for headings and subheadings, and bold or italicize important information. Use images to break up text and draw attention to specific content.

4. Use the right colors.

Colors can be a powerful tool in email design, but it's important to use them wisely. Stick to a color scheme that matches your brand, and use contrasting colors to highlight important information. Be conscious of readers with color blindness and avoid using color as the sole way to convey information.

5. Use alt text for images.

Some email clients don't display images by default, so it's important to use alt text for any images in your email. The alt text describes the image and provides context for readers who can't see it.

6. Test your emails before sending them.

Before sending your email, make sure to test it across different email clients and devices. This will ensure that your email displays properly and that your links and images work as intended.

The importance of testing email campaigns.

Without testing and experimentation, you may miss out on opportunities to improve your email performance. They allow you to identify what works and what doesn't when it comes to email marketing.

You may continue using the same approach, even if it's not leading to the desired results. By taking a data-driven approach and experimenting with different variables, you can make informed decisions about your email marketing strategy.

By testing different variables such as subject lines, content, and send times, you can determine which approach is most effective in engaging your audience and driving conversions. 

Metrics to measure the success of your email marketing campaigns.

To measure the effectiveness of your email marketing, you need to track key metrics that indicate how well your campaigns are performing. Here are some of the key metrics that you should be tracking to measure your email marketing ROI. 

email logs
1. Open Rate

The open rate is the percentage of people who opened your email. A low open rate can indicate that your subject line is not compelling or that your subscribers are not engaged with your content.

To improve your open rate, you can try personalizing your subjects, segmenting your email list, and testing different subjects to see which ones perform best.

2. Click-Through Rate

The click-through rate is the percentage of people who clicked on a link in your email. This metric is important because it indicates how much your subscribers engage with your content. A high click-through rate indicates that your subscribers are interested in your content and are taking action. 

3. Conversion Rate

The rate of conversion is the percentage of people who took a desired action after clicking on a link in your email. The action could be making a purchase, filling out a form, or downloading a resource.

This metric is important because it shows how effective your email campaigns are at driving sales or achieving other business goals.

4. Bounce Rate

The bounce rate is the percentage of emails that were not delivered to the recipient's inbox. A high bounce rate can indicate that your email list is outdated or that your emails are being marked as spam.

To improve bounce rates, Simpu users clean up their email lists by removing inactive email addresses. They also use double opt-in to confirm email addresses and avoid spam trigger words or phrases.

5. Unsubscribe Rate

The unsubscribe rate is the percentage of people who unsubscribe from your email list after receiving an email. A high unsubscribe rate indicates that your subscribers are not interested in your content or are receiving too many emails.

To improve your unsubscribe rate, you can try segmenting your email list, sending fewer emails, and providing value to your subscribers with relevant and engaging content.

Read more about the secrets to successful email campaigns here.

How to manage your email campaigns.

Online businesses must track and analyze email performance data to understand how customers respond to their emails. Here are some strategies for tracking and analyzing email performance data to help e-commerce businesses enhance their marketing and achieve success.

1. Collect email addresses.

To analyze email performance data, online businesses need to collect email addresses from their website visitors and customers. One way to do this is by offering a referral program or incentivizing customers to sign up for an email list.

Simpu's built-in forms enable the seamless collection of customer data and automatic syncing to relevant smart lists.

2. Use email marketing software.

Email marketing software is a game-changer that allows businesses to manage and monitor their email marketing campaigns with ease. With Simpu's email marketing software, you can automate your email campaigns, segment your email list and track your email performance in real-time. 

Simpu provides you with a wide range of features to help you create and send visually appealing emails, target specific customer segments, and track customer purchases. It also enables you to monitor key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversions, providing valuable insights to optimize your email marketing strategy.

3. Track analytics.

Keeping tabs on the performance of your e-commerce email campaigns is essential to their success. Analytics allows you to measure website traffic, purchases, and revenue generated from email campaigns, among other important metrics.

Simpu simplifies the process of tracking the performance of various marketing channels, including email, SMS, e-commerce platforms, and social media. In addition, you can use it to monitor the effectiveness of landing pages and gain insights into how people respond to your campaigns. 

With Simpu's analytics, you can make informed decisions about your marketing strategies and drive your e-commerce business to new heights.

Crafting personalized and targeted emails can take your e-commerce email marketing to the next level. It's not just about addressing your audience by their first name, but also delivering tailored content that appeals to their interests and behaviors. And what's the best way to achieve this? You guessed it - data!

Luckily, with Simpu's email marketing service, gathering and analyzing customer data is a breeze. From purchasing habits to browsing history, Simpu's smart lists help you segment your audience and send hyper-personalized emails that speak directly to your customers.

By utilizing this data-driven approach, you'll be able to capture your audience's attention and entice them to engage with your brand. It's all about creating a shopping experience that feels tailored to each individual customer. And as a result, you'll see higher conversion rates, customer loyalty, and repeat business.

Don't forget, personalization is an ongoing process, and Simpu makes it easy to test and refine your techniques. With their user-friendly platform, you can easily track the effectiveness of your campaigns and make data-driven decisions that will boost your ROI.

Ready to take your e-commerce email marketing to the next level? Sign up for Simpu's 14-day free trial now and see how our smart solution can help you achieve your goals!

Ufuoma Uvomata
Content Writer
Ufuoma is a writer who creates website copy, SEO articles, scripts, blog posts, and short stories for companies in several industries. If you meet her, ask about her plants.

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