4 minute read
Running an eCommerce business can seem daunting for several reasons. First, capturing and maintaining customers’ interest in your products is challenging in the face of high competition. Second, it is tricky to balance an effective process for operations with a personal level of customer service.
One solution to both of these problems is setting up automated workflows. Automated workflows offer great potential for promoting internal efficiencies, increasing eCommerce revenue and improving customer satisfaction.
Here are the three best automated workflows every eCommerce website should start off with: Abandoned Cart, Welcome Message and First Purchase are proven to supercharge the long-term profitability and success of your eCommerce business. Once these are set up, then you can move on to setting up even more powerful marketing automations.
The First 3 Automated Workflows You Should Start Off With
1. Abandoned Cart
You have likely been the recipient of an abandoned cart email. Given the high cart abandonment rate amongst pretty much every eCommerce site in the world, this particular workflow is critical for saving potential sales from running into your competitors arms.
An automated workflow takes advantage of the very real opportunity presented by an abandoned cart. After all, the shopper already exhibited the intent to buy and displayed interest in your products.
Now you just need to capitalize that interest and intent. A well-written cart rescue email or series of emails (we recommend no more than 3 maximum) can convince shoppers to complete their purchases. It is imperative to address the reasons for abandoning their cart in the first place. When you address them and offer solutions, the chances of customers converting improve dramatically.
But how do you figure out why a customer jumped ship? Common reasons include:
- Shipping costs
- Shipping times
- Reluctance to create an account
- Poor user experience
You can then use the automated workflow to address the reasons and offer incentives for them to complete their purchase. Abandoned cart emails can not only save the sale, but they can also motivate customers to spend even more than they were going to initially.
2. Welcome Message
This automated workflow is absolutely imperative for making a great impression on subscribers or consumers that create an account straight out of the gate. Welcome emails lead the pack in terms of engagement and open rate. For this reason, they make a high impact on revenue.
With welcome emails, you have a golden opportunity to demonstrate the value of your products and your team’s willingness to engage with them. Make sure you take advantage of this opportunity by doing the following:
- Present your top picks – the best sellers with great reviews that they may be interested in
- Offer exclusives that only subscribers and people with accounts receive
- Encourage consumers to take action; an offer for new customers is one great incentive
- Think like the customer. What would motivate you to buy if you were in their position?
Just because these messages are automated, doesn’t mean they should sound robotic. Using personalization tokens will help you sound more human and make your company more relatable to the viewer.
3. First Purchase
It is much easier and cheaper marketing wise to motivate existing customers to make repeat purchases than it is to convert new customers. In fact, getting new customers is 5x more costly and time-consuming than retaining an existing customer. Obviously, this doesn’t mean you should stop investing in new customer conversions. It simply means that return customers are equally, if not even more, important in some ways.
The beginning of your relationship with a customer is also the prime time to bring them into the fold long-term. 48% of shoppers say the most critical time for a company to gain their loyalty is when they make their first purchase.
Think about it from a reputation standpoint. A satisfied repeat customer is more likely to talk recommend your products to family, friends and colleagues. A great example is Pure n Natural Systems, an eCommerce site selling clean air and water products. This online retailer sends an automated email via workflow with a 5% OFF discount code that goes out to every customer after their first order is shipped. This promotion serves several purposes: it offers customers a “gift,” makes them feel special and encourages future purchases by giving them a discount.
This is the level of attention and care you should devote to existing customers, especially those people who spend the most money and shop most frequently with you. Existing customers include those shoppers who have just made their first purchase.
What’s Next For More Ecommerce Success?
Automated workflows are a critical component in the machine that keeps your eCommerce business running. Gaining new customers and retaining current customers will never end, because if it did, you wouldn’t be in business anymore.
These three automations discussed above are essential when setting up your first round of workflows. But the work doesn’t end here. You can set up others that will continue to build customer loyalty, improve your online reputation, spark engagement, nurture subscribers into buyers, and so much more.
Your eCommerce business could be the next to experience rapid-fire success and growth. Get a marketing audit today to learn how to better leverage automated workflows proven to supercharge sales while reducing tedious time-consuming tasks.
