With over 36% of marketing professionals claiming to have employed email campaigns, it has gradually become one of the leading marketing tactics today. Whether it’s introducing that captivating witty text or adding the most relevant emoji, email campaigns can be a splendid way to strategically maximize sales. In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know to run successful pre-order email campaigns on Shopify and drive maximum sales.
Why are Pre-Order Email Campaigns Important for Shopify Stores?
Increased Sales
Pre-order email campaigns can harness early interest in products that aren’t yet available. By showcasing upcoming products to your audience and allowing them to pre-order, you create a sense of exclusivity and urgency, even with emails. So, it’s paramount that your emails have a clear value exchange that is sure to capture customers’ attention, be it about the product or the offer that pre-order gives them. This is because, out of the 10.5 billion marketing emails sent in the first half of last year, only 24.38% were opened, with just about a 0.07% conversion rate recorded. To bypass this problem and experience the sales that come with email campaigns, ensure to personalize your emails with captivating elements.
Customer Engagement
As a Shopify store owner, keeping potential customers informed and excited about upcoming products is another way to retain substantial customer engagement. Pre-order email campaigns allow you to maintain ongoing communication with your audience, building anticipation and nurturing relationships. By sharing sneak peeks, product details, and exclusive offers through pre-order emails, you keep customers engaged and invested in your brand. In fact, 51% of US online shoppers favor email over other channels like in-app alerts, SMS, and push notifications for receiving discounts or messages.
Inventory Management
Gauging demand before making a full stock commitment is essential for effective inventory management. Pre-order email campaigns provide valuable insights into customer interest and purchasing intent. By tracking pre-order numbers, you can accurately forecast demand and adjust your inventory levels accordingly. This helps prevent overstocking or understocking, optimizing your inventory turnover and reducing storage costs. Additionally, pre-orders allow you to allocate resources more efficiently, ensuring that you meet customer demand without excess inventory sitting idle.
How to Run Pre-Order Email Campaigns on Shopify
Setting up Pre-Orders
Setting up pre-orders on Shopify requires a bit of workaround since the platform doesn’t offer a built-in feature for it. To enable pre-orders, you’ll need to install a third-party app from the Shopify App Store.
These apps seamlessly integrate with Shopify’s existing infrastructure, allowing businesses to accept pre-orders for upcoming products and manage inventory. With the right app, you can streamline the pre-order process and capitalize on customer anticipation for new releases.
Email Campaign Essentials
- Visually Appealing Design
Crafting effective pre-order announcement emails is crucial to capturing customer interest and driving conversions. One way to captivate customers through emails is by designing visually appealing and informative email templates that highlight the benefits of pre-ordering, such as early access to products, exclusive discounts, or limited-edition bonuses.
- Personalization
One other thing to keep in mind is that a whopping 83% of customers prefer receiving email messages that are hyper-personalized. In this case, personalization entails tailoring messages to match your customer’s preferences, interests, and behaviors in order for a more relevant and engaging communication experience. The same eighty-three percent said they are more likely to make a purchase due to this kind of approach.
- Call to Action
Another essential tip for successful pre-order email campaigns is to include compelling call-to-action buttons that direct recipients to your pre-order product pages. This makes your potential customers feel like you’re taking them on a journey around the pre-order campaign.
- Timing
Conclusively, it’s essential to schedule your email campaign strategically while considering factors like product launch dates, customer time zones, and peak engagement times.
Monitoring and Follow-Up
Tracking the success of your pre-order email campaigns is something that you should omit. Doing this paves the way for an optimized performance and a maximized result. Monitor key metrics such as email open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and revenue generated from pre-orders. It’s important to properly analyze these data to identify trends, strengths, and areas for improvement in your campaigns.
Additionally, implement follow-up communications to nurture leads and encourage conversion. You should also send targeted follow-up emails to remind customers of upcoming pre-order deadlines. While at it, ensure to provide additional information or incentives and address any questions or concerns they may have.
Introducing Amai PreOrder Manager + Notify
Amai PreOrder Manager + Notify is a user-friendly app designed for pre-order management and customer engagement, offering customizable settings and quantity limits for urgency. It also provides continuous customer assistance, streamlining pre-launch campaigns and enhancing satisfaction. Shopify merchants can tailor options to specific needs, ultimately driving success during launches.
To install the app, follow these steps:
- Visit Shopify’s app store using the link provided.
- Click ‘add app’ to integrate it into your store’s sidebar.
- In your Shopify admin, go to ‘PreOrder Manager’ to access the dashboard.
- Select ‘Products’ to start setting up pre-orders.
Setting Up Pre-Order Emails with Amai
Setup Email Template
- Click ‘Edit Mail Template’ to customize email templates.
- Customize subject lines and email messages.
Setting Up Delivery Dates
- Set the Estimated Delivery Date and Actual Delivery Date individually or in bulk through the Product Page or Bulk Actions dropdown.
- Apply changes after selecting the dates.
Pre-Order Delivery Email Notifications
- Send three types of emails: Estimated Delivery Date, Actual Delivery Date, and Delay, based on the template set in the email template.
Filtering
- Add filters to sort pre-orders.
- Customize filter values and add multiple filters if needed.
- Remove filters individually or all at once.
Sending of Emails
- Send emails individually or in bulk by selecting pre-orders and choosing the desired email types.
- Use the Bulk Actions dropdown to send emails to selected pre-orders.
How Does the “Notify Me” Feature Work?
The “Notify Me” feature works by automatically sending email notifications when an out-of-stock product or variant’s inventory is updated to be greater than zero. This happens if the Notify Me toggle is turned on for the product and the sender email is correctly configured in the Email Notifications settings. To activate Notify Me for products, you have two options: enabling it individually or in bulk.
For individual activation:
- Go to the Pre-Order Manager app’s Products page.
- Enable Notify Me for the desired products.
For bulk activation/deactivation:
- Select the products you want to modify.
- Change the bulk action dropdown to Notify Me.
- Choose ON to activate or OFF to deactivate..
- The Notify Me button will automatically appear when product quantities are 0 or lower.
Advantages of Amai PreOrder Manager + Notify
- Effortless Email Collection: With Amai PreOrder Manager + Notify app, you can seamlessly collect customer emails through a back-in-stock notification sign-up and effortlessly build up your email list. This feature not only ensures timely restock alerts but also lays the groundwork for future marketing campaigns.
- Automated Stock Alerts: Say goodbye to manual updates. Amai PreOrder Manager app automatically notifies registered customers when products are back in stock, guaranteeing they never miss out on purchasing their desired items.
- Data-Driven Inventory Decisions: You can also leverage back-in-stock sign-ups to gauge interest in specific products. This invaluable data guides your inventory decisions and helps you prioritize restocking based on customer demand.
- Actionable Analytics: Gaining insights through sales charts and product reports is one huge benefit of this app. It empowers you to make data-driven decisions for optimized performance.
- Enhanced Customer Experience: You’ll also be able to integrate pre-order calendars to give customers a clear view of release dates and product availability, thereby enhancing anticipation and engagement.
Useful Tips
- Send emails when interest is high, such as after product announcements.
- Space emails strategically to avoid fatigue.
- Craft compelling content that showcases benefits and exclusivity.
- Use data to refine campaign strategies for better results.
- Combine your email campaigns with social media, influencers, or limited-time offers.
- Tailor emails based on customer preferences for a personalized touch.
- Use reminders and countdowns to create urgency and drive conversions.
Summary and Advice
In a nutshell, running pre-order email campaigns on Shopify essentially deals with setting up Shopify pre-order pages, crafting effective email content, and monitoring campaign performance. During this process, ensure to utilize tools like Amai PreOrder Manager + Notify for seamless management and customer engagement. As seen by different statistical reports above, pre-order email campaigns are not just crucial for Shopify stores; they are a piece of the bedrock where sales and customer engagement lie. To unlock this potential for your Shopify store, install the Amai PreOrder Manager + Notify app now and run your email campaigns effortlessly.
