You know the phrase “money in your sleep”? For eCommerce brands, email marketing automation is as close as it gets. It’s not just a time-saver — it’s a revenue generator that works 24/7, building customer relationships, recovering lost sales, and turning one-time buyers into loyal fans.
And yet, most brands we see aren’t even scratching the surface.
In this guide, we’re pulling back the curtain on the strategies we use at 100% Digital to design high-performing automations — the kind that boost open rates, skyrocket click-throughs, and make your eCommerce store look seriously clever (even while you’re off having lunch).
Table of Contents
- Why Automations Matter More Than Ever
- The 6 Automations Every Store Should Set Up (Like, Now)
- Personalisation Without the Creep Factor
- Mistakes We See All the Time (and How to Avoid Them)
- Multi-Channel? Yep, You Can Do That Too
- Tools We Love and Why
- Your Next Step: The Free Review You Shouldn’t Ignore
1. Why Automations Matter More Than Ever
With paid ad costs rising and inbox competition fiercer than ever, email automation is your most dependable, highest-ROI channel.
Did you know?
- ROI for email marketing sits at $36–$42 for every $1 spent.
- Open rates for abandoned cart flows are 40–60%.
- Welcome sequences drive 3x more revenue than regular newsletters.
This isn’t just “set and forget” — this is “set and profit.”
2. The 6 Automations Every eCommerce Brand Should Have
You don’t need 50 automations. You need 6 done right.
| Automation | What It Does | Why It Works |
| Welcome Flow | Greets new subscribers, shares your brand story and offer | High intent, low resistance — first impressions matter |
| Abandoned Cart | Reminds visitors of what they left behind | Average recovery rate? 15% if optimised |
| Post-Purchase | Thanks customers, recommends products, builds trust | Reduces buyer’s remorse and increases AOV |
| Win-Back | Re-engages inactive customers | Cheaper than acquisition, and super measurable |
| Browse Abandonment | Nudges window shoppers | Personalised reminders based on product viewed |
| VIP Flow | Rewards your best customers | Builds loyalty and promotes referrals |
Visual Suggestion: Image of a branching email automation flowchart, with nodes for “Welcome”, “Abandoned Cart”, “Win-Back”, etc.
3. Personalisation Without the Creep Factor
Sending someone a “Hey [First-Name], you forgot these blue jeans in your cart!” is good.
Sending “Hey [Firstname], your jeans and 3 other items are waiting. And yes, your size M is still in stock.” can feel… too much.
The sweet spot? Personalised value. Not personalised surveillance.
🏆 Tactics we use:
- Segment by behaviour, not just demographics
- Dynamic content blocks based on purchase history
- Send time optimisation (yes, it works)
🧠 Expert tip: Integrating your ESP with your CRM (or even Shopify directly) gives you the right context — so you automate empathy, not just emails.
Visual Suggestion: Split-screen image: one side shows a generic “Hi there” email, the other a personalised one with dynamic product images and first name use.
4. Mistakes We See All the Time (and How to Avoid Them)
Let’s call it tough love.
❌ Mistake #1: Sending everything to everyone
Segment or suffer. A subscriber who bought dog toys doesn’t need cat food promos.
❌ Mistake #2: One-and-done automations
Set up a flow and never revisit it? You’re leaving money on the table. Test subject lines. Add A/B splits. Learn and refine.
❌ Mistake #3: No testing
It’s 2025. If you’re not testing send times, subject lines, or even CTA button colour — your competitors are.
🔁 Fix it: Schedule a quarterly review of your automations. Seriously. Put it in your calendar.
5. Multi-Channel Magic (Email + SMS + Ads)
The best flows don’t stop at inboxes.
We build cross-channel journeys where:
- An abandoned cart email is followed by…
- An SMS reminder 24 hours later, and…
- A personalised ad via Meta or Google days after that.
It’s one journey. Just different touchpoints.
Visual Suggestion: Diagram showing a customer journey across Email > SMS > Meta Ads (e.g., user abandons cart → gets email → gets SMS → sees dynamic retargeting ad).
6. Tools We Love (Platform Agnostic, Promise)
While we love to use Klaviyo, we’re not exclusive.. we work across:
- Klaviyo: for most mid-to-enterprise eComm brands
- Omnisend: affordable, Shopify-friendly
- ActiveCampaign: great if you need more CRM-style control
- Drip: solid for visual flow building
💬 We choose the tool based on you. Not the other way around.
7. What’s Next? Let’s Build or Optimise Your Flows
If you’re reading this and thinking:
“We’ve got some of this… but not all”
…then let’s fix it.
At 100% Digital, we design, build, and optimise automated email flows tailored to your audience and platform. Whether you’re starting from scratch or trying to scale smart, we can help.
👉 Take advantage of our Free Email Marketing Review — we’ll audit your current flows, check for gaps, and show you what’s possible.
Final Thoughts
Your email automations should be:
- Smart (segmented, behavioural, tested)
- Human (personalised, valuable, timely)
- Strategic (driving actual revenue)
And they should already be running. Because your competitors’ definitely are.
