21 Tips to Increase Sales Through Email Marketing (+ Amazing Examples)

Most eCommerce stores see high cart abandonment rates and use email marketing to increase sales. 

Email has proven to earn between $30 and $50 for nearly every dollar invested.

However, shoppers get so many brand emails every day. 

That’s why your email might get lost in the inbox. 

We’ve compiled 21 ways to use email marketing to boost sales.

Jump to:

1. Enable more workflows than the usual promo campaigns

2. Make sure every email has ONE goal

3. Send engaging *replenishment* emails

4. Reward feedback to increase online sales

5. Take a break from selling

6. Offer early access to new arrivals

7. Make them part of your community 

8. Pitch smarter discounts

9. Resend the email to non-openers – within a week

10. Recommend with a twist 

11. Avoid spam words

12. Be transparent about why you are reaching out

13. Let customers edit email settings

14. Test, test, test

15. Filter segmentation – go beyond default demographics 

16. Gamify - make the email *fun* 

17. Appreciate your subscribers

18. Personalize your *cross-selling* emails

19. Focus on mobile view 

20. Keep them interested with *coming soon* emails

21. Don’t write boring email copy 

How to Increase Online Sales with Existing Customers

If you are wondering how to communicate with existing customers, then here are 7 proven tips on how to increase sales through email marketing.

1. Enable more workflows than the usual promo campaigns 

eCommerce brands can drive 30 - 40% of their revenue from customized emails.

Your existing customers already expect the usual promotional emails. 

That’s why custom workflows can add a breath of fresh air to your campaigns. 

Here are some tips on how to increase online sales through this type of email marketing:

✅ offer gifting options for special days such as ‘Mother’s Day, Fourth of July’, etc 

✅ send emails on customers’ birthdays 

✅ brand anniversary discounts 

✅ alerts on products in the wishlist that are running low or back-in-stock

✅ browse abandonment (based on what customers searched for)

2. Make sure every email has ONE goal

Choice paralysis is an inability to decide due to overthinking or feeling overwhelmed.  

Recently, Netflix found a loophole to doom surfing. 

They rolled out a shuffle button feature, which plays a random series or movie based on a customer’s consumer data. 

This means customers don’t have to surf and get confused continuously.

Similarly, if your email pitches more than one goal, it’s bound to confuse potential customers.

See how Rudy’s Barbershop gets more sales with effective email marketing.

The email sums up what’s in the cart with a straightforward CTA that says ‘Checkout now’.   

Your email marketing goals should fall somewhere in 7 main areas, which are:

• Nurturing leads,
• Building brand awareness,
• Increasing ROI, 
• Upselling and cross-selling,
• Increasing customer engagement, 
• Reducing cart abandonment, and
• Improving customer loyalty.

3. Send engaging *replenishment* emails 

Product replenishment emails enjoy 53.6% click-to-open rates, the highest in eCommerce email marketing strategies. 

But, it’s difficult to gain attention in an overflowing inbox.

You need to get the timing right to increase sales. So, send replenishment emails:

• a week before
• a day before, and
• on the day of the last purchase

See how Chewy boosts sales through product replenishment emails:

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Here are some tips on how to increase sales through this type of email marketing:

✅ share a populated cart to check out faster

✅ ask for feedback on the product to understand shopping behavior, and

✅ use compelling subject lines like ‘nothing lasts forever (fortunately, you can always reorder)’

✅ gain repeat customers with the perfect product replenishment email that balances between convenience and creativity.

4. Reward feedback to increase online sales

Gather customers' feedback proactively about their purchases. 

It's a great way to get valuable insights into your product and send a message that your brand is indeed interested in its customer’s opinions. 

See how you can reward your customers for feedback and boost sales:

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Furthermore, the reviews that you collect can be used on-site to convince other shoppers while making a purchase decision.

5. Take a break from selling

More than 306 billion emails are sent and received each day.

This means that many customers receive promotional emails from multiple brands. 

While they generally work, the possibility is high that they might get lost in the inbox or even get tagged as spam.  

See how you can send emails that are not just about boosting sales but appreciating a customer’s purchase:

Here are some tips on how to increase sales through this type of email marketing:

✅ product guides (how to use the product) 

✅ next steps after a purchase (set up a refill notification)

✅ ask for feedback (did they like the product) 

6. Offer early access to new arrivals 

While product launches tend to refresh a brand’s rep, about 95% of new products fail to meet sales goals.

A strong pre-launch email strategy will help you boost sales from your existing customer email list. 

Offering early access to new arrivals will help to promote the product and make the most of your captive audience’s attention. 

You can also offer free samples of different products in the same range to boost sales in the long term. 

7. Make them part of your community 

Loyalty programs can help to drive steady revenue from repeat business.

Here are some benefits of loyalty programs:

• Lower customer acquisition cost through organic customer advocacy
• Improve returns on customer acquisition spending, and
• Boost customer lifetime value.

See how Native pitches its loyalty program in this email:

Here are some tips on how to increase sales through this type of email marketing:

✅ embed social giving to a reward program to create an indirect but profitable business value.

✅ allow customers to move up the tiers when they accumulate specific points and enjoy exclusive benefits, and

✅ personalize the experience with expert guidance and product recommendation.

Tips on How to Boost Email List Sales

If you are not able to boost email list sales, then here are 7 tips to get you ahead of the game. 

8. Pitch smarter discounts

Most eCommerce brands set a blanket discount for all of their email segments. 

However, inactive and active customers behave differently.

If you have dormant or inactive customers, send higher discounts and lower discounts to engaged shoppers. 

Furthermore, if a shopper used to be a high spender, offering a tiered discount is an excellent way to drive them to spend more. 

For example, $10 off when you spend over $50, $30 off when you spend over $100.

This way you can boost sales with targeted messaging from your email list. 

9. Resend the email to non-openers – within a week

A lot of people don’t open your emails the first time. 

Why? 

Perhaps, the subject line didn’t resonate with them or the offer didn’t get their attention. 

However, if you send the same email twice or more in just 24 hours, then shoppers will consider it rude and spammy.

Here are some tips on how to increase online sales through this type of email marketing:

✅ send after 3 days and after a week 

✅ choose a different time 

✅ try a new subject line

✅ use a different email address 

10. Recommend with a twist 

Smart recommendations are a great personalization strategy. 

This helps to enhance user experience, customer retention, and loyalty which ultimately leads to an increase in sales. 

You will have to analyze the shopper’s behavior based on:

• search history 
• browsing history 
• what’s in their cart

Then, you can send product recommendations through personalized emails. 

See how you can send product recommendation emails even if the product is not in stock and increase sales:

11. Avoid spam words

If you’re like most people, you’re probably inundated with spam emails every day.

As an eCommerce store, you’re probably guilty of doing the same to your customers (without even realizing it).

However, some words will trigger spam filters. 

These emails will also present as red flags to your subscribers and be a deterrent in increasing sales.

Avoid using these spam-like words and phrases in your email subject lines:

❌ Free

❌ Money

❌ No catch

❌ Take action now

❌ Claim

❌ Offer

❌ Incredible deal

❌ Shopping spree

❌ Urgent

❌ Winner

❌ Risk-free

❌ Call now

❌ Instant

❌ Click here

❌ This isn’t spam

❌ Please read

❌ You’ve won

❌ Giveaway

❌ Guarantee

12. Be transparent about why you are reaching out

Often, customers are suspicious of how or why you have collected their personal information.

However, if you tell them upfront about how and why you got their personal info, that might help reduce their hesitation and increases sales.

Here’s an example from Birchbox:

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Keep in mind:

Don’t delve into too much detail about why and how customers’ data was captured - keep it short and easily understandable 

13. Let them edit email settings

Your email audience subscribed to your list for the value they perceived you offer. 

But your email list might include subscribers who will never turn into customers. 

Launch a re-engagement email campaign to win unengaged subscribers back and boost sales. 

If you still don’t see any results, mark these subscribers as inactive subscribers and remove them from your list.

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Here are some tips on how to increase online sales through this type of email marketing:

✅ identify unengaged subscribers, those who haven’t clicked a link in your email or bought from you in the last 3 or 6 months. 

✅ remove email addresses that bounce due to reasons like invalid emails and keep an eye on ones with temporary issues like full inbox and recipient server issues, they can come around later.

✅ remove inactive subscribers from your list. These could be subscribers who have never opened your email or click-through in a long time (you determine how long you want to set the bar). 

✅ immediately remove subscribers that marked your emails as spam.

✅ verify and validate your email lists ahead of big holiday campaigns.

14. Test, test, test

The only way to guarantee that your email segmentation is working is to keep testing your emails. 

Make it a habit to routinely check whether your segmented email campaigns are reaching the right people.

Here are effective ways to test your email messaging to increase online sales:

✅ solicit feedback from your readers

✅ keep an eye on your open rates and other key metrics

✅ use A/B testing to test different emails on different groups of subscribers and see how each group responds to your messages

How to Improve Email Marketing Campaigns

eCommerce stores often try to boost sales through different email marketing campaigns. 

But they end up blasting bulk emails and getting tagged as spam. 

Here are 7 tips on how to improve email marketing campaigns to get more sales.  

15. Filter segmentation – go beyond default demographics 

Most eCommerce brands send specifically targeted email campaigns based on segmented characteristics, like profile data, behavior, location, etc. 

But, they fail to consider other characteristics.

So, here’s what you should consider when segmenting an email list according to psychographics:

• personality 
• lifestyle
• occupation
• habits
• beliefs
• behaviors, and
• Interests.

Once you have profiled and segmented your email list accordingly, send them tailored email content that resonates with them. 

Consequently, you can increase sales through clever email marketing.   

See how Kate Spade designed its email to reflect as if they are chatting with a friend:

Convertcart Pro Tip

Always save your master list. Your customers’ preferences are not set in stone and the way you need to market to them will shift over time. A handy master list can help you to evolve and re-evaluate your segments and boost sales accordingly. 

16. Gamify - make the email *fun* 

Quizzes, surveys, and tests are great ways to improve your email open rates and boost sales. 

Instead of sharing direct offers, create gamified rewards for shoppers. 

This keeps them engaged and also encourages them to participate for a reward.

Here are some tips on how to increase online sales through this type of email marketing:

✅ make the reward directly proportional to the effort required by the customer to avail of it

✅ keep it simple - don’t try to overcomplicate the email by including a complex game

✅ offer clear instructions on how the game works and about the rewards.

17. Appreciate your subscribers

No selling, no discounts. 

Once in a while, just check in with your email list.

Say thanks, offer a compliment, or just ask how they are doing.   

18. Personalize your *cross-selling* emails

Once a customer has made a purchase or doesn’t respond to cart recovery efforts, it doesn’t need to end there. 

Create cross-selling emails which prompt shoppers to return to the store and make a purchase. 

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Here are some tips on how to increase sales through this type of email marketing:

✅ create a series of cross-sell emails with different copies and products 

✅ suggest products based on what the shopper is currently browsing, has in their carts, or has already purchased

✅ highlight the main product and then recommend two or more add-ons

19. Focus on mobile view 

A report shows that 46% of all email opens now occur on mobile.

Here are some tips on how to increase online sales through mobile email marketing:

✅ test whether the layout on mobile devices works w.r.t subject line, colors, and text 

✅ use short and crisp sentences, so readers don’t have to scroll endlessly

✅ test whether the CTA button is formatted correctly for mobile

✅ use responsive images that are easily loaded and fit into the mobile screen

20. Keep them interested with *coming soon* emails

An effective product launch email can:

• establish your brand more firmly in your audience’s minds.
• create curiosity that otherwise might seem too salesy and not context-driven.
• help you augment the way you plan to continue communicating with your audience.

See how Huda Beauty does it:

Here are some tips on how to increase sales through email marketing:

✅ create interest with “The countdown has started”

✅ provide relevant info to customers such as site URL, time of sale, no of units available, who it is for, shipping, and other details

✅ maintain exclusivity by restricting the sale to VIP customers and offering a special code 

✅ creates a sense of urgency and exclusivity with their copy (letting you know first, early-bird deals)

✅ pre-act CTA that calls for the visitor to perform a micro-conversion, thereby building excitement for the product launch.

21. Don’t write boring email copy 

Most email marketers will say to make your email skimmable.

But you might also land in the trash bin because your email looks just like all the other emails.

Make your potential customers pause in their scrolling with clever storytelling.

You can also grab their attention with impactful visuals and highlighted text. 

See how Tuft & Needle uses storytelling to boost sales:

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Does email marketing increase sales?

“Many marketing influencers will say ‘email is dead’. But email consistently proves to be one of the biggest sources of traffic for an eCommerce store. If you get enough of those subscribers to your website, you have more chances of conversion.” - Ryan Day, Email Marketing Strategist, Convertcart

You might think that in this day of social media, email marketing doesn’t work.

But the statistics say otherwise.

Revenue through email marketing is projected to reach 17.9 billion by 2027.

Furthermore, eCommerce email marketing provides more opportunities to connect and engage with customers at a lower cost than social media advertising.

How to increase sales with email marketing?

Yes, you can definitely increase sales with email marketing.

Email marketing can help businesses expand their reach, boost their conversion rates, connect with their audience, and increase sales.

If you’re like 81% of business owners, you may already be using email marketing as a part of your digital marketing strategy and reaping the benefits.

In the competitive world of eCommerce, it’s not enough for you to simply utilize email marketing the same way every other business uses this channel.

Want to unleash the full potential of email marketing? 

You’ve to make sure your email campaigns are effective, efficient, and personalized to help you stand out above your competition.

It’s a challenging task — but not an impossible one.

What is a good way to measure the performance of email marketing campaigns?

Here are some metrics to track the success of your email marketing campaigns:

• Conversion rate optimization
• Open rate
• Click-through rate
• Unsubscribe rate
• Bounce rate
• List growth rate
• Point and click
• Return on investment
• Click through rate (ctr)
• Revenue per subscriber
• Overall ROI
• Deliverability rate
• Email open rate
• Revenue per email
• Email bounce rate
• Conversion marketing
• Email sharing rate
• Spam rate
• Email list growth rate
• Revenue per email 
• Revenue per subscriber 
• Total open rate
• Email delivery rate
• Subscriber lifetime value 

Boost Your Email List Sales With Customized Strategies 

Most eCommerce store owners don’t see email as a serious revenue stream.

Ask them about the importance of email marketing, and you'll hear: 

“We don’t really have a major strategy,” 

“We mostly use generic templates,” or 

“We just send emails to people on our list.”

BUT AT THE SAME TIME: 

There are stores out there that drive 30%+ of their revenue from email marketing. 

Engage can help you do the same - Book a free demo.

We’ll show you:

• workflows we can create for your store,
• proven ways to drive 30% or more $$ from email alone, and 
• successful templates and strategies from your industry (and others).