The Holy Grail of Email Marketing: Why Automation is Everything.
While many dismiss it, email marketing is still a GOD when it comes to e-commerce sales. But the real Holy Grail is automation. Email basically splits into two categories: Flows and Campaigns. Real simple: flows are automated, and campaigns are ever-changing, moving with the times.
Once set up correctly, flows require minimum work and maintenance to continue to optimize and generate more sales. Campaigns, on the other hand, require continuous work, planning, and execution. And according to a 2025 report by Omnisend, automation significantly outperforms campaigns.
“Compared to manual campaigns, automated messages outperformed across the board with:
+52% better open rates
+332% higher click rates
+2361% better conversion rates (yes, you read that right)”
So, in terms of ROI, it’s a no-brainer — or at least it should be!
Now perk up because this is important: I’m not here to shit on campaigns — ideally, you do both. But the reality is many brands don’t have the expertise or time to execute an effective campaign strategy or the resources to pay an agency or freelancer because, with all the associated costs of running an e-commerce store, they’re just not profitable enough across the board — YET!
Unfortunately, for that reason, many choose to continue to sleep on email, and in doing so, put themselves in a position to get smoked by their competition and potentially bury their own business.
Owning a Shopify store and having a product doesn’t cut it anymore. Those days are gone. Now, more than ever, you have to be omnipresent, have a personality, and you have to market the shit out of your brand and set it apart if you’re going to succeed.
So, let’s talk about the first — and most important — solution: Your flows (or automation):
Flows set the foundation not only for email marketing but for your entire e-commerce store, providing you with a reliable % of revenue, month-in, month-out — as long as they are executed correctly!
And when done correctly, they free up the resources you need to execute a profitable campaign strategy or just exhale and enjoy your life for a minute.
A sophisticated automation system consisting of 30 + emails triggered by different behaviors, all serving a different purpose, is KEY to your store's success and longevity.
Depending on your business, this system will generate anywhere from 20% (low) to 45% (high) of your store's revenue. The percentage is subjective and depends on the industry and brand, but conservatively, you’re looking at at least 25% to 30%. This is assuming you market through other channels also.
Enter problem one: A lot of people will tell you it’s easy — it’s not. It’s only easy if you know how. Heart surgery is easy if you know how! Although, to be fair, it’s probably easier to learn email marketing. Mind you, I’m tempted to argue it’s harder than heart surgery, but I’d better rein it in!
The point is most people don’t know how, and even most “marketers” don’t know how because they’re not copywriters, and they don’t understand Klaviyo because they’re too busy with social media, which is an entirely different skill set.
Case in point: I have sat with a friend who owns a small successful brand and pointed out the mistakes they are currently making with their email. I wrote a huge list and offered to fix them, but she wanted her new marketing hire to do it. Six months later, it pains me, but I know for sure she has lost at least 30 grand and countless new and repeat customers.
See, a lot of brands have a shitty email account, and because of that dismiss email altogether and just let their reputation and deliverability continue to die a painfully slow death instead of fixing the problems and resurrecting life from the dead.
That’s a decision they are free to make, but email — when done right — not only guarantees sales, but it also allows you to create meaningful relationships with prospects, customers, and repeat customers while securing positive reviews, increasing brand loyalty, and advocacy.
Many more businesses have some flows in place — tick it off the list and forget about it. But they’re set up all wrong and ignored for too long.
Another case in point: I recently started working with a new client, corrected some mistakes, and in 18 days, their email revenue had increased by 256%, which equated to $15,355 (35% of overall revenue with the new (not even finished) welcome flow increasing 432% on the previous period). And that was in January — a morgue month when everybody’s broke.
Here is an example of another client whose flows I set up last year. They don’t send campaigns, although I would if I were them because they’d kill it, but respect, they’re doing their thing, and their focus is in other areas. Now look at all that extra revenue they get for doing nothing - and that was only in the last six months of the year!
A sophisticated email automation system is likely one of the best investments you’ll make in your e-commerce business.
Plan to sell in a few years? Any prospective buyer will analyze your email.
No email? You’ll get pennies on the dollar.
Want to ensure you’re protected should Meta shut down your account for some innocent mistake? Happened to a friend recently — lost everything. If he had an email list, it would have helped him bounce back fast without having to start again from scratch!
Flows provide you peace of mind.
We all crave certainty in life and a little peace. Flows can provide you with that peace. Campaigns are great, but relying solely on campaigns without having a shit-hot automation system working in the backend is only going to ensure you’re always on the back foot. I get so much anxiety even thinking about it!
What a sh*t hot flow system entails:
Every flow serves a different purpose, and every email in that flow serves a different purpose again and will be delivered to different people based on different behavioral triggers.
Welcome flows don’t just greet new subscribers, they educate them on your brand, build trust, show it off, and convert prospects into paying customers.
Abandoned Cart & Checkout flows recover sales you didn’t even know you lost.
Post-purchase flows are absolute weapons when it comes to creating a positive experience for the customer, ensuring they fall head over heels in love with your brand and are only too happy to leave you with a positive review and come back to buy again and again.
Win-back flows either resurrect the dead or help get rid of the bodies.
Sunset flows get rid of more bodies that are costing you money and contributing to a poor deliverability score, increasing the likelihood of your emails ending up in spam.
Replenishment flows remind people to, you know, replenish!
Browse abandonment flows bring people back to a product page while educating them further, overcoming objections, and ultimately helping them make the decision to buy.
And that’s just scratching the surface…
You can do a happy birthday flow, a site-abandonment flow, an anniversary flow, a back-in-stock flow; the list goes on. Basically, if you can think it, you can probably execute it, so they allow for a LOT of creativity and testing with your messaging while constantly providing you with insights and valuable feedback as to what your customer wants and likes.
The cost of ignoring email is too high.
The amount of revenue lost from not having a potent automation system in place — if they knew — would cause most e-commerce business owners to have a stroke. Those who have tried and didn’t get results, comfort themselves by proclaiming email just doesn’t work for their business when in reality, whoever set it up has just done a shitty job — most likely because they were given a task they weren’t qualified to do.
So, if you are looking for a shit hot email system that guarantees you predictable recurring revenue month in, month out — and you want to work with someone who will bleed passion into your business — and not just try to take your money — then do yourself a favour and book a call below.
I guarantee you results or your money back, and I will only work with you if I’m 100% convinced I can add significant value to your business.
