ECommerce Marketing Automation: Everything You Should Know

technologhy
Feb 15, 2023
12m
Anna Pham
ecommerce-marketing-automation

Based on the State of Marketing Automation Survey Report, approximately 75% of marketers used marketing automation solutions in some form or another in 2019. With the worldwide pandemic outbreak in 2020 and other variables, these statistics have increased to the point that the market is predicted to reach a worth of USD 19.66 billion by 2026, representing a 19.2% CAGR!

Given that eCommerce marketing is time, labor, and resource-intensive, marketing automation in eCommerce could be the different factor that encourages more sales, creates more leads, and boosts your revenue. Because marketing automation in eCommerce firms is a rich possibility, let's look at how to use it!

Here is your definitive guide to marketing automation eCommerce

What is ECommerce Marketing Automation?

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ECommerce Marketing Automation is the practice of automating your ecommerce store's time-consuming manual processes. Ecommerce marketing automation systems can be used to manage and handle repetitive tasks. Not only does this saves time for any eCommerce business, but it also assures a greater level of oversight and accuracy in marketing operations.

There are numerous steps that go into good eCommerce marketing. This includes responsibilities such as cart abandonment campaigns, transactional emailing, welcoming new subscribers, running specials, and more. All of these processes can be automated.

Businesses that invest in eCommerce marketing automation can still save time, obtain better marketing outcomes, and scale up their operations much more simply. Marketing automation lowers human error and helps you to accomplish more with fewer people.

Developing your online store will be much simpler with a well-planned marketing automation eCommerce strategy in place.

How marketing automation works

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The goal of marketing automation is to create marketing more productive so that firms may save time and resources. Marketing automation can be utilized for a wide range of marketing approaches, involving lead generation, client retention, customer lifecycle monitoring, and many others.

Marketing automation is software that simplifies many components of a company's marketing job. Capabilities vary by program, but most allow you to:

  • Establish and keep a single client database.
  • Automate routine tasks like sending welcome emails and tagging customers.
  • Make audience segments.
  • Send personalized messages to different audience segments.
  • Different messaging should be tested.
  • Produce analytics reports

Essentially, small firms can automate tedious chores connected with implementing a digital marketing plan. Consider the customized message that is provided to customers when they perform certain actions, such as signing up for a newsletter or adding something to their shopping cart.

These messages are provided in accordance with workflows, or sets of instructions, allowing organizations to deliver customized messages to clients when they perform specific actions. Workflows can be developed from templates or created from scratch, and they can be adjusted mid-campaign to improve outcomes.

Assume a potential consumer visits your website and signs up to get a promotional code in their email. That action may cause a sequence of emails to be sent to them, beginning with a welcome note and a voucher and continuing for several weeks with information that educates them about your item.

Types of Marketing Automation Seen in E-commerce

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There are numerous types of eCommerce Marketing Automation. Some focus on workflows, while others on analysis. Let's take a deeper look at four of the most beneficial kinds of automation software.

#1. Email marketing automation

Email marketing automation allows owners of businesses to send customized messages to clients on a predetermined timetable. It saves internet marketers the time and effort of producing and sending new emails each time a customer expresses interest in a brand or for marketing promotion objectives.

For instance, sending automated emails recommending comparable products to those purchased by the consumer from a website, or reminding a customer who has made an order but has yet to finish the purchase.

It's a tried and tested method of personalizing your user's experience. You can use email automation to develop a segmented mailing list in order to strengthen the relationship between your consumers and your company.

According to studies, around 60% of consumers choose email as a mode of contact, making it the most successful tool for generating leads and brand engagement.

Businesses can use email automation to establish a segmented email subscriber database due to Customer Relationship Management data. This enables eCommerce advertisers to turn prospects into customers, hence increasing sales and revenue.

#2. Omnichannel Automation

Omnichannel automation is a creative marketing method in which the client, instead of the brands, is placed at the core of all campaign activity.

It is a comprehensive multi-channel strategy that combines the seamless connection of digital advertising channels such as email marketing, SMS, and social media posts, as well as offline touchpoints to produce a more personalized user experience.

The basic goal of omnichannel automation is to enable customers to interact with brands on their terms, independent of the media.

Customers frequently begin their buying adventure with one media and then go on to another. By developing a linked approach that allows brands to interact with clients regardless of channel, the omnichannel strategy delivers a cohesive experience.

For example, if a customer starts shopping on a brand's mobile app, the brand's website, social media platform, and even physical store will be notified. Furthermore, the consumer will be notified even several days later across all platforms if the purchase is left undone.

#3. Customer Analytics Automation

It is the method for gathering and assessing data from users across multiple channels. These analytics provide the actionable data required to develop strategies centered on the items and services that customers in a certain segment seek.  The automated customer analytics platform can be useful in the following situations:

  • Retaining the customer
  • Enhanced customer engagement
  • Choosing the Right Audience
  • Keeping acquisition expenditures to a minimum

Identifying consumer preferences, regardless of medium, represents one of the most critical goals of every successful organization. Customer analytic solutions help firms to visualize and discover more about their clients in real time.

#4. Automated Workflows for eCommerce Business

Establishing automated workflows that operate behind an eCommerce business can help to streamline numerous backend procedures, potentially increasing a company's productivity tenfold.

Automated eCommerce workflows can carry out tasks such as:

  • Client service and complaints
  • Vendor provider onboarding approval
  • Refund requests and payment difficulties
  • Order acceptances

Workflow automation for eCommerce sites improves efficiency by automating repetitive tasks. For example, data input of orders might be frightening and monotonous when done frequently. Order management software, on the other hand, can accurately automate the entire operation.

Another benefit of workflow automation in the eCommerce business is the ability to track and reward customers depending on their interactions with the brand. This stage is critical for customer retention and developing a positive brand image.

#5. Generating Landing Pages to Get Leads Automatically

Creating a successful landing page is the final nail in the coffin.

When a landing page is automated, the information entered on the landing page form is automatically transferred to CRM and email automation systems.

It assists in eliminating repetitive operations such as sending individual emails and entering consumer data. This allows you to concentrate on other critical aspects of your business.

Why Use eCommerce Marketing Automation?

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Utilizing marketing automation solutions can change the game in a number of ways for your eCommerce firm.

As a result of recent advancements in the fields of AI and machine learning, more and more companies are using these tools to differentiate themselves from rivals.

Additionally, the surge in tailored purchases has made the use of automation solutions essential for online enterprises. Additional advantages of utilizing eCommerce marketing automation include:

#1. Lowers Human Error

Errors are unavoidable when performing repeated and tedious jobs. Depending on the circumstances, this could be tiny or enormous. To eliminate this, it is vital to employ automation software that can perform tedious activities frequently and without error.

#2. Scalability

Providing humans with menial employment is an injustice to their creative impulses.

Whereas these duties can be delegated to automation systems, staff can focus on other vital tasks that are required for the company's success. This makes it easy to scale a business and quickly increase income.

#3. Increase Productivity

Automation tools are designed to handle processes and can handle all information significantly more efficiently than humans. This saves a great deal of time, which increases a company's efficiency and, eventually, development.

#4. Employee Job Satisfaction Improved

Employees are more prone to become bored with their occupations if they are required to perform menial and non-productive tasks for an extended period of time.

This can lead to burnout, and they may become unsatisfied with their work. Assigning certain activities to automation software relieves employees of the burden of performing such tasks, allowing them to focus on more creative endeavors. This leads to increased job satisfaction and healthy improved employee overall.

#5. Sales Growth

Marketing automation solutions employ tailored techniques to engage with consumers' individual demands. This allows businesses to increase sales by reaching out to consumers that are more interested in their offerings.

It's commonly referred to as behavioral targeting in eCommerce. Apart from increased sales, the overall advertising expense is reduced, enhancing the ROI.

#6. Improving Customer Service

Customers enjoy the feeling of an easy and smooth buying experience, whether they are purchasing online or at a physical store. They expect to be able to find what they're seeking quickly.

With the assistance of AI and chatbots, marketing automation solutions have allowed eCommerce shops to create an exceptional client experience. These provide users with relevant recommendations, smooth navigation across the site, and easy order fulfillment.

5 Marketing Automation Strategies For eCommerce Businesses

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1. Campaigns for Customer Activation

Assume your company was just founded yesterday. You understand your target customer, but they don't know who you are - and the few that are aware of your business will have no meaningful relationship with it. You must make a splash in order to propel your brand off the ground. You must develop an interest. You must provide your target audience with a reason to be enthusiastic about your company. In a nutshell, you must activate your brand.

Brand activations, according to HubSpot, are one-time, in-person events, experiences, and encounters that establish long-lasting emotional attachments between a brand and its target customers.

A brand engagement will bring your brand to life, attract new customers, and change how your potential audience perceives you. And, when done correctly, brand activations can be extremely powerful – 98% of people are more likely to purchase a company's products after completing activation.

2. Enhance CLTV (Customer Lifetime Value)

Many of us gravitate toward brands we've previously dealt with, but there will be individuals who want to see what new brands have to provide. Be it the discounts or the range of products in their store. Add to that the convenience of buying on mobile devices, and you've got a distracted customer at all times!

As a customer, more selections are a good thing. As a company, you are losing sales - slowly and steadily - due to the increased competition online.

To compete, brands have gone all out with acquisition programs to reach new customers. But what about your current customers? In reality, recruiting new clients is significantly more expensive than maintaining existing ones.

As a result, it is critical for eCommerce firms to identify and develop the most valued consumers in order to increase revenue and business growth, as well as to concentrate on marketing automation Strategies For eCommerce Businesses.

This is where concentrating on Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV) comes into play.

3. Automated emails

The benefit of employing automated emails—those prompted by consumer activities including purchases or downloads—goes beyond simply saving the marketer the hassle of constantly sending individual emails. Consider the following instances of how an automated email could guide a consumer to the next step in their engagement:

  • Keeping a customer informed of the price or availability of the item on their wish list
  • Using reminders and/or discounts to reduce cart abandonmentAssuring customers about forthcoming service and product subscription renewals
  • Notifying consumers of changes in their travel plans
  • Multi-step triggers for onboarding new customers
  • As a result, investing in automated email marketing can boost profitability in a relatively short amount of time.

4. Personalization relied on segmentation

Consumer segmentation divides your customer base into smaller categories depending on certain characteristics. This eliminates the guessing and allows you to determine what type of marketing works best for them. This enables you to deploy marketing automation strategies for eCommerce businesses while remaining personalized. It also enables your marketing automation and client service services to appear and operate virtually, which is a critical element in the current age. If you're interacting with customers through a virtual phone service, video, or mobile app.

Customizing your marketing to these particular groups based on their behaviors throughout the consumer journey enables you to be more accessible to them and answer their wants and requirements more specifically.

5. Omni Channel Engagement

Omnichannel marketing is a strategy in which brands integrate all available channels, both online and in person, into coherent marketing automation Strategies For eCommerce Businesses.

In a constantly shifting landscape and evolving consumer needs, the goal is to generate a coherent message for their customers across all platforms. Above all, there is an urgent need to put these ideas into action as well as automate these multi-channel marketing automation Strategies For eCommerce Businesses in order to better their individual customer journey. Whatever channel the consumer selects, all he needs is a smooth and predictable experience.

The top 5 economical marketing automation tools for eCommerce

1. Omnisend

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Omnisend, one of the top marketing automation eCommerce platforms available, is renowned for its user-friendly email templates. The program is meant to address issues encountered only by eCommerce marketers, such as lowering cart abandonment and encouraging customer feedback. With Omnisend, you can run campaigns depending on customer behavior and track the effects of your marketing automation on revenue.

Pricing: Free / Standard (starts at $16.00) / Pro (begins at $59)

2. Autopilot

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The complete customer journey is automated using Autopilot, an easy-to-use marketing automation tool. The well-designed palette for creating email automation sequences permits you to annotate your sequences with entertaining stickers, emojis, and descriptions, making it simple for teams to contribute to sequence creation. Nevertheless, this tool does not have a CRM, but clients can use it for a variety of marketing channels such as email, in-app, SMS, internet, and  “snail-mail” interactions.

Pricing: $29 (Campaign) / $99 (Pro) / $299 (Business)

3. Sendinblue

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Sendinblue specializes in email marketing and email services. This straightforward platform enables you to simply generate appealing emails by dragging and dropping or by utilizing one of the mobile-friendly themes. The toolbox is designed to make it simple to communicate with your customers, create leads, and plan marketing campaigns. Whether you need to administer email campaigns, send text messages or even save time with automation, Sendinblue makes it possible to do it efficiently, affordably, and in your native language.

Pricing: Free / $25 (Lite) / $25 (Essential) / $65 (Premium) / Custom (Enterprise)

4. Drip

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Drip is packed with distinctive features designed exclusively for eCommerce businesses, including revenue-generation automation solutions to enhance sales and develop your eCommerce brand. Everything is geared toward online shops, enabling you to automate the customer experience through automated email campaigns and SMS messages. Not only that, but the simple workflows target and segment consumers at the most appropriate times and in the most effective ways to increase interaction.

Pricing: Basic / $19 (500 subscribers) / Contact for other plans

5. Klaviyo

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Klaviyo is a professional marketing platform that enables users to deliver tailored experiences throughout owned marketing channels including email, SMS, in-app alerts, and the web. Because of its strong integrations with eCommerce systems and marketing tools like Spotify and Magento, this useful tool is ideal for eCommerce administrators. Klaviyo is an email-specific marketing automation tool with various pre-designed themes that allow for speedy email creation, as well as extra segmentation and data analysis based on mailing lists.

Pricing: Free (up to 250 contacts) / $20 month (251 – 500 contacts) / $30 month (501 – 1,000 contacts)

Conclusion

The core of the eCommerce business is automation. It enables meaningful and individualized client interaction while offloading mundane duties to highly efficient algorithms.

This puts internet marketers ahead of the competition by increasing conversion, attracting and retaining clients, and improving marketing strategy. Follow the appropriate eCommerce marketing automation concepts and use the right software, and you'll start to see your business develop rapidly.