Email Templates for Targeting eCommerce and Retail Industries

How to reach out to eCommerce prospects via cold emails: Wordstir Best Practices

 

Wordstir's strategy of cold email sequences includes several campaign types: online appointment setting, re-engagement emails, webinar invitations, face-to-face appointments, networking emails, and free trials. Each campaign type is geared toward particular intent. Considering the specifics of eCommerce and retail industries and the requirements of our clients, we mainly apply the appointment-setting approach or referral approach to get the ball rolling. 

 

       1. Enhance the opening with attractive stats and cases

 

When talking about email reaching out to prospects, applying stats and metrics in your message can be a persuasive factor, especially when they represent the achievements of your clients who have already used your solutions. For example:

“Quick question - if you could launch a {B2B/B2B2C} online storefront in 4-8 weeks, achieve +23% conversion rate, and +25% revenue, would you be interested?

 

At {Company}, we’ve helped our clients like {Company 1}, {Company 2}, {Company 3} embrace eCommerce, go beyond brick-and-mortar operations, and win more customers by developing online storefront solutions with unlimited brand expression, unparalleled scalability, omnichannel optimization, quick order fulfillment, and effective navigation. 

 

{B2B/B2B2C} eCommerce sales grew by nearly 21% in 2020, so I’d love to help you map out a plan of action to mow down your competition with your new eCommerce storefront.”

 

These are actually the numbers that indicate the real value proposition of eCommerce solutions for businesses to maintain their competitive edge.

 

       2. Start off with A/B testing

 

To identify what triggers your prospects, create two versions of email campaigns. Instead of guessing what works best, try out this data-driven approach to see what option brings more results. Moreover, experiment with subject lines that have to be unique, target-oriented, and impact the prospect’s decision to open the email. 

 

       3. Make your follow-up message short and straight to the point

 

This is the holy rule to make your follow-up email as simple as possible. Provide your prospect with a reminder of the previous email and the idea of setting up an appointment. Sometimes it is worth supplementing the email with one sentence that will serve as a hook or a summary of your first message. But in any case, the goal of the follow-up is to keep up your correspondence. 

 

       4. Outline the benefits of your product in the way they bring value to your prospects

 

Fuel your message with your strengths and benefits in a way it will resonate with your prospect. Don’t talk about yourself; otherwise, you will sound salesy. Pay attention to prospects’ problems indicating such performance metrics as ARR (annual recurring revenue), annual savings, ROI, etc. For instance, don’t formulate your benefits in this way:

 

X “We are a proven company capable of facilitating you to increase conversion rates, reduce customer acquisition costs, and boost retention…”

 

Make them more solid with the precise results you achieved in cooperation with your clients:

 

V “Our cooperation with {Company1}, {Company 2} tells us that {Your Company} can increase conversion rates by 66%, reduce CAC by 30%, and boost retention by over 50%.  

 

       5. Don’t forget the customers’ needs of your prospects

 

Today’s eCommerce customer groups expect their suppliers to provide them with personalized experiences and have them fulfill orders in online eCommerce platforms as fast as possible. Therefore, you have to empower your efforts by outlining the prospect’s pain points and, at the same time, taking into account the current behaviors and needs of your prospect’s existing customers. 

 

        6. Don’t burn bridges

 

Even if the prospect is silent, you have to be neutral, patient, and not give up to spur his action. By that, we mean do not use such phrases as “I tried to set up a meeting with you, but you haven’t answered”. Instead, try out the following: 

 

“Wanted to reach out one last time and just make sure I haven't overstepped my bounds. 

Maybe it’s me, but I’m getting the feeling that we are not a fit & a conversation doesn’t make sense at this time.

If not, no worries - perhaps we can reconnect in the future?”

 

       7. Include accurate CTA

 

After the introduction email, your prospect has to be guided to clear action. What is the purpose of your email? Do you want your prospects to accept your invitation to the face-to-face meeting? Should they just reply to your outreach with “Yes”? Anyway, ensure your prospect has a clear understanding of what he is required to do.

 

 

 

3 eCommerce email templates that you can use right now

 

Template 1: Kick-off email fueled by numbers

 

For whom: Outstaffing software development company

 

Wave 1 

Subject line: You or your {{ReferralTitle}}

 

Hi {{First_Name}},

 

I looked at {{Company}}’s LinkedIn profile but am not sure who I should contact regarding your eCommerce initiatives - would it be you or {{Referral Name}}?

 

My name is {Sender}, CEO at [Company]. We help retail companies build software and organize workflow by providing them with fully-managed offshore teams with the 100% right skill set.

 

Our clients develop long-term partnerships with us, many of them lasting more than five years, and they've built a total of $50 mil in ARR around the software we co-created.

 

Would you or {{ReferralName}} be interested in evaluating our services for {{Company}}?

 

Best,

{{Sender}}

 

Wave 2 - Same thread

 

Hi {{First_Name}},

 

Following up on the above - if you are interested, let’s connect sometime this or next. 

 

How about  1 PM PST next Tuesday?

 

Have a great one,

{{Sender}}

 

This is an example of just two messages, including follow-up. The keystone to your successful cold email outreach is a holistic cadence that embraces 3-5 waves of reaching out. 

 

Template 2: Benefit-oriented face-to-face appointment email  

 

For whom: Remote staffing agency 

 

Wave 1-A

 

Subject line A: lunch in {{City}}, {{FirstName}}?

Subject line B:  {{FirstName}} {{LastName}} & {{Sender}}, [Company] CEO

 

Hi {{FirstName}},

 

I hoped to discuss how {{Company}} could reduce the annual spend per hire by USD 25,000. Would you mind if I hosted you for lunch the following week?

 

We are a remote staffing agency. By working with our e-commerce, admin, marketing, customer support, accounting, and social media assistants, small businesses like yours see an average of 25K USD annual savings per hire:

 

• A fixed 8.00 USD hourly rate per experienced e-commerce assistant;

• No need to provide paid breaks, holidays, or benefits;

• No accounting or legal issues or additional expenses to handle;

• No office or tech spend; all assistants have WiFi, smartphones, and laptops.

 

Our e-commerce assistants can help {{Company}} streamline its marketing efforts – they have a minimum of 3 years of expertise in eBay, Amazon, Facebook Marketplace, and Shopify support, and some have a history with Walmart and sales enablement.

 

Any openings next week?

 

Best,

{Sender}

 

Wave 2 - Same thread

 

Hi {{FirstName}},

I'm hoping you're doing fine. Bringing this email thread to the top of your inbox to ensure that my messages are not overlooked.

Could you let me know if you’re willing to meet for lunch next week? 

Regards,

P.S. If you are interested in reviewing our e-commerce assistants' portfolios, I'll send out some examples today. 

 

Template 3: Set up an appointment via referral

 

For whom: digital marketing agency

 

Wave 1 

SL: Should I talk with you or {Referral Name}

 

Hi {FirstName},

 

I’m looking for a person responsible for conversion rate optimization at {Company}. Would it be you or {Referral Name}?

 

I'm curious whether you've explored {Company}'s eCommerce purchase data to better understand purchase funnels, cart abandonment issues, and conversion rates among customer groups.

 

At {Company}​​, we combine analytical data and UX best practices - our competitors do one or the other, but never both - {Company} can make use of this unique mix to boost conversions from your incoming website traffic, improve campaign or landing page effectiveness, and focus your website design improvements and decisions.

 

{Company 1} and {Company 2} have already partnered with us to remove any barriers preventing purchases and increase return visitors + average order value.

 

Let me know if we could talk about it in more detail sometime next week?

 

Best,

{Sender}

 

Wave 2 - Same thread

 

{FirstName},

 

Have you had a chance to review my previous note?

 

Through our strategic partnership, {Company} could leverage the power of your eCommerce purchase data to get a better understanding of customer purchase funnels, cart abandonment problems, and conversion rates.

 

Please let me know if this strikes a chord and if so, is next Thursday at 2 pm good for us to talk?

 

Best,

{Sender}

Sounds good, yeah? But how to make all this work? How to identify the appropriate approach that will hit your target audience? Let us do this job for you!