Email Marketing for Ecommerce: How to Boost Sales with Newsletters
The 7 emails every online store must send, proper list segmentation, and the tools that make it all run on autopilot.
The highest-ROI channel you are probably neglecting
Email marketing generates between $36 and $42 for every $1 spent — the highest return on investment of any digital channel. For e-commerce businesses, email is not optional. It is the backbone of customer relationships and the most predictable source of recurring revenue.
Yet most online stores only send the occasional newsletter and leave money on the table. No automated flows, no segmentation, no post-purchase sequences. The result? A list that goes cold, declining open rates, and zero revenue from email. This guide shows you exactly which emails to send, how to segment your list, and which tools to use to turn email marketing into an automated revenue machine.
The 7 essential emails every e-commerce store needs
Each of these flows runs automatically, 24/7, generating revenue without manual intervention. If you do not have them set up, you are losing money every single day.
1. Welcome Series (3 emails)
First email: your brand story and values. Second: bestsellers and top-rated products. Third: a first-purchase incentive (10-15% discount, free shipping). This flow has a 50%+ open rate and roughly 10% conversion rate — by far the highest-performing flow you can set up.
2. Abandoned Cart (3 emails)
First email at 1 hour after abandonment: a simple reminder with the cart items. Second at 24 hours: add social proof (reviews, customer count). Third at 48-72 hours: offer an urgency discount. This flow recovers 5-15% of abandoned carts — money that would otherwise be completely lost.
3. Post-Purchase (3 emails)
First email: thank you plus order confirmation with shipping details. Second at 3-5 days after delivery: product usage guide or care instructions. Third at 7-10 days: review request. This flow builds loyalty and increases the repeat purchase rate by 20-30%.
4. Browse Abandonment
"You viewed X, still interested?" — triggered 1 hour after a visitor browses a product page without adding to cart. Include the product image, price, and a direct CTA. Conversion rate: 2-5%, but the volume can be significant on high-traffic stores.
5. Win-Back (2 emails)
For customers inactive for 60-90 days. First email: "We miss you" with personalized recommendations based on past purchases. Second email: an exclusive incentive (discount, gift, free shipping). Reactivating even 5-10% of inactive customers can have a major revenue impact.
6. Birthday / Anniversary
A personalized email on the customer's birthday or the anniversary of their first purchase, paired with an exclusive offer (special discount, gift). Converts at 2-3x the rate of regular emails thanks to the emotional component and the sense of exclusivity.
7. Re-engagement
For subscribers who have not opened any email in 90+ days. The goal is twofold: either reactivate them or clean them from your list. A clean list means better deliverability and lower costs. Send an email with a direct subject line ("Do you still want to hear from us?") and a single clear CTA.
Segmentation: send the right message to the right person
A generic email blasted to your entire list has minimal impact. Segmentation means dividing your list into groups based on behavior and value, then sending relevant messages to each segment. Here are the essential segments every e-commerce store should have:
| Segment | Criteria | Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| VIP Customers | Top 10% by revenue | Exclusive access, early sales |
| New Customers | First purchase < 30 days | Education, cross-sell |
| At-Risk | No purchase in 60+ days | Win-back offers |
| High AOV | Above average order value | Premium product recommendations |
| Frequent Buyers | 3+ purchases | Loyalty rewards |
| Cart Abandoners | Added to cart, didn't buy | Recovery sequence |
Segmented emails generate 760% more revenue than emails sent to the entire list. This is not optional — it is the difference between email marketing that works and email marketing that gets ignored.
Email A/B testing: what to test and why
Every email you send is an opportunity to learn what resonates with your audience. A/B testing means sending two variants of the same email to equal segments and measuring which performs better. Here is what to test:
- ✓Subject lines — subject line tests alone can improve open rates by 20-30%. Test length, emotion, urgency vs. curiosity, emojis vs. no emojis.
- ✓Send time — morning vs. evening, weekday vs. weekend. This varies by industry and audience.
- ✓CTA button — color, text ("Buy now" vs. "See the offer"), position in the email, size.
- ✓Email length — short and direct vs. detailed with storytelling. Depends on product type and segment.
- ✓Personalization — with customer name vs. without, behavior-based recommendations vs. generic picks.
Golden rule: test one element at a time. If you change the subject line and the CTA simultaneously, you will not know what made the difference. Run each test on at least 1,000 subscribers for statistically significant results.
Recommended tools for e-commerce email marketing
Not all email marketing platforms are created equal. For e-commerce, you need native integrations with your store platform, advanced automated flows, and behavior-based segmentation.
Klaviyo
The best tool for e-commerce, period. Native integration with Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento. Advanced segmentation based on purchase behavior, predictive analytics, pre-built flows for every scenario. Pricing starts at $20/month for up to 500 contacts.
Mailchimp
The most popular and accessible option. Good for small stores just starting with email marketing. Free plan up to 500 contacts. Limitations: advanced segmentation and automated flows are only available on paid plans ($13+/month).
ActiveCampaign
Excellent for complex automations and integrated CRM. Ideal if you have a longer sales cycle or also sell B2B. Starts at $29/month. The automation builder is the most powerful on the market, but it has a steeper learning curve.
Key metrics you need to track
You cannot improve what you do not measure. Here are the essential metrics and their e-commerce benchmarks:
- Open RateBenchmark: 20-25%
- Click Rate (CTR)Benchmark: 2-5%
- Conversion RateBenchmark: 1-3%
- Revenue per EmailVaries by industry, track the trend
- List Growth RateTarget: 2-5% per month
- Unsubscribe RateBelow 0.5% per send
The most important metric is revenue per email — how much revenue each sent email generates. If this number grows month over month, your strategy is working. The other metrics are leading indicators that help you understand why it is or is not working.
Automate your email marketing
Set up automated flows that generate revenue 24/7. We handle strategy, setup, and continuous optimization.
Explore email marketing solutions