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

Want to increase sales through email marketing for your eCommerce business? Here’s what you should focus on—reaching people who are most likely to convert first. 

Here’s why:

• Those who have bought a product from you may repurchase the same product within some time
• Meanwhile, new customers may be looking for the right triggers (but aren’t finding one)

Let’s go!

25 Amazing Tips 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. 

Tips: How to increase online sales with more email workflows:

✅ 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)

Need more inspiration on high-converting workflows? 

We suggest reading: 24 Amazing Drip Email Campaign Examples That Actually Drive Sales

2. Make sure every email has ONE goal

Subscribers won’t know what to do next if your email copy offers a discount as well as a reward in exchange for a review.

See how Rudy’s Barbershop gets more sales by avoiding choice paralysis (inability to decide due to a plethora of choices):

Tips: How you can ensure that your emails stick to one goal:

✅ leave no room for doubt with your CTA—Use a straightforward CTA like ‘Checkout now’ 

✅ avoid conflicting goals like cross-selling in abandoned cart emails (if you do, recommend products by subscriber history) 

✅ offer nudges in the form of microcopy in the notification bar, as Rudy does with “your free shipping is about to expire”

✅ use the footer to include conversion-driver goals like increasing subscription sign-ups or referrals

Do check out: 21 Last-Minute Mother's Day Marketing Ideas For eCommerce Stores

Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀

Limit the number of CTA buttons to not more than three in one email (this ensures that there aren’t conflicting actions).

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:

Tips: How to increase sales through replenishment emails:

✅ 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 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:

Tips: How you can incentivize sales through post-purchase emails:

✅ trigger a custom product recommendation flow for users who’ve completed the review

✅ congratulate them for completing the review and recommend them products based on purchase history

✅ launch separate flows for non-openers and non-engagers of the initial review email

✅ resend the same email, but change the subject line (“you deserve to be heard 👂 – this email’s waiting for your 👀”)

P.S: The reviews you collect can be used on-site to convince other shoppers while making a purchase decision.

Also Read: eCommerce Referral Email: 10 Examples That Really Work

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:

Tips: How to increase sales through non-promotional emails:

✅ product guides (how to use the product) 

✅ next steps after a purchase (set up a refill notification or the benefits of a subscription)

✅ ask for feedback (did they like the product) 

✅ talk about your ingredients (and how they impact your customers)

✅ repurpose some of your top-performing content or share stats about your 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. 

Tips: How you can increase sales through product launch emails:

✅ inform subscribers first of the product launch with a killer coming soon page

✅ offer an exclusive pre-order (at a much lower price)/early access sale along with a countdown timer

✅ trigger reminders on the day before the end of the sale and two hours before it ends (this helps increase the urgency) 

P.S.: You can also try offering free samples of different products in the same range to boost sales in the long term. 

Also Read: 13 Triggered Email Examples That Actually Drive Conversions

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:

Tips: How to increase sales through community emails:

✅ 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 recommendations

8. Pitch smarter discounts

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

However, inactive and active customers behave differently. Check how Madewell does it:

Tips: How you can increase sales from win-back/re-engagement emails:

✅ send higher discounts to dormant or inactive customers, and lower discounts to engaged shoppers

✅ offer a tiered discount to a shopper who used to be a high spender—for example, “$10 off when you spend over $50”, “$30 off when you spend over $100”

✅ offer exclusive discounts to certain types of customers (for example, student discounts), as Madewell does

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.

Tips: How to increase sales from non-openers:

✅ 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

Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀

Sending guidelines have changed considerably since 2024. For example, if your email-sending domain has a spam score of greater than 0.3, your emails may not be delivered. Learn more about increasing email security best practices.

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:

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.

Tips: How to increase online sales by letting customers change email preferences:

✅ 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, i.e. 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.

Tips: How 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

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 forget to update their email list—thus psychographic information like personality, lifestyle, occupation, habits, beliefs, and interests get left out.

Check how Carre d'artistes does it with their email:

Tips: How you can segment your emails and increase sales:

✅ add a second step to your email signup form to include more questions (like “what kind of scents do you like?”)

✅ conduct polls within emails to create user segments out of the interaction 

✅ ask for feedback (in exchange for a gift) from people who engage with your list

✅ offer a gift that induces purchases (for example, if you offer eyeglasses, offer the lens for free)

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.

Tips: How to increase online sales through gamified emails:

✅ 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

Also Read: 14 eCommerce Loyalty Programs Backed By Science (Examples)

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.   

Tips: How to appreciate subscribers and increase sales:

✅  announce regular live-stream events within your emails to announce new product launches or style trends

✅ offer takeaways from Q&A sessions with experts within your industry

✅ highlight an employee’s work and do an email takeover for a week or so (offer special discounts, recommendations, and more)

Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀

Try sending out a bi-monthly newsletter to keep your community tuned to your brand. 

We recommend reading: eCommerce Newsletter: 20 Ways To Stand Out And Actually Drive Sales.

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. 

Tips: How to implement a cross-selling strategy in your emails to increase sales:

✅ 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.

Tips: How to increase online sales by optimizing for mobile-friendly emails:

✅ 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:

Tips: How to increase sales from ‘coming soon’ emails in your email marketing strategy:

✅ 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:

22. Connect Better – Get Conversational

By conversational, we mean actually talking to your subscribers (or making them feel so).

The goal should not be ‘talking to’ but ‘talking with’ subscribers. Here’s how Hammitt does it:

Tips: How you can increase sales by being conversational in your emails:

✅ offer options to request support through live chat or a 1:1 shopping experience (note how Hammitt does it)

✅ use live streams and send personalized emails after live sessions

✅ let subscribers know that they can reply to your emails

✅ include more UGC within your emails (focus on building an emotional appeal)

✅ work with internal teams on omnichannel—provide codes on socials that can be cashed in via email as well

Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀

If you conduct live streams, consider adding a note from the featured guests. This helps humanize your brand and helps sell better.

23. Extend Powerful Welcomes

Welcome emails can become powerful conversion drivers if they’re primed right. 

Here’s a perfect example:

Tips: How you can increase sales out of welcome emails:

✅ let new subscribers know that they’re part of an exclusive community 

✅ include relevant product recommendations based on form data from the get-go

✅ make the welcome offer time-limited (clearly showcase the expiration date)

✅ increase trust with social proof to make your case and loop in your loyalty program

✅ support with BNPL payment and highlight your return policy and shipping policy

24. Exclude Certain Subscribers

Sending irrelevant emails to subscribers is a great way to decrease your deliverability (which affects your sales as well).

For example, Guess sends recent purchasers a thank-you email with a coupon code:

Tips: Which subscribers should you remove for better sales:

❌ people who’ve just made returns in a certain period (they may require a more tailored approach)

❌ incomplete signups (profiles without names may require a separate flow)

❌ people who’ve purchased in the last 72 hours (launch a post-purchase email flow)

We suggest reading: 13 Proven Ways to Reduce Email Unsubscribe Rate (eCommerce)

25. Practice Better UX on Emails

About 3 out of 5 shoppers check their emails on mobile (while doing something else). 

This is why UX on emails is important when it comes to increasing sales Here’s a perfect example of an email that hits 10/10 on accessibility and UX:

Tips: How you can improve your email’s UX and increase sales:

✅ keep it short and sweet—get the most important part of your offer within the first fold of the email

✅ write your product descriptions for the mobile reader

✅ use colors wisely to reduce the cognitive load and create shorter conversion paths

✅ test how your images load on mobile devices—consider increasing the font size

✅ load up your alt text to include the offer (this helps prepare for image blocking)— here is an example:

People Also Ask

1. 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.

2. How to increase sales with email marketing?

Email marketing has a proven record of an ROI of $42 for every dollar spent. 

So, if you want to go beyond sending abandoned cart emails to increase sales, we recommend these 25 tips:

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 

22. Connect Better – Get Conversational

23. Extend Powerful Welcomes

24. Exclude Certain Subscribers

25. Practice Better UX on Emails

3. 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).