How to Use Email Retargeting To Retain Customers

Customers abandon their online shopping carts for all kinds of reasons: The timing may be off, they may require more information, or they might get unfocused. That’s why ecommerce brands depend on email retargeting to supply a little nudge to turn online window shoppers into paying customers.

Email retargeting helps you re-engage website visitors with personalized messages that are unfeasible to ignore. Here’s how it works and when to use it.

What is email retargeting?

Email retargeting is an ecommerce marketing tactic where brands send emails aimed to reengage individuals who interacted with your brand but didn’t pursue through with the desired action, like making a purchase. The schedule allows you to communicate with customers whose contact information you’ve already gathered in subscriber lists and to make personalized campaigns using their behavior as triggers. This results in hyper-personalized remarketing tactics that convert.

How email retargeting works

Website behavior is commonly tracked through browser cookies (data stored on the customers’ devices), which track browsing history. For deeper insights, you can also supplement cookie data with third-event tools that monitor social media engagement or use tracking pixels, tiny invisible images used to track email opens and engagement. Email retargeting uses this customer data to make personalized email marketing campaigns.

Note that unlike retargeting in digital advertising, which targets anonymous visitors, email retargeting can only reach people already on your email lists. While it may have a smaller reach, email marketing gives you a direct line to customers who have already shown gain through subscribing, making it more effective at driving conversions with a 36:1 gain on property, on average.

When to use email retargeting

• Cart abandonment
• Post-purchase upsell
• navigator nurture

Successful email remarketing emails hit the correct person with the correct communication at the correct period. Here’s when to use email retargeting:

Cart abandonment

The internet is packed of distractions. Email retargeting is your chance to prompt shoppers about something they’ve shown gain in and direct them back to their abandoned carts.

There are different types of cart abandonment. Users may abandon their cart at checkout, the final step before purchase, or leave after browsing a product (browse abandonment). Each scenario warrants its own targeted email campaign.

When planning your abandoned cart email, consider why the user might have dropped off. For instance, do you have shock shipping fees at checkout? You might propose them free shipping to mitigate sticker shock. tiny perks like this can inspire people to arrive back and keep shopping.

ordinary reasons users stop browsing include indecision, distractions, or worth concerns. A tiny nudge reminds users of their shopping session and can assist motivate them to complete their purchases.

Post-purchase upsell

A major advantage of email retargeting is the ability to make spectators segments based on their actions and use that data to cross-sell or upsell. For example, you can send pursue-up emails offering complementary products with free shipping if purchased before the original order ships, or entice customers back with a discount for their next purchase.

Email retargeting is key in driving repeat purchases, positively affecting customer lifetime worth (LTV) and retention. This is especially handy for infrequent purchasers. Businesses commonly use Meta’s ad platform for remarketing using a Meta pixel—a piece of code placed on a website to track purchasers and optimize advertising efforts on Meta platforms—but Meta has a limit of 180 days of data. This means if the purchase was over 180 days prior, email retargeting is your best alternative.

navigator nurture

navigator nurturing is the habit of developing and maintaining relationships with potential customers (known as leads) throughout their trip. When someone fills out a form but hasn’t made a purchase, email retargeting can assist navigator them through your sales funnel.

For example, in a business-to-business (B2B) setting, you might view that a prospect early in the buying procedure downloaded your white document. You can retarget them with an email linking directly to the property, then pursue up with content relevant to their interests. This can strengthen their connection with your brand and boost the likelihood of conversion when they’re ready to purchase.

How to use email retargeting

• Collect and match customer data
• Send relevant, personalized email campaigns
• Make your retargeting campaigns a positive encounter
• Avoid overwhelming customers
• Isolate campaigns to assess act

Email retargeting campaigns can assist you recover lost sales and enhance conversion rates. But it only works if you use customer data well. Here are some email retargeting best practices to assist you run your retargeting campaigns:

Collect and match customer data

Every email address—and the consent to contact—is a chance to enrich your data and nurture leads through your funnel.

Track each email submission with a Meta pixel from your Meta Ads Manager and add it to your email database. Meta will provide a snippet of code that you can place in the <head> section of your website so it loads on every page. Meta can then match the people in your email list with their social media profiles.

The sooner you commence collecting email addresses, the faster you can gather historical data for remarketing to ensure you aren’t missing out on customer insights or advertising opportunities.

Send relevant, personalized email campaigns

Meet your customers where they are in their buying procedure. To do this, align your messaging schedule with the different stages of the customer trip, from first learning about your business to making a purchase.

For example, someone who just found your business might get a welcome email, while someone who adds products to their cart but doesn’t check out would get an abandoned cart email. Offers catered to the customer’s selection stage—such as discounts, online reviews, free gifts, and testimonials—can assist bring them back to complete the deal.

Make your retargeting campaigns a positive encounter

While many may not grasp the nuances of retargeting in marketing, most people today are aware that they’re being tracked online—and not everyone is comfortable with it.

Subtlety is your partner. Avoid directly stating that you’re targeting recipients because they’re on your list. make a helpful encounter rather than one that feels forced by the truth they gave their email.

For example, instead of saying, “We’re reaching out because you’re on our email list,” focus on providing worth. If the customer was browsing tennis shoes, you could declare, “Based on your recent gain, we wanted to distribute this special propose with you,” and provide a discount for the tennis shoe they were looking at.

Avoid overwhelming customers

When adding someone to your email retargeting campaign, exclude them from other marketing emails and prospecting activities so there’s no overlap. The messaging in your email retargeting schedule should be the most personal and relevant content. To prevent ad fatigue, implement frequency caps if you’re pairing emails with retargeted ads.

Isolate campaigns to assess act

Isolate your retargeting campaigns from other campaigns to better comprehend their effectiveness. This way, you can focus on the specific actions users receive—like abandoning carts or reviewing products—and ensure that your emails reach the correct spectators.

Key email marketing metrics to assess include:

• Open rate
• Click-to-open-rate (CTOR)
• Conversion rate
• Unsubscribe rate
• Spam complaint rate