With the increasing use of the internet and in a time when a large share of consumers are part of the generation that needs to be online on their electronic devices, it has become essential for many companies to explore the possibility of selling online. If it is your case and you own an e-commerce business, you should be aware that communication is critical to building a solid customer relationship.

Since e-commerce does not include face-to-face customer service as it happens in traditional stores, there are some customer care actions that don’t take place such as asking if the customer needs help, smiling when receiving payment, asking if everything is OK, etc.

These small interactions that only exist in physical stores can make all the difference in customer satisfaction and retention. In the case of E-Commerce, there are other ways to follow the customer, and here comes Email Marketing. Next, we cover the three types of email you should always send if you have an e-commerce business.

Send a welcome email

It may seem unnecessary, but a welcome email builds trust and shows respect and friendliness to customers. Sending a welcome email to your potential customers even before they complete a purchase can encourage them to progress through the purchase journey. Offering exclusive benefits and discount vouchers are also ways to motivate the customer to make purchases. Welcome mail is also a way to start a conversation with the customer and promote communication between both parties.

What happened to your cart?

How many times have you strolled in the mall, looked at the shop windows, tried on clothes and then ended up carrying nothing? The equivalent of e-commerce is to add items to the cart and drop it before checkout. The great advantage of e-commerce is that it is possible to follow these drop-outs and use the opportunity to contact the customer and perhaps recover the sale.

Sending an email to a user who has abandoned the carton draws attention back to your store, its products or services. Not all customers intentionally leave your website. Factors such as slow loading time, a complicated checkout process, and the timeout of your session may result in the cart being abandoned, so reminding the potential customer that your store exists could be a step in the way of closing a sale.

Information about the state of your purchase

More and more people are buying online. However, users like to feel confident in the platforms where they make purchases and are becoming more demanding regarding transparency in the buying process. If a customer places their credit card information on an e-commerce site and does not receive any order status confirmation or e-mail, they are immediately unsure.

There are three important points of the purchase journey that must be accompanied by an email to the customers:

• Order Confirmation - Email that lists the order details of the customer.

• Shipping Status - Email informing the customer about the date your order was shipped, with an estimate of the date the customer will receive it. This message must be sent when the request leaves your premises.

• Refund Confirmation - Not all purchases end well. However, making the repayment process easy, fast and transparent can win you a future client.

Customers value consistency. If you accompany your customers in a friendly and efficient way, the probability of returning is high.