I remember checking my Shopify analytics one Tuesday morning when the world came crashing down: hundreds of people were adding to cart that week, but the conversion rate was depressingly low at a measly 2.3 %. That was more than just a deserted shopping cart — it was abandoned profit.
That’s when I installed my automation email sequences. I made a 37% increase in my store’s sales in the first 90 days. My accountant called to ask if the numbers were incorrect. There wasn’t.
If you have a website but are not selling products or services, you might as well be leaving money on the counter. Here’s why that matters to your bottom line and how to do it without adding hassle to your day.
If you’re just getting started with email marketing, you may not be familiar with the phrase “automated email sequence.” Think of them as your hardest-working salespeople — but they never eat, sleep or go on vacation.
How they differ from email blasts:
The Direct Marketing Association’s research shows email marketing has an average ROI of $42 for every $1 spent. But automated email sequences work even better because they’re timely, relevant and personalized.
Following is some actual data between different eCommerce stores:
An automated email series establishes predictable revenue growth, in an accounting sense. You’re not in the hands of wild swings due to ad spend, you are consistently building and generating sales. Such predictability will be seen by your bookkeeper in monthly statements.
Seven in 10 leave the cart. That’s a third of a million dollars worth of forgone revenue on every single calendar month, for a store doing $100k/month.
A basic cart abandonment series can be 3 emails:
Email 1 (1 hour post-abandonment): Friendly reminder featuring product images & cart link. None yet — people can really forget.
Email 2 (24 hours later): Share something added value from customer reviews to returns policy or include mention of free shipping (trust).
Email 3 (48–72 hours later): Create urgency through a limited product or a time-sensitive discount (10-15%).
When launching email sequences is pretty cool, cart abandonment should be your first priority. Setup time is minimal, but revenue impact is immediate.
Don’t waste the golden opportunity of a new subscriber on a “Thanks for subscribing!” or something equally generic. Email.
An awesome welcome sequence. The 4-5 emails over 7-10 days:
Sales is not the end; it’s a beginning. Post purchase sequence for customer retention and more money:
When they work, automated emails get all of those things done and here are a few awesome things your bookkeeper will see with the addition of an email marketing system:
Your bookkeeper relates to gross profit margin, net profit margin and operational cost. And if your sequences sell more but don’t drive the same costs, those margins grow – additional money ‘left over’ for marketing efforts or business in general.
Step #1. Choose Your Platform
Some popular choices are Klaviyo (best one for eCommerce), Mailchimp (easy if you’re just starting) or Omnisend/ActiveCampaign. Free tiers are available for smaller lists.
Step #2. Install Integration
Integrate your ESP with your web store. That means the ability to monitor — say — what your customers are doing on your site, including adding an abandoned cart and their purchase history.
Step #3. Begin with cart abandonment.
This delivers the fastest ROI. Leverage pre-formatted templates, or test out making your own with the three-email model we presented previously. Choose a length of time, customize to match your brand voice and flip on.
Step #4. Write Your Emails
Keep it simple:
Don’t aim for perfection initially. Get out a good enough version and iterate according to how it performs in the wild.
Step #5. Test and Optimize
After a few weeks, return and check the data. Which emails get opened most? So which draw clicks and conversions? Use this to study over time.
For step-by-step instruction on launching email campaigns using SignalHire’s functionality, extensive resources cover more advanced tactics such as segmentation and A/B tests.
Your email program offers more than two dozen data points. Focus on these:
Pair these numbers with the ones that you discuss on a monthly basis with your bookkeeper. It’s the sort of data that links marketing activity to revenue and they’re likely to love it.
Now let’s run the rates for an average Shopify store:
Assumptions:
“No automation, monthly $35k in abandoned carts with a beautiful big goose egg recovery.
12% on cart abandonment sequence:
And that’s a 20:1 ROI with NO welcome sequence, post-purchase campaign or re-engagement series! They will scrape together $4,000 to $7,000 more monthly working capital for YOUR bottom line on a DIME of cost penalty!
Week 1. Choose and activate your email platform. Integrate it with your shop and confirm that pixel tracking is working.
Week 2. Create and set up your cart abandonment sequence. Paste, customise with your brand and unpublish.
Week 3. Make your welcome sequence. Make a lead magnet / opt-in incentive (10-15% off works well).
Week 4. Create a basic post-purchase flow with order confirmation, review request, and cross-sell recommendation.
After 30 days, you’ll have three main sequences (which will be going on for 24/7). Let them run at 60-90 days and optimize on performance.
The winners of today in e-commerce aren’t the companies with the biggest budgets and best products – they are the businesses that make their resources last. Emails that sell are a tool for getting returns, reach and real measurable value through your email your sales funnels — without having to work so hard every year – ushering in the dollars right now, not just more money but better margins in weeks and bad-ass numbers when its time to show of some Email numbers your book keeper will praise.
Start with cart abandonment today. Your bank account (and, let’s be honest, your future self) will be grateful.
EcomBalance is a monthly bookkeeping service specialized for eCommerce companies selling on Amazon, Shopify, eBay, Etsy, WooCommerce, & other eCommerce channels.
We take monthly bookkeeping off your plate and deliver you your financial statements by the 15th or 20th of each month.
You’ll have your Profit and Loss Statement, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow Statement ready for analysis each month so you and your business partners can make better business decisions.
Interested in learning more? Schedule a call with our CEO, Nathan Hirsch.
And here’s some free resources:
