Marketing Automation for E-commerce: Tools, Strategies & Future Trends

E-commerce Business by Mastering Inbound Marketing, Campaigns, Lead Generation, Introduction to Using the Right Strategy, Tools, and More!

E-commerce businesses that simply can’t compete in terms of human interaction or sales staff. Marketing automation has shifted the playing field, giving brands a new way to not only communicate with consumers but to be able to show that it’s possible to drive sales and efficiency without human effort. If you want to know what impact marketing automation can have on your e-commerce store or you’re ready to start using it the right way, you’re in the right place.

This post will discuss marketing automation for e-commerce,: what it is, what it’s good for, the strategies in which it’s best used, the best tools on offer and how to use it in your own business. In the end, you’ll have a solid grasp on how to make your operations leaner, and in the process, how to give better service to your customers.

What Is Marketing Automation & Why Is It Important For E-commerce?

Marketing automation is the process of applying software tools and platforms designed to manage, automate, and track some marketing tasks, such as e-mail marketing campaigns, social media posts, ad retargeting, and other such activities. These would be painful to do manually, but with automation, they occur efficiently and based on the specific triggers that we defined.

Why Does This Matter for E-commerce?

Convenience, customer experience, and speed are what the e-commerce industry is about. With competition so fierce and consumers changing preferences so quickly, businesses need a suite of tools that allow them to capture interest, warm leads, and then close sales with relentless precision. E-commerce businesses can benefit immensely from marketing automation, where they can:

Keep up with your customer through tailored communication.
Eliminate manual workflows and streamline the process.
Understand how your audience thinks and feels.

Advantages of E-commerce Marketing Automation

Increased Efficiency

The most evident benefit of marketing automation is how effectively it handles repetitive jobs. Rather than tediously scheduling emails or messages on social media, you can prepare campaigns in advance and for other, goal-oriented purposes. Automation eliminates human error and saves me hours a week.

Individualized Experience for the Customer

*Personalization is the weapon you need to employ to win customers in e-commerce. Those marketing automation systems aggregate what is known about a shopper’s behavior, preferences, and previous purchases and let companies show them what products they may need, send them the right email, and reach them at the right moment. For instance, a lot of companies leverage automated “abandoned cart” emails to help capture potential lost sales right away.

Improved Conversion Rates

By reaching customers at the perfect time with personalized messages, marketing automation generates and converts leads into buyers. Trigger-based automation, like product view or purchase, can lead customers into the next step of their buyer’s journey to close sales and enhance conversion rates.

Crucial Marketing Automation Techniques for E-commerce

That said, below are 4 practical marketing automation tactics specifically crafted for e-commerce businesses:

Email Marketing

Email marketing is still one of the most powerful ways to nurture leads and retain customers. With Automation, you’re able to create:

Welcome Emails
Cart Abandoned Email
After Purchase Follow-Up

For example, an e-commerce company could automatically send a customer a voucher for their next purchase following their first purchase.

SMS Marketing

SMS Marketing is the direct way to reach your customers. You can automate:

Flash sale notifications
Delivery updates
Special offers for our loyal customers

Open rates upwards of 98% mean SMS has real-time, high engagement. You may, however, we should warn you against abusing this channel as you may end up pissing off your audience.

Social Media Marketing

You don’t have to be everywhere, all the time. Automation tools help to schedule and distribute content to your social platforms so you’re always appearing 😉 In addition to posting, resources such as chatbots can be used to capture the attention of potential customers by feeding them automated answers to standard questions around product availability and shipping.

Retargeting Ads

Not everyone who visits your website will buy, but retargeting ads can get them back. Retargeting campaigns show products to users who have previously interacted with your site in some way, causing them to return and buy. You can easily run these campaigns using Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and similar tools.

Top Marketing Automation Software for E-commerce

There are a few marketing automation software providers that focus on e-commerce companies. Here’s a quick overview of some of the most popular options:

Klaviyo

Popular among e-commerce marketers, Klaviyo specializes in sending targeted emails and text messages. It provides powerful integrations with leading e-commerce solutions, such as Shopify, which leads to customer insights based on amassing data around the customer.

HubSpot

Famous for ease of use, HubSpot brings together email marketing, CRM, and analytics in a powerful package. It is best for small to medium-sized businesses looking for an all-in-one solution.

Omnisend

Omnisend is an all-in-one multi-channel marketing automation platform. With email, SMS, and push notifications you you can create hyper-targeted omnichannel campaigns.

Active Campaign

Active Campaign provides advanced segmentation and personalization capabilities, so it’s perfect for businesses that need to be able to whittle down on targeting. You will receive a drag and drop automation builder for an easy start.

How To Introduce Marketing Automation In Your E-Commerce Business

Step #1: Get a sense of your requirements

Evaluate the types of outcomes you would like to achieve with automation before purchasing tools. Is increasing cart conversions your obsession? Or are you hoping to keep more customers coming back?

Step 2: Choose the Right Tool

Choose a solution that fits your needs and is compatible with your existing applications. For instance, Klaviyo might be chosen by Shopify users for its integration.

Step 3: Identifying/Segmenting Your Customers

Segment your customers based on purchase history, browsing behavior, geographic location, and preferences. Automation tools shine a light on these segments, so you can market to them with laser accuracy.

Step 4: Automate Workflows

Task automation should form the backbone of your plan. Develop workflows for common triggers like:

Sending a welcome email upon signing up
Launching an SMS chat for abandoned carts
Cross-sell products after the sale

Step 5: Monitor and Optimize

Analyze the performance of your workflows once they goes live. Tweak your method using open rates, click rates and conversions as indicators.

Predicting the Future of Marketing Automation for Ecommerce

Marketing automation isn’t a trend; it’s a necessity if e-commerce businesses want to stay competitive. In the coming years, the next advancements in AI and machine learning will take automation to new heights. From conversational AI chatbots to predictive analytics predicting customer queries before they come, the future looks bright for the company willing to disrupt.

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