Why You Should Use Email Marketing for E-Commerce

While several channels and platforms can be used to reach and engage your target market, email marketing is undoubtedly one of the most efficient and cost-effective.

Here are five reasons why e-commerce businesses should leverage email marketing:

1. Email is efficient, effective, and direct 

Across all demographics, email is among the most used personal and professional communication channels. According to the McKinsey Global Institute, on average, people check their email 11 times per hour, and 84% keep emails open in the background while working. 

E-commerce email marketing allows you to reach customers via a channel on which they are already active.

2. Email marketing is personalized and targeted 

From paid campaigns and newsletter popups to order checkout and referrals, e-commerce businesses collect email addresses in various ways. Email distribution lists may be segmented based on multiple customer data points including when and how they subscribed, their intent and interest, and what type of messages they want to receive. 

These insights enable you to personalize your e-commerce email marketing campaigns. As 73% of customers expect brands to understand their needs and communicate with personalized messages, email marketing is inherently more engaging than other marketing channels. 

3. Email marketing offers flexibility

Due to widespread advertising and marketing across virtually every channel, businesses must share content more frequently to remain relevant. Online brands send at least one message daily and publish 2-3 social media posts every day to maintain top-of-mind awareness.

Unlike other channels, email marketing requires individuals to opt in. As a result, businesses and their consumers decide how they want to use the channel. Email marketing allows for various communications, including one-off promotional campaigns, transactional and order updates, and engagement campaigns. 

4. Email is more cost-effective than other channels 

Paid ad campaigns across social media channels and searches are becoming increasingly costlier. These channels are also incredibly cluttered, as the average internet user is exposed to nearly 10,000 ad campaigns per day! 

On the other hand, due to their direct nature, emails don’t require continually increasing your bids. It is one of the most cost-effective channels to drive sales, delivering a higher conversion rate and ROI than others. 

5. Email increases brand awareness and brand recall 

Emails can be branded and personalized. From the sender’s name, subject line, design, content, closings, and calls to action, email marketing gives e-commerce businesses more control over how they present their brand. This, combined with the ability to engage in consistent messaging, increases brand awareness and recall. Unlike other marketing and communication channels, which are restricted by formats, dimensions, viewability, and character limits, email gives brands greater control over their image and how they engage directly with existing and prospective customers.

Many email marketing platforms are available, many of which offer low or no-cost solutions. We strongly encourage you to select one and add email marketing to your marketing mix!