8 Ways eCommerce Companies Can Use Real-Time Email Marketing

Have you been trying to find the best way to give your customers the most up to date information on news, events, sales, and shipping but haven’t figure out the best way to do it?

Welcome to real-time email marketing. 

With dynamic email marketing, you can get your customers the news and information they need in real-time. Every time your customer opens their email, they have the latest, most up to date information.

Here are a few ways you can use real-time email marketing to your advantage. 

1. Shipping updates

One of the most straightforward applications for eCommerce brands using real-time email is for tracking packages. Using moment-of-open emails, your customers can see the most up-to-date information on where their packages are in the process. It can also help reduce where is my order (WISMO) calls, freeing up your customer service team in the process.

2. Countdown timers

Do you have a big sale and want to trigger a bit of urgency and fear of missing out (FOMO)? Look no further than a countdown timer. When you use life-images, you can create real-time content blocks that consistently update and countdown. So, every time your reader opens their email, they’ll see precisely how much time they have left in the sale—no more guessing or missing out.

3. Reviews

Did you even know you can have your emails update with real-time customer reviews? Well, they can! Reviews are an amazing way to tap into user-generated content (UGC) and create trust. Plus, studies have shown that customers look for more recent reviews. The more reviews you have within the last 90 days, the better. Real-time reviews can help highlight those.

4. Product recommendations

Readers love personalized content; we know this. So why not use real-time updates to suggest or recommend products to your customers? Tie in recommended products to special events and flash sales, and use your real-time updates to have countdown timers. That combination offers the best of both worlds; you’ve got something to catch their eye, and they’re getting recommendations for the products they’re interested in.

5. Personalized notification banners

With notification banners, you can turn any email into something personalized. Now, add live-images, and your notification banners can also update to feature real-time updates on everything from sales to shipping information to abandoned cart notifications. The best part of using notification banners is you can easily update them with personalized information, so every reader is getting something that matters to them.

6. Special events

Do you have an upcoming special event you want to let your customers know about? Maybe a flash sale, a store opening, or a VIP only special, just to name a few. Use real-time email with live images to help promote these limited time events. When your customers open their email, they’ll get updates and notifications on exactly how much time they have left or the supplies of the products on offer. 

7. Abandoned cart updates

One of the best ways to bring potential customers back to your store is to let them know they have items left in their shopping cart. When you use real-time updates, you can go a step further than a simple notification email. Use live updates to let them know if the items in their cart are on sale or inventory is running low. That might just be the nudge they need to get back online and buy.  

8. Loyalty rewards

Members of your loyalty or VIP programs are often your best customers, so show them with personalized loyalty emails. We know that loyal customers are likely to buy more often, and their purchases tend to be higher than first time buyers. So, this is a group of people primed and ready to buy. Make sure you use real-time email marketing to keep them updated on their loyalty points, special members’ only events, and when their purchases help them level up to a new tier.

As you can see, there are plenty of ways eCommerce brands can use real-time email marketing. These are just a few. 

Today’s customers are smart and savvy. They want personalized content and the most up-to-date information they can get. You can combine both of these in one with real-time email marketing. Your customers will love the results—and with increased open, click, and conversion rates, you will too.