Did you know that around key sales dates like Black Friday, email marketing can yield a more than 4% sales conversion success rate, and that the global average of cart abandonment is 70%? But, with reminder emails, we can see a 40 to 50% open rate. 

These are just some of the reasons why an email avenue of sales is not just a nice-to-have, it is an absolute essential for any e-commerce business, says Caleb Shepard, Digital Media Director at The Digital Media Collective (TDMC).

As one of South Africa’s most successful digital agencies, TDMC has launched more than 200 e-commerce stores, helping some of South Africa’s largest retailers and entrepreneurs build profitable online retail channels, with a solid email marketing strategy playing a key role in this success. The agency is one of only four accredited Shopify Expert Partners in SA and is also a Google Premier Partner and Meta Business Partner.

Here Caleb outlines why email should be prioritised when setting out your e-commerce marketing strategy, and why direct ownership of your customer data can empower your brand and increase revenue.

Q: How has email marketing evolved and are SA brands and agencies keeping up with the trends?

Many SA brands and agencies are lagging behind their overseas counterparts and aren’t using email as effectively as they should. I believe this is an area that sets TDMC apart – our team is committed to always staying up to date with international trends which allows us to implement these learnings with our customers.

Over the past few years, personalisation, automation, and integration have changed the face of email marketing around the world, and when used effectively can transform the whole customer journey, from interest through to purchase. Brands are using customer data and audience segmentation to tailor email content based on individual preferences, as well as using previous purchase history to personalise emails.

Q: What advice do you give clients looking to develop a subscriber base?

Most importantly you need to provide value to customers who subscribe to your emails – there is no point in simply getting people to sign up so that you can get their email address. You need to use that email address wisely by giving the customer – or potential customer – information that is relevant and valuable. Remember, by signing up they are giving you consent to communicate with them, and it is crucial that you don’t disrespect or abuse that relationship of trust.

First off, brands need to dismiss the outdated notion that people receive too many emails and that emails from brands go unread. To maximise your open rate, you need to listen to customers and where they are in their consumer journey. This means brands need to have a preference page where customers can opt into information or topics that are relevant to them. 

This article was first published on Marketing Spread.