The Core Email Marketing Automations That Your Brand Needs

Email automations, also called flows, are emails or texts that send automatically when a customer does something specific, such as subscribing, leaving items in their basket or placing an order. The six automations every brand should have are a welcome series, abandoned cart, thank you, cross-sell and up-sell, birthday, and browse abandonment flows. Together they cover the moments when a customer is most likely to buy.

Most email marketing providers let you build these flows inside their platform. The work is in deciding which ones to set up and configuring them well. Below, we explain what each flow does and what we at 303 have found makes it work.

The six core email automations at a glance

• Welcome series: triggered when someone subscribes. Delivers their sign-up incentive and introduces your brand.
• Abandoned cart: triggered when someone leaves items in their basket. Reminds them what they left and nudges them to complete the purchase.
• Thank you: triggered after a purchase. Builds loyalty and can ask for a review or referral.
• Cross-sell and up-sell: triggered a set time after a purchase. Suggests complementary or upgraded products.
• Birthday: triggered on the subscriber's birthday. Offers a personal gift or discount.
• Browse abandonment: triggered when someone views products without adding them to their basket. Brings them back to what they were looking at.

Welcome series

An engaging welcome series is key. It is often the first email a reader receives from your brand, so making a great impression really matters. Most people subscribe because of an incentive, such as 10% off their first order, so get that offer into their inbox as quickly as possible.

A new subscriber is a warm lead, so act quickly. Use the welcome series to highlight what makes your brand unique and why they should buy from you rather than a competitor. It is also a good moment to promote your social channels and ask how customers would like to hear from you in future.

Abandoned cart automation

We've all received one of these. You add something to your basket, then change your mind or get distracted. Shortly afterwards an email arrives reminding you what's in your basket, and a few hours later another may offer a discount. That is the brand's abandoned cart automation.

With so many websites competing for attention, it is easy for shoppers to forget what they meant to buy. The abandoned cart automation reminds customers of the items left in their basket. Set up properly, it can include dynamic content, such as an image of the exact product they abandoned and other products they might like.

A/B test the time delays in this flow. Brands that sell higher-ticket items often benefit from a longer delay, because the purchase is more considered and less of an impulse buy.

Thank you email

A thank you email is the perfect opportunity to build brand loyalty by showing gratitude for a customer's business. We recommend sending a different version depending on how many purchases a customer has made, so a first-time buyer and a repeat customer each get a message that fits. A small thank you goes a long way, and it is a natural moment to ask for a review or a referral to a friend.

Cross-sell and up-sell automations

Cross-selling and up-selling are effective ways to suggest products and drive more revenue for your online store. Use this automation to showcase other products, such as hand-picked bestsellers or items related to what the customer has bought before.

Timing is key to avoid overwhelming the reader. Add a time delay so that a while after someone buys an item, they receive a suggestion for a complementary one.

Birthday automation

Who doesn't love a birthday gift? Ask for birthdays in your sign-up form and use them to personalise your flows further. A birthday flow is one of the most personal ways to connect with a subscriber. Celebrate with a discount, free shipping, a free gift, or simply a happy birthday message.

Browse abandonment automation

"We caught you looking." Ever received an email like this and wondered how they did it? Part of the fun of shopping online is window shopping across the web. With a browse abandonment automation in place, subscribers receive a message based on the products they viewed, and you control exactly what it looks like. This flow is particularly valuable around holiday seasons, when people browse more than usual.

Frequently asked questions

What is an email marketing automation?

An email marketing automation, or flow, is a series of emails or texts that send automatically when a customer takes a specific action, such as subscribing, abandoning a basket or making a purchase. Once set up, it runs without anyone having to send each message by hand.

Which email automation should I set up first?

Start with a welcome series, because it reaches new subscribers when their interest is highest and delivers any sign-up incentive straight away. An abandoned cart flow is usually the next priority, as it targets people who were already close to buying.

How long should the delay be in an abandoned cart email?

There is no single right answer, which is why it is worth A/B testing. Brands selling higher-priced products often see better results with a longer delay, because customers take more time to decide.

Do I need a specialist platform to run email automations?

Most email marketing platforms support automations. Choose one that integrates directly with your e-commerce platform, such as Klaviyo with Shopify, so you can trigger flows from customer behaviour and track the purchases they drive.

Get your email automations working harder

These six flows form the foundation of an email programme that earns revenue while you focus on everything else. If you want help planning, building or improving them, our email marketing team at 303 can help.