How to Create an Attractive Newsletter for your Dropshipping Store
Due to the convenience and the around-the-clock availability of online purchases, eCommerce is attracting more and more consumers around the globe. According to Statista, there will be a total of 2.14 billion online buyers worldwide by the end of 2021. If we take into consideration that the world’s population is projected to reach 7.87 billion by the end of the same year we can safely assume that roughly 27% of the whole population is purchasing goods and services online. This percentage is expected to continue to rise in the upcoming years which means a growing market for eCommerce retailers. But on the other hand, there are more and more players on the market as well due to the opportunity it provides. The dropshipping market was valued at 128 billion USD in 2020 and is projected to grow with a 32% rate year on year between 2021 and 2026. This indicates that the competition is going to grow and get more intense in the years ahead.
In order to be able to grow your business in this marketplace, it is important that you tailor and implement a digital marketing strategy. A well-balanced digital marketing strategy should involve a wide spectrum of eCommerce marketing tools but when it comes to a “face-to-face” conversation with the customers you will want to use eCommerce newsletters. As we all know, returning visitors are a great asset to any eCommerce business, and what would be the best way to bring them back to your website than emailing them directly about the newness that is happening at your business? In this article, you can read about the importance of eCommerce newsletters and tips on how to create an attractive newsletter for your dropshipping store.
Why are eCommerce newsletters important for you?
Before getting into the details of how to create an appealing eCommerce newsletter, it is important to understand why you need one in the first place. In this section, we will highlight the most beneficial attributes for your better understanding.
Targeting specific segments
The first and most important attribute of eCommerce newsletters is that they allow you to target a very specific market segment. When you are just starting your dropshipping business you are likely to start with a smaller customer base so need to be very specific about who you target with your marketing efforts so you can convert them the best way possible. With eCommerce newsletters, you can easily target segments such as those visitors who abandoned their carts and offer them incentives if they follow through with their purchase. This way you can bring them back to your store and encourage them to complete the checkout.
A measurable marketing channel
As eCommerce newsletters are among the most measurable marketing channels you can adopt, they can help you to understand many aspects of both your business and marketing strategy. Having an eCommerce newsletter will not only point you out the areas you need improvement at but also organize your marketing campaigns and switch things up based on which email did the best in the past.
A way to increase traffic
One of the best attributes of eCommerce newsletters is that you can use them for more personal targeting as opposed to social media or influencer marketing. This can be a major advantage when you are looking at your ROI (Return On Investment). Due to its personalized factor, people tend to react better to eCommerce newsletters than to social media advertisements, for this reason, eCommerce newsletters can be a great way to increase your traffic and, of course, sales in the long run. So you can keep expanding your business by offering more products and targeting a wider demographic of customers, which is the ultimate goal for every dropshipper that wants to stay in the game. But it is important to keep in mind that with eCommerce newsletters you can only reach a certain number of people compared to a post that has gone viral on social media. It takes some luck to be hyped up by users but the possibility is always there.
Targeting returning customers
ECommerce newsletters can be a good tool to keep your brand alive in your customers’ minds and increase your chances of returning customers. It enables you both to reinforce your brand image and notify your previous customers about all of the new updates in your store. If you manage to display the most attractive products to the group you are targeting, you will see a high engagement rate which will ultimately translate into sales as well.
Ways to create an attractive eCommerce newsletter
Now that you are familiar with the potential and the importance of creating an eye-catching eCommerce newsletter, let’s see how you can achieve to do so. In this section, we will discuss the ways you can create the best eCommerce newsletters for your business to attract shoppers to your store’s website.
Personalize the sender’s name
Undoubtedly, one of the most important things people look at when they are receiving an email is who it came from and if they know the sender. Unfortunately, today we are living in a world where cyber security is a major concern as phishing emails were the number one risk in 2020. For this reason, the sender’s name plays an important factor when it comes to an email being opened or deleted immediately. This is why it is crucial to clearly identify the company that is sending the email. The best practice that most companies are using currently is using the following format: “(First name of the person sending the email) from (Name of the company)”.
Use an eye-catching subject line
The next technique you can get your customers to open your eCommerce newsletter is to use an attractive subject line that makes them curious about the content of the email. You can do this by including CTAs (Call To Action) into your subject line like “grab” and “get”. You can also use the psychology of loss aversion to create a feeling of urgency and get your customers to act quickly. Another tactic is to use emojis if you feel like they resonate with the customer group you are targeting as you can write a more outstanding and witty subject line with them.
Customize your preview text
Another thing people can immediately see when they receive a new email is the preview text that is closely following the subject line. This piece of text can give your customers a better idea of what they will find in your eCommerce newsletter when opening it. So it is not only giving you another chance to catch their attention but also improves their trust in your communication and the credibility of the email.
Create a responsive design
MCommerce is clearly on the rise and is projected to account for 72.9% of all eCommerce sales by the end of 2021. Also, statistics show that today over 85% of people are opening their emails on a mobile platform. For these reasons, it is not only important to make your store’s website responsive but your eCommerce newsletter’s design as well. Responsivity does not only ensure that your email looks great on a mobile platform but also makes it easier for your customers to navigate and interact with it. To achieve this, you can use email templates that automatically resize and rearrange text and images so your eCommerce newsletter is almost in the most digestible form for your recipients.
Use high-quality product images
When displaying products in your eCommerce newsletters it is highly important to use the best and clearest images possible. This will allow your customers to see all the product details and you to display the function of the product and to create a mood that goes with the product. Creating a mood and a lifestyle around your product is important as many consumers are not exclusively purchasing products for their practical value but also for the lifestyle that comes with them. But always keep in mind the size of the images in the process. If the images are too big and slow to load on a mobile or desktop device, your customers are likely to get distracted and lose interest quickly and you can miss out on that desired conversion.
Address your recipient
When you are sending out an eCommerce newsletter it is likely that you have previous records of your customers’ names so, if your email marketing services allows it, it is a good idea to address them by their names. This will make your emails feel more personal and can allow you a much laid-back tone of voice. To access the names of your customers, you can ask them to include them in your newsletter sign-up form and of course, you will automatically have a record of the names of customers who have already placed an order with you previously.
The perfect copy
In order to engage with your customers in the best way, you have to find the perfect copy style and length that fits them. As mentioned above, most people are reading their emails on the go on their mobile devices which implies that they are not interested in reading a short story with each email they receive. All your eCommerce newsletters should include these four building blocks, a title, a subject line, a body copy where you are giving more in-depth information, and a CTA option at the end. First, make sure that you are writing a catchy headline and subject line to get them to read further. Then it is time to focus on the core information you want to get through. According to The Atlantic, the best copy for a marketing email is between 50 to 125 words but certainly not more than 200 and with this length, you can achieve a response rate of over 50%. Also, it is not recommended to write your copy in a too “salesy” manner but rather grab this opportunity to focus on getting your brand’s identity across. As for the CTA, you would want to add a button at the end with a short CTA line so you can redirect your readers to the desired page of your store.
Increase sales by including incentives
Who does not love an incentive in their eCommerce newsletter? When you are targeting either new or existing customers it is advised to include an incentive into your email and see your sales increase. You can send incentives to your customers for different reasons such as signing up for your newsletter, trying to get them back to their abandoned carts, and as a gift for your loyal, long-term customers. Incentives can also come in all shapes and forms, for example, coupon codes, free products as gifts after spending a certain amount or offering a free shipping.
Segment your eCommerce newsletter strategy
Segmentation is key when it comes to online marketing in general but applies to newsletters more importantly. You want to make sure that you are sending the right emails to the right segment in order for them to be interested in what you have to say and offer. Also, when people receive irrelevant emails on a regular basis, there is a risk that they will unsubscribe from your mailing list and your pool of potential recipients will decrease. Most email marketing tools are helpful when it comes to segmentation as you can filter your subscribers on different aspects and create groups. This will help you to automate your eCommerce newsletter campaigns and make sure that your emails land in the inbox they are meant to be in.
Always test and measure
Not everyone is a natural when it comes to email marketing but this is not an issue you could not deal with. Testing different types of eCommerce newsletters on different customer segments will allow you to collect data on how they interact with your emails and monitor the conversion of each variant. You can not only experiment with the content of the emails but you can try different sending times and frequencies as well. After you have tested for a while you should have a clear idea of what works best for your target audience and work alongside those lines. But be sure to always test new ideas so your eCommerce newsletters will always have something new and interesting to offer to your customers.
To sum up
As you can see from above, there is a lot to consider when building an eCommerce newsletter campaign. The best thing you can do is continuous testing and see what works the best for your business. Always try to put yourself in your customers’ position and think of things they would be interested in and ways they are reading your newsletter. If you do so, you will see an increased conversion rate and higher returns on your time spent creating your eCommerce newsletters.
Learn more
- How to create an ‘About Us’ page for your online store?
- How to create a business plan for dropshipping?
- How to create Google Shopping Ads?
About the Author
Lilla Stefanovszky
Fashion marketing professional turned digital marketer. My name is Lilla and I have been working in the fashion industry for 5 years. Currently working at BrandsGateway and helping with the development of the marketing strategy and on occasions writing articles for our audience. When away form the computer, I enjoy outdoors and running with my dogs.
