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A shopper visits your store, looks at a few products, and leaves without buying anything. You may never hear from them again if you are skipping email marketing.
This happens a lot. According to the Baymard Institute research based on 50 studies, around 70% of online shopping carts stay abandoned. Bringing shoppers to your store costs money, but losing potential customers can hurt more than money.
Email marketing for retail stores gives you a way to connect with those targeted shoppers again. You can send them useful messages, product updates, offers, and reminders directly to their inbox. But the timing matters most. Don’t worry! If you are new to retail email marketing, you are in the right place.
In this guide, we will cover the key emails retail stores should send, when to send them, and how to set them up. It also explains how an email marketing platform like TrueSend can automate much of the work.
What Retail Email Marketing Really Means?
Email marketing for retail does not mean blasting the same sale message to everyone without analysing the shopping patterns of your customers. Actually, this is the big mistake when you enter email marketing. Your email will get ignored for sure.
So what does that mean?
Basically, good retail email marketing means sending the right message to the right person at the correct time, when they are actually tempted to open the email and interested in the product. For example, if you send a warm welcome email to a new subscriber, it can build a bond with your customer from the very start. In the same way, someone who left items in their cart receives a reminder email, and suddenly they hit pay.
The best part of an advanced email marketing service is that now you don’t need to send emails manually one by one. Most of these emails can run on their own once you set up email automation on the platform. You build the journey once, and it continuously works in the background.
What Are The Two Emails That Pay off Fastest?
If you are starting email marketing for a retail business and have no idea where to start, don’t worry! Don’t panic. You can simply begin your email campaign with welcome emails and abandoned cart emails. These emails will start your customer journey with a new subscriber and someone who just took interest in your product and saved it but did not buy.
But to keep customers engaged and influenced, it is very necessary to send them correctly. Neither should you send too many emails nor too few. Take a look at when to send what to build your brand.
The Welcome Series (3–4 emails)
A new subscriber is curious at that exact time, so you can’t waste time. When someone enters your store (buys something) or subscribes to your brand, welcome them with a humble welcome email. But it doesn’t end with one email. In this series, you need to continue with 3 to 4 emails.
| When (days) | What to send |
| Straight away | Say hello, share your story, and offer some perks or a reward on the first order. |
| Day 2 | Include your email – the product categories, and bestsellers. |
| Day 4 | Explain perks like – free delivery and easy returns |
| Day 7 | Share happy customer stories in your email. |
Abandoned Cart Emails (3–4 emails)
People search for a product, finalise it, add it to the cart, and forget. Your abandoned cart email can bring back people who almost bought. Space them out so you don’t feel pushy. Take a look at the correct timing for sending emails and what the pattern and content should be.
| When | What to send |
| 1–2 hours after they leave | A friendly reminder with the cart items |
| 24 hours after that | Product benefits, reviews, quick answers |
| 48 hours after that | A small incentive, only if needed |
| 24 hours after that | A deadline, like “your offer ends tomorrow |
Once you set this flow up in TrueSend, you can relax. Each reminder will arrive in the inbox separately, automatically.
Types of Emails That Turn Browsers Into Buyers
You’ll also need to set up many other emails one by one. Not everyone buys after the welcome emails, so you need to target them with other types of emails. These emails build trust over time and turn your audience into regular customers. Let’s map out when you can send these emails and what content to include.
The Nurture Series (4–7 emails)
With these emails, you nurture your client. The idea is simple. Start with the shopper’s problem and then talk about solutions like your product. Understand the sequence of the nurture email series:
- Day 3 after the welcome email: Talk about the problem they are struggling with.
- Day 5: Show how your product solves it.
- Day 8: Share real customer reviews.
- Day 10: Offer a small nudge, such as 10% off a first order.
- Day 12: Answer common doubts.
- Day 14: Share your main deal, like buy one, get one.
- Day 16: Add a deadline, such as “ends in 48 hours”.
Behaviour-Based Emails
To send targeted and relevant emails to your audience, you need to analyse their behaviour, segment the list, and send emails accordingly to hit the customer’s pain point at the right time. Check out how to send such emails.
| What they did | When to send | What to say |
| Looked at a product | 24 – 48 hours later | “Still thinking about this?” plus similar picks |
| Added to wishlist | 48 hours later | “Your saved items are waiting,” with a low-stock note. |
| Left a review | Right away | Thank them and share a discount. |
| Reached a new loyalty level | Same day | Celebrate and share their new perks. |
Emails After the Sale
The sale isn’t the finish line, but when you make customers feel looked after, they come back.
Post-Purchase Emails (3–5 emails)
When your customer completes the purchase, send them these emails:
- Right after buying: Order confirmation.
- When it ships: Tracking details.
- 1 day after delivery: Tips to get the most from the product.
- 7 days after delivery: A polite review request.
- 10–14 days after purchase: Items that go well with what they bought.
Review Request Emails
When any shopper writes a review, it helps build trust faster than any ad for the brand. Remember, timing matters here.
- Send the first request 7–14 days after delivery. Attach a product photo and a one-click rating link.
- If there’s no reply, send a gentle reminder 3–5 days later.
- When they do review, thank them right away and share a discount code.
- Later, tell customers what you improved because of their feedback. “You spoke, we listened” works well.
Loyalty and VIP Emails
Your best and regular customers deserve extra care. Keep them close with the right emails. You need to remember that each one email should clearly mention what they’ve earned, what’s next, and when the reward is going to expire. Take a look at when to send what as a retail marketer:
- Welcome to the programme – when they join instantly.
- Points updated email – monthly, or after each purchase.
- Level upgrade email – the day they reach a new level.
- Reward ready – when they hit the points target.
- VIP only offers – send these every quarter or on special days.
Bring Quiet Customers Back
Some customers simply leave a purchase, but when you send a friendly win-back email instantly, you might pull them back.
| When | What to write |
| 60–90 days after their last purchase | “We miss you” plus new arrivals |
| 7 days later | A special offer, like ₹200 off their next order |
| 5 days after that | An offer reminder and a short feedback question |
| 4–5 days after that | Last call: “Only 24 hours left” |
Sale and Festival Emails
Big sales need a build-up. Think of it as a slow drumroll.
A Simple Sale Countdown
- 7–10 days before: Tease what’s coming.
- 1–3 days before: Give loyal customers early access, with a countdown.
- Launch day: Share the main offer and featured products.
- Halfway through: Show bestsellers and “customers love this” proof.
- 24–48 hours before it ends: Send a “last chance” reminder.
How to Set Up Retail Email Marketing in 8 Steps
Email marketing has become an effective tool for businesses to grow faster and build customer relationships. Here is step-by-step guidance on how to set up retail email marketing.
1. Set clear goals
You need to pick what matters most for your email campaign. It could be more sales from email, more repeat buyers, or a bigger list – anything but one clear aim.
2. Know your shoppers
Note where they live, what they buy, and whether they prefer online or in-store shopping. Also, you should ask your subscribers how often they’d like to hear from you.
3. Choose the right email marketing platform
Look for the following features when choosing an email marketing platform:
- A simple drag-and-drop builder with ready-to-use email templates
- Easy grouping by what people buy and browse with list segmentation
- Email automation for welcome, cart, and post-purchase emails
- A link to your online store
- Email layouts that look good on phones
- A dashboard that clearly shows opens, clicks, and sales
4. Build your email list
You can’t email people who aren’t interested in your email or product.
In your shop: Ask at checkout. Put a QR code near the counter and offer points or rewards for signing up. Collect emails at events.
On your website: Use a pop-up that appears after 10–15 seconds or when someone is about to leave. Do not forget to add a signup box to your header or footer. Create a simple signup page. You can also offer a free guide inside blog posts.
5. Split your list into groups
This is called email segmentation, and it makes emails feel personal. Start with five simple groups:
| Group | Who they are | What to send |
| New customers | Just bought once | Tips and your brand story |
| Loyal customers | Buy often. | VIP offers and early access |
| Browsers | Visit but haven’t bought | Best sellers and a first-order offer |
| Cart abandoners | Left items behind | Reminders and limited-time deals |
| Lapsed customers | No purchase in 3+ months | “We miss you” emails |
Want to go deeper? Ask three questions about each customer.
- When did they last buy?
- How often do they buy?
- How much do they spend?
The clear answers will show you who your VIP customers are and who’s about to leave your brand. This is called RFM analysis, and it’s just a smarter way to sort your list.
6. Make emails feel personal
Your email should offer items that go with past purchases. So, when you remind people to restock things they use up, there is a high chance they will buy the product. You can show products from categories they love and mention local stores or the weather, like rain gear in monsoon season.
7. Write emails people enjoy reading
Your email should not bore the public. Make it look good as well as write well. It should mix product showcases, tips, customer stories, and behind-the-scenes peeks. Then follow four simple rules when creating an email:
- Your paragraphs should not be more than two to three lines.
- Explain benefits in your email too; for example, “Perfect for summer trips” beats “made with waterproof fabric,” etc.
- Create urgency by adding real deadlines or low-stock notes.
- Your email should have just one clear button like “Shop Now”, not “Click Here”.
8. Design for phones first
A large number of people read the email on their phones. So, make sure your email layout is mobile-supportive. You should use one-column layouts, easy-to-read text (at least 14 px), and buttons big enough for a thumb (about 44×44 pixels). Along with that, you should compress images so they load fast and write preview text that backs up your subject line.
Understand what is working and what is not
Email marketing metrics tell you what to fix and what is working well. Watch these four essential metrics:
- Open rate: Do people notice your emails? If it’s low, then you need to work on your subject lines.
- Click rate: Do recipients act? If it’s low, you need to make your buttons clearer.
- Sales from email: Are emails making money?
- Unsubscribe rate: If it climbs, you may be sending it too often or sending the wrong content styles.
Industry averages vary a lot by year and by shop type. So compare against your own past results first. Beat last month’s numbers, then keep going.
Test one thing at a time, too. Send two versions of an email to small groups and see which wins. Try a short subject against a long one, or a question against a statement. Try “20% off everything” against “save on summer styles”.
Why Retailers Choose TrueSend?
You know what to send and also when to send everything. But what if you miss the inbox even when you are on time? Here, deliverability plays a crucial role in email marketing. Basically, even when you have planned well, the implementation is the thing that can ruin the whole game. Here, TrueSend introduces its deliverability rate.
TrueSend is an email marketing platform that keeps email marketing simple for everyone. Even if you’ve never sent a campaign, TrueSend can deal with everything. With it, you can:
- Build emails without coding, like using ready templates and a drag-and-drop editor.
- Automate the boring parts, like setting up welcome, cart, post-purchase, and win-back journeys once, and let them run.
- Group shoppers easily with list segmentation.
- Send advanced emails with email AMP.
- See what’s working and what’s not with a real-time dashboard.
You spend less time on setup and more time serving customers with TrueSend. Email validation saves you from mistakes. Whether you run one shop or many, the process stays the same.
Final Thoughts
It is not about sending bulk email without any planning; you need to segment the audience, make an email list, and send relevant emails to customers at the right time. So, great retail email doesn’t just mean sending emails. You can start small, set up a welcome series and a cart reminder, and see the result. Then, accordingly, plan your sequence to get better results. Add one new email type each month. Check your performance and keep improving.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is email marketing still worth it for retail?
Yes. Email marketing helps you reach shoppers directly, and you don’t need to pay for every click. When about 70% of online carts get abandoned, shoppers can win back that sale by sending cart reminders and follow-up emails.
2. How often should a retail store send emails?
A retail store can send one or two emails a week to start and make automated emails triggered by shopper actions mandatory. However, the number of emails depends on many factors, like needing to watch your unsubscribe rate as well as customer response, and improve your email campaign accordingly.
3. What are the best retail email campaigns to start with?
You can start your retail email campaign by listing out the targeted audience and sending them welcome series and abandoned cart emails. Then you can carry on with win-back and festival-focused emails over time. This helps you cover the full shopper journey, from first visit to repeat purchase.
4. How do I start email marketing for my startup business?
You can easily start your email marketing for any kind of business with the help of a trusted and professional email service provider like TrueSend. Add a signup form to your site, and send a welcome email to your targeted audience. Then set up one cart reminder. You can start email marketing for startups by adding one new campaign each month.
5. What should I look for in an email service provider?
When you are picking an email service provider, make sure they have easy-to-use and important email features like email automation, list segmentation, signup forms, mobile-ready templates, clear reports, and good support. Additionally, the cost of the services should be worth paying. They should offer a free trial so you can test it first and pay later. At TrueSend, we work on marketers’ trust, so you can utilise multiple features for free and then, only if you are satisfied, purchase them for your email campaign.
