How Sending Automated Email Sequences Helps You Make More Money in Your eCommerce Business (Your Accountant Will Thank You)

Turn abandoned carts into profit with automated email sequences. See how eCommerce stores grow sales fast—your accountant will thank you for it.

I remember checking my Shopify analytics one Tuesday morning when the world came crashing down: hundreds of people were adding to cart that week, but the conversion rate was depressingly low at a measly 2.3 %. That was more than just a deserted shopping cart — it was abandoned profit.

That’s when I installed my automation email sequences. I made a 37% increase in my store’s sales in the first 90 days. My accountant called to ask if the numbers were incorrect. There wasn’t.

If you have a website but are not selling products or services, you might as well be leaving money on the counter. Here’s why that matters to your bottom line and how to do it without adding hassle to your day.

What Are Automated Email Sequences?

If you’re just getting started with email marketing, you may not be familiar with the phrase “automated email sequence.” Think of them as your hardest-working salespeople — but they never eat, sleep or go on vacation.

How they differ from email blasts:

1. They’re triggered by behavior. Someone abandons their cart? Sequence triggered. First purchase? Different sequence. No purchase in 90 days? Another sequence kicks in.
2. They’re personalized at scale. Each email contains the person’s name, which products they have looked at and bought in the past, and personalized recommendations — but that doesn’t mean you’re handwriting several dozen emails.
3. They run 24/7 without you. You put them in place once, and they work for you 24/7/365 while you’re doing things like sleeping or on holiday or focused on other elements of your business.

The Revenue Impact: Real Numbers

The Direct Marketing Association’s research shows email marketing has an average ROI of $42 for every $1 spent. But automated email sequences work even better because they’re timely, relevant and personalized.

Following is some actual data between different eCommerce stores:

• Abandoned cart flows win 10-15% of abandoned carts back. For an average shopify store with 70% abandonment rate, and s$o ($50K/mo revenue, that’s $3,500-$5,250 (Microsoft Excel if you wish) rescued every single month — That is 42k-63K over the course of a year worth of sales that would have been left unchecked.
• New subscriber welcome sequences drives 5-7X more conversions than regular promotional e-mails, essentially hitting on a user at one of their peak intents.
• Your post-purchase sequences should also account for 20-30% of revenue from cross sells and upsells to existing customers that already trust you.

An automated email series establishes predictable revenue growth, in an accounting sense. You’re not in the hands of wild swings due to ad spend, you are consistently building and generating sales. Such predictability will be seen by your bookkeeper in monthly statements.

Essential Sequences Every Store Needs

1. Cart Abandonment Sequence (Highest Priority)

Seven in 10 leave the cart. That’s a third of a million dollars worth of forgone revenue on every single calendar month, for a store doing $100k/month.

A basic cart abandonment series can be 3 emails:

Email 1 (1 hour post-abandonment): Friendly reminder featuring product images & cart link. None yet — people can really forget.

Email 2 (24 hours later): Share something added value from customer reviews to returns policy or include mention of free shipping (trust).

Email 3 (48–72 hours later): Create urgency through a limited product or a time-sensitive discount (10-15%).

When launching email sequences is pretty cool, cart abandonment should be your first priority. Setup time is minimal, but revenue impact is immediate.

2. Welcome Sequence

Don’t waste the golden opportunity of a new subscriber on a “Thanks for subscribing!” or something equally generic. Email.

An awesome welcome sequence. The 4-5 emails over 7-10 days:

• Welcome + first-time discount (15-20%)
• Brand story and differentiation
• Social proof and testimonials
• Best-sellers showcase
• An expiration “pressure” to welcome discount

3. Post-Purchase Sequence

Sales is not the end; it’s a beginning. Post purchase sequence for customer retention and more money:

• Order confirmation with tracking
• Sample Request (7-10 days only if you have received the sample)
• Cross-sell recommendations (complementary products)
• Product-related educational content.

Cash-Value Treasures Your Accountant Can Measure

When they work, automated emails get all of those things done and here are a few awesome things your bookkeeper will see with the addition of an email marketing system:

• More predictable revenue. If you’re in touch with your customer, it kind of takes the volatility off like, “oh my god I’m so dependent on this month’s paid media being profitable to pay bills with.”
• Improved customer lifetime value. Post-purchase and re-engagement sequences drive purchase frequency, which is absolutely crucial for increasing unit economics and profit per customer.
• Lower customer acquisition costs. By contrast, email marketing is pennies on the dollar versus paid ads. And once you have an email of a lead, nurturing through sequences is a very low investment.
• Better cash flow. Email sequences make you money at nearly light speed. Here is how they do it: Cart Abandonment Sequences convert and pay within 72 hours so you have the money in your pocket faster for stock and operating costs.

Your bookkeeper relates to gross profit margin, net profit margin and operational cost. And if your sequences sell more but don’t drive the same costs, those margins grow – additional money ‘left over’ for marketing efforts or business in general.

Your First Sequence: Quickstart Guide

Step #1. Choose Your Platform

Some popular choices are Klaviyo (best one for eCommerce), Mailchimp (easy if you’re just starting) or Omnisend/ActiveCampaign. Free tiers are available for smaller lists.

Step #2. Install Integration

Integrate your ESP with your web store. That means the ability to monitor — say — what your customers are doing on your site, including adding an abandoned cart and their purchase history.

Step #3. Begin with cart abandonment.

This delivers the fastest ROI. Leverage pre-formatted templates, or test out making your own with the three-email model we presented previously. Choose a length of time, customize to match your brand voice and flip on.

Step #4. Write Your Emails

Keep it simple:

• Write conversationally
• Use short paragraphs
• Focus on benefits, not features
• Include clear calls-to-action
• Add brand personality

Don’t aim for perfection initially. Get out a good enough version and iterate according to how it performs in the wild.

Step #5. Test and Optimize

After a few weeks, return and check the data. Which emails get opened most? So which draw clicks and conversions? Use this to study over time.

For step-by-step instruction on launching email campaigns using SignalHire’s functionality, extensive resources cover more advanced tactics such as segmentation and A/B tests.

Key Metrics That Matter

Your email program offers more than two dozen data points. Focus on these:

• Open rate: Benchmark for e-commerce 15-25%. Below this? Test different subject lines.

• Click-through rate: Aim for 2-5%. That’s assuming your content is actionable.

• Conversion rate: The one that most closely ties to revenue for you. (The number for cart abandonment should be between 10-15%, welcome sequences should be in the range of 8-12%).

• Revenue per email: If you divide your total revenue by number of emails sent, this will tell you which of your sequences are the ones to optimize.

Pair these numbers with the ones that you discuss on a monthly basis with your bookkeeper. It’s the sort of data that links marketing activity to revenue and they’re likely to love it.

The ROI Calculation

Now let’s run the rates for an average Shopify store:

Assumptions:

1. Monthly revenue: $50,000
2. Cart abandonment rate: 70%
3. Average order value: $75

“No automation, monthly $35k in abandoned carts with a beautiful big goose egg recovery.

12% on cart abandonment sequence:

• • Recovered revenue: $4,200/month = $50,400/year
  • Email platform fees: ~$200 per month = $2,400 annually

• Net gain: $48,000/year

And that’s a 20:1 ROI with NO welcome sequence, post-purchase campaign or re-engagement series! They will scrape together $4,000 to $7,000 more monthly working capital for YOUR bottom line on a DIME of cost penalty!

Your 30-Day Action Plan

Week 1. Choose and activate your email platform. Integrate it with your shop and confirm that pixel tracking is working.

Week 2. Create and set up your cart abandonment sequence. Paste, customise with your brand and unpublish.

Week 3. Make your welcome sequence. Make a lead magnet / opt-in incentive (10-15% off works well).

Week 4. Create a basic post-purchase flow with order confirmation, review request, and cross-sell recommendation.

After 30 days, you’ll have three main sequences (which will be going on for 24/7). Let them run at 60-90 days and optimize on performance.

The winners of today in e-commerce aren’t the companies with the biggest budgets and best products – they are the businesses that make their resources last. Emails that sell are a tool for getting returns, reach and real measurable value through your email your sales funnels — without having to work so hard every year – ushering in the dollars right now, not just more money but better margins in weeks and bad-ass numbers when its time to show of some Email numbers your book keeper will praise.

Start with cart abandonment today. Your bank account (and, let’s be honest, your future self) will be grateful.