When it comes to eCommerce, brands are always trying to mix up their next best recipe for success. Want to learn one of the secret ingredients? At CakeCommerce, we’ve found that integrating email and website initiatives makes for a chef’s kiss strategy. Just as a baker knows the importance of blending flavors for the perfect cake, in online business, ensuring your email and website strategies cohesively work together can create a customer experience (CX) that's truly delightful. By merging these two elements, you can concoct a journey that satisfies your customers and sweetens your bottom line. Let’s start sifting through the details of what makes this strategy so great.
Benefits of Integrating Website and Email Strategy
Today, there’s no shortage of information and offers on the internet – you can literally find anything that comes to mind. What sets brands apart from one another? The higher the incentive value of an introductory offer, the more enticing for the customer, of course – but beyond that, having a cohesive and personalized experience is what really seals the deal. By integrating your website and email strategies, in particular, you can experience a ton of benefits both for your brand and your consumers. Here are a few of the sweetest:
For the Brand:
- Unified Data Collection: By integrating both platforms (for example, just like Klaviyo and Shopify), brands can streamline first-party data collection. This not only simplifies data management but also offers a holistic view of the customer.
- Enhanced Marketing Performance: A synchronized strategy means marketing efforts are more targeted and relevant. This leads to better engagement, higher conversion rates, and increased revenue.
- Cost Efficiency: Focusing on creating a seamless experience for current customers ensures brand loyalty. This is crucial, especially considering retaining existing customers is far more cost-effective than acquiring new ones. In fact, studies have shown that the cost of acquiring new customers can be up to five times higher than retaining existing ones.
For the Consumer:
- Highly Personalized Interactions: With data from both the website and email working together, consumers can enjoy content and offers tailored specifically to their preferences and behaviors.
- Seamless Experience: An integrated approach ensures that the consumer's journey, from browsing products to receiving follow-up emails, is smooth and consistent. This not only enhances user satisfaction but also builds trust in the brand.
Understanding and leveraging these benefits allows brands to position themselves as a top-tier option, offering experiences that resonate with their target audience.
Our Top 6 Ways to Integrate Your Website and Email Experiences
Cart Reminder Emails
One of the most important strategies for an eCommerce brand is cart reminder emails. This essential tool helps to recover potential lost profits, gently nudging your customers that their purchase is waiting for them. You’ll want to tailor your reminders based on the customer's journey stage, whether they’re browsing or have abandoned their cart. With statistics showing an average of 70% cart abandonment rate, not having a recovery strategy is like forgetting an essential ingredient in your cake.
Product Quiz
Want to know a super fun way to help your customers decide which of your products to buy? Adding a product quiz to your website can help make the purchase journey a little bit simpler for them. Perhaps they are shopping for a curling iron but aren’t sure which barrel size to get – this is where you can offer a quiz that asks them questions like, “What type of hair do you have?” and “What type of curls do you want?” At the end, you can then present them with a couple of options that work for them based on their needs. Not only does it increase trust and conversion rates, but it also provides valuable zero-party data. You can then use this data to send those valuable email reminders and exclusive offers.
Product Reviews
Someone purchased your product, time to celebrate! But the journey with your customer shouldn’t end there. Product reviews are the next step – they’re word-of-mouth recommendations that, in some ways, are more valuable than any type of marketing you could do. They’re the digital gold that can shine a light on how credible and trustworthy your brand is. However, you’ll want to keep in mind there is such a thing as too soon when asking for a product review. You want to make sure you give them time to test out and use your product before you ask them to write you a review. Rushing it may result in a missed opportunity for genuine thoughts and feedback. So, plan accordingly and give customers the space they need before asking. Once received, you can use reviews as powerful testimonials that can help convince other potential customers of the value of your products.
Program Sign-Up
Every brand has ride-or-die customers: the people who repeatedly choose your products and give you glowing reviews. By evaluating customer data and identifying these loyal customers, you can offer exclusive opportunities like a loyalty or brand ambassador program. To ensure cohesion between email and website, it’s important to sprinkle in the perks of signing up – it can be anything from exclusive discounts to early product access. By sprinkling in a little taste test in your email and then guiding them seamlessly to your website to sign up, you reward their loyalty and strengthen the bond between your brand and them. Plus, there are added benefits for your brand, like opportunities for email flows based on program engagement, point redemptions, perks, referrals, and more!
Milestone Campaign
When it comes to brand-customer relationships, milestones are everything. Whether it’s a customer’s first purchase, 10th order, or 100th order, recognizing and celebrating these achievements can foster brand loyalty. Leveraging customer data and website data to send them tailored emails highlighting their journey with your brand can make them feel valued and appreciated for their continued business, ultimately encouraging engagement and loyalty.
Content Downloads and Recommendation
You know what they say: content is king (or queen). It’s more than just information; you can use it to engage, educate, and establish authority in your super-competitive industry. By offering content in exchange for a customer's email, brands can grow their subscriber list and gain insights into customer preferences. When a customer downloads something like an eBook, whitepaper, or infographic, this opens the door for you to ask them more in-depth questions to learn more about them. This strategy will not only nurture the customer’s curiosity but position your brand as a valuable resource for them to use.
Let's Get Started on Your Integrated Journey
Not quite sure your website and email strategies are up to your customers’ standards? At CakeCommerce, we specialize in creating integrated omnichannel strategies that drive results. Whether you need help with eCommerce UX strategy, email marketing, marketing calendar planning, or consulting services, we're here to assist. Contact us today, and let's bake success together!
