Introduction
Every merchant is looking for ways to squeeze the most value out of their marketing budget, and one of the best ways to do that is through email automation. While ads on Google, Facebook, and YouTube can generate traffic, it’s email that nurtures those leads and turns them into loyal customers over time.
At companies like Clearly.ca, Coastal.com, and other leading retailers we’ve worked with (some of which can’t be named due to confidentiality agreements), we’ve seen firsthand how email automation can drive incredible results. From turning first-time visitors into repeat buyers to using data-driven insights to optimize ad targeting, email is one of the most effective tools for improving return on ad spend (ROAS).
Moreover, growing your email list should be treated as one of the primary conversion goals for any business. Every sign-up opens the door to a long-term relationship, one that can drive significant revenue growth over time.
Let’s explore how you can use email automation to not only improve ROAS but also supercharge your revenue by leveraging key workflows that we’ve implemented for major e-commerce players.
Why Growing Your Email List Should Be a Primary Conversion Goal
While it’s tempting to focus solely on immediate conversions from ads, it’s important to remember that not everyone is ready to buy on their first visit. This is why growing your email list should be considered a primary conversion goal for every merchant. By capturing email sign-ups, you can keep the conversation going, nurturing leads until they’re ready to make a purchase.
We’ve implemented this strategy with great success at Clearly.ca and Coastal.com. By making email acquisition a key performance metric, we helped these brands build robust email lists that translated into stronger customer relationships and, ultimately, higher lifetime value.
Whether it’s through pop-ups, lead magnets, or cart abandonment prompts, getting visitors to sign up for your emails should be just as important as driving them to a product page. Over time, your email list becomes one of your most valuable assets, allowing you to reach your audience at a fraction of the cost of paid advertising.
Why Email Automation is Essential for Optimizing ROAS
1. Welcome Series
A well-crafted welcome series is essential for making a strong first impression and converting new subscribers into loyal customers. It’s often the first automated email flow that customers receive after signing up, whether through a lead magnet, pop-up, or after abandoning their cart.
- Objective: Build trust and drive first-time purchases.
- Execution: A welcome series should highlight your brand’s values, showcase popular products, and offer a limited-time discount to encourage the first purchase. At Clearly.ca and Coastal.com, we used welcome series to introduce customers to key brand values and product categories, leading to increased first-purchase conversion rates.
By building rapport through the welcome series, you’re setting the stage for a long-term relationship that turns one-time buyers into loyal customers.
2. Shopping Cart Abandonment Flow
It’s no secret that shopping cart abandonment is a major issue for online retailers, with nearly 70% of shopping carts left behind before purchase. But a well-executed cart abandonment flow can recover a significant portion of these lost sales.
- Objective: Recover lost revenue from abandoned carts.
- Execution: At both Clearly.ca and Coastal.com, we implemented three-step abandonment flows that started with a simple reminder, followed by a stronger incentive like a discount or free shipping. These emails not only helped recover abandoned carts but also improved overall conversion rates by re-engaging customers who were on the fence.
A strong cart abandonment flow can often recover up to 30% of abandoned carts, making it one of the most impactful automation workflows for improving ROAS.
3. Upsell and Cross-Sell Campaigns
After a customer makes a purchase, upselling and cross-selling are key strategies to increase average order value and lifetime value. This can be automated through email, making it easy to recommend complementary products based on the customer’s past purchases.
- Example: If a customer purchases contact lenses, you can follow up with recommendations for lens solution, cases, or eyewear accessories. This approach has worked exceptionally well at Clearly.ca, where we used upsell campaigns to drive additional revenue from existing customers.
- Objective: Increase customer spend without additional ad spend.
- Execution: Using personalized product recommendations based on previous purchases, you can send automated follow-up emails suggesting relevant products, helping customers get the most out of their original purchase while driving additional sales.
These campaigns are not only efficient but also help you maximize your return on ad spend by increasing revenue from existing customers.
4. Loyalty Programs
At companies like Clearly.ca and Coastal.com, we’ve seen how effective loyalty programs can be in keeping customers engaged and coming back for repeat purchases. By rewarding your most loyal customers with points, discounts, or early access to new products, you can significantly increase customer retention.
- Objective: Encourage repeat purchases and increase customer lifetime value.
- Execution: Automated emails can notify customers when they’ve earned loyalty points or when they’re eligible for an exclusive reward. You can also automate special birthday offers or reminders about upcoming loyalty rewards, creating a sense of excitement around their next purchase.
Loyalty programs help you retain valuable customers, reduce churn, and increase the overall profitability of your marketing efforts.
5. Re-Engagement Campaigns
Even the best customers may go quiet at times, which is why re-engagement campaigns are essential for bringing inactive subscribers back into the fold. We’ve used these campaigns across multiple clients, encouraging previous customers to return to the site with exclusive offers.
- Objective: Recover lost customers and drive repeat purchases.
- Execution: Automated re-engagement emails can offer incentives like discounts or exclusive access to new products, helping you reawaken interest in your brand. For instance, we’ve seen great success using subject lines like “We Miss You!” and pairing that with a time-limited offer to spark action.
Re-engagement campaigns help retain long-term customer value and recover revenue from those who might have otherwise been lost.
How Personalization Enhances ROAS
Personalization is one of the most powerful ways to increase the effectiveness of your email campaigns. By leveraging customer data—such as their past purchases, browsing behavior, and even personal details like birthdays—you can create tailored experiences that drive higher engagement.
- Objective: Improve open rates and increase conversions through personalized content.
- Execution: Segment your audience based on behavior and send personalized emails that speak directly to their interests. For example, at Coastal.com, personalized product recommendations based on past purchases increased conversion rates significantly.
Personalized email campaigns aren’t just a nice-to-have; they’re a must for any brand looking to optimize their ROAS and create deeper customer connections.
How Email Data Enhances Ad Efficiency
One often-overlooked advantage of email marketing is how it can inform your ad campaigns. By analyzing email engagement and purchase behavior, you can build lookalike audiences for your paid ads, improving targeting and reducing your cost-per-acquisition.
- Example: For one of our retail clients, we used email data to create highly targeted ad audiences on Facebook and Google. By focusing on lookalike audiences that mirrored high-value email subscribers, we saw a significant improvement in ad performance and ROAS.
Incorporating email data into your advertising strategy ensures that your ad dollars are spent more wisely, targeting the right people at the right time.
Final Thoughts: Why Email List Growth and Automation Are Key to ROAS
Optimizing return on ad spend (ROAS) doesn’t just come from improving your ads—it’s about making sure you’re getting the most out of the traffic your ads generate. Email automation is a proven way to nurture that traffic, converting visitors into loyal customers over time.
By treating email list growth as a primary conversion goal, you’re investing in a long-term strategy that will pay dividends well into the future. Whether it’s through welcome series, upsell campaigns, or re-engagement flows, email automation should be a core component of your marketing machine.
We’ve implemented these strategies at Clearly.ca, Coastal.com, and other leading online retailers with
Ready to Master the Game of Automation?
Email automation isn’t just another marketing tool—it’s the cornerstone of a successful, data-driven strategy that optimizes your return on ad spend (ROAS), boosts customer loyalty, and drives revenue growth. We’ve seen these tactics work wonders at major retailers like Clearly.ca, Coastal.com, and many more, and now, we’re ready to bring the power of automation to your business.
Whether you're looking to recover lost sales, increase average order value, or grow your email list, our team has the expertise to help you succeed. From crafting personalized workflows to integrating data-driven insights, we’ll guide you through every step of the process to ensure your marketing dollars work harder—and smarter.
Don’t leave money on the table. Let us help you implement proven automation strategies that will turn traffic into loyal customers and skyrocket your business's performance. Connect with us today, and together, we’ll build a powerful email marketing engine that drives results and grows your bottom line.
It’s time to take your email marketing to the next level. Are you ready? Let’s chat and start transforming your business with the power of automation!