Triggered emails are one of the highest-converting tools in digital marketing, yet most businesses still underuse them.
These emails are sent automatically based on how users interact with your site, allowing you to generate revenue on autopilot even when you are not actively marketing.
According to Forrester Research, triggered emails can generate up to 4x more revenue than regular email campaigns. That makes them too powerful to ignore.
In this blog, you will learn what triggered emails are, the most effective types you can use to increase revenue, and how to easily set them up in WordPress and WooCommerce.
What is a Triggered Email?
A triggered email is an automated email sent to users based on their behavior on a website. Triggered emails are also known as behavioral emails.
Usually, such emails are sent based on predefined events or conditions an individual meets through certain behaviors or actions.
For example, a triggered email can be sent when a user places an order in your store.
Another example would be an anniversary email sent to users on their first purchase anniversary. In this case, the emails are sent based on a predefined condition rather than a direct action.
A winning triggered email depends on four things :
- Timing
- Subject line
- Design
- And copy
Have a look at this welcome email from Sephora. This beauty brand sends this email to users when they sign up for the site.
Subject line: Welcome to Sephora!
The subject line is to the point. Moreover, the design is appealing and goes perfectly with a beauty brand. Furthermore, the copy is well-written and includes important information to engage the audience. We especially love the section “5 reasons why you will love Sephora.”
Why Are Triggered Emails Important?
Table of Contents
- 0.1 Get a higher engagement rate
- 0.2 Nurture leads into buyers
- 0.3 Build customer loyalty
- 0.4 Retain more customers
- 0.5 Increase Revenue
- 1 Different types of Triggered Email
- 2 How to Set Up a Triggered Email in WordPress?
- 3 5 Best Practices for Setting Up Triggered Email Campaigns
- 4 More Questions About Triggered Emails
- 5 What are the most common types of triggered emails?
- 6 How do I measure the effectiveness of my triggered emails?
- 7 What should I avoid when setting up triggered emails?
- 8 Are triggered emails GDPR-compliant?
- 9 Are You Ready to Leverage Triggered Emails?
Get a higher engagement rate
Triggered emails have a 70.5% higher open rate than routine email newsletters. So, if your aim is to improve user engagement, then you should opt for triggered emails.
Nurture leads into buyers
Nurturing leads to convert them into paying customers is one of the biggest challenges in marketing. But, triggered emails can help you with that as these emails have 152% higher click-through rate than regular marketing emails.
Build customer loyalty
Users tend to trust brands that communicate with them on a regular basis. Communicating with shoppers helps you gain their trust. So, it’s important to use triggered emails to build a strong loyal customer base.
Retain more customers
Increasing customer retention by 5% can increase profits from 25-95%. Using triggered emails such as win-back emails can get inactive customers to re-engage with your brand. Thus, retaining them for a longer period of time.
Increase Revenue
Triggered emails contribute over 30% of overall email marketing revenue. Since these emails help users to engage more with your brand it gets you more sales. Therefore if you want to boost your store’s revenue, then you must leverage triggered emails.
Different types of Triggered Email
Welcome email
A welcome email is sent to users after they register on your site. These emails often thank the user for joining and provide a brief rundown of what to expect after signing up.
Users nowadays expect to receive a welcome. Moreover, welcome emails have a 91.43% open rate. Therefore, this is a good opportunity to lay the groundwork for a strong customer relationship
Have a look at the welcome email by Casper.
This is a well-designed welcome email as it greets the new users along with highlighting the features of the brand. Moreover, it also offers a discount on the bundle offer to encourage them to make another purchase.
Cart abandonment emails
69.80% of online shoppers abandon their carts and leave the shopping process midstream. Using this abandonment event to send emails can help most abandoned users complete their purchases. We recommend that you use these types of emails.
Have a look at Rudy's abandoned cart email.
It’s a great example of a triggered email designed to prompt users to complete their order. It states that the cart item is still available and offers a discount to encourage users to make a purchase. On top of that, it also creates urgency by mentioning that free shipping is about to expire.
Order confirmation email
Order confirmation emails are sent to customers after they've placed an order. Such emails inform customers of order confirmation and details.
64% of customers find order confirmation emails to be extremely valuable. The reason is simple; it informs them about the product they are anticipating. It's a great opportunity to pitch more products to customers, encouraging them to make another purchase.
Have a look at the order confirmation email from Kozel.
Purchase Anniversary Email
A purchase anniversary email usually congratulates the user on completing a certain number of purchases of a product. In most cases, you can offer a discount in the email for the next purchase.
Purchase anniversary emails can be sent three, six, or 12 months after customers make a purchase. You can choose when to send it out based on your strategy.
Have a look at the anniversary email of Paula’s choice.
This beautifully designed email catches the user's attention by offering a 15% discount plus free shipping. This is an effective way to make your relationship with customers stronger and also seal another sale.
Re-engagement emails
Re-engagement or winback emails are also popular triggered marketing emails sent to users after a predefined period of inactivity. These emails effectively nudge your lapsed customers and pull them in with an offer they can’t refuse.
Have a look at the winback email by The Bakerista.
We like this email because it has many things going right. It sweetly describes how the brand still values its customers. Moreover, it is also something for both online and offline users. It offers online users a discount on their next purchase. On the other hand, the offer line users get something free as well.
Note: You can also read our blog What is an Email Drip Campaign and How to Create One in WordPress
How to Set Up a Triggered Email in WordPress?
FunnelKit Automations lets you easily set up triggered emails in WordPress based on user behavior, from welcome and win-back emails to custom campaigns built from scratch.
With ready-to-use automation recipes and a clear analytics dashboard, you can launch faster and track performance like orders, active contacts, and average order value.
Note: For example purposes, this blog shows you how to set up purchase anniversary email campaigns. Anniversary emails get triggered based on a condition, such as after a year has passed since the first purchase.
Let’s start.
Step 1: Install and activate FunnelKit Automations
First, you need to install and activate FunnelKit Automations. FunnelKit is available in both the free and premium versions. Make sure to activate both versions.
Step 2: Add new automation
The first step is to create a new automation. For that, navigate to FunnelKit Automations ⇒ Automations and then click on "Create Automation".
Click on the First Purchase Anniversary template
To import the prebuilt template, click on the Import button.
Then provide a name and click on Create.
Here is the automation workflow that will be imported.
The automations will trigger exactly one year after a user makes their first purchase and sends an email to them. That’s why the condition of the first order has been used, and the delay of 12 months is provided. The workflow also creates a discount coupon code, which is sent along with this email.
Step 3: Set the discount coupon
To set the discount amount one will receive using the coupon, click on the Create Coupon action.
Now set the discount type and amount. Finally, click on Save changes to update the coupon settings.
Step 4: Customize the purchase anniversary email
To customize the email, click on the Send Email action.
Here, you can change the email subject, preview text, and body as you see fit.
To personalize your email, you can use FunnelKit’s merge tag to add dynamic content. For example, this prebuilt recipe uses {{contact_first_name}} merge tag to address the user by their name.
This way, whoever receives this email will see their first name.
To design the body of the email, FunnelKit Automations offers 3 options;
- Rich Text
- Raw Html
- Visual Builder
We recommend sticking to the rich text editor or the visual builder to design, unless you are an HTML pro.
With the visual builder, you get an array of prebuilt templates that you can easily import and customize to your needs.
Guide: Check out this post if you need help designing your email with the visual builder.
After making changes to the email, click on Save to update.
Step 5: Set the automation to active
The last step is to activate the automation. For that, turn on the activate toggle.
And that’s it. Your triggered email automation is ready.
5 Best Practices for Setting Up Triggered Email Campaigns
1. Be clear on the action you want people to take
Setting up a specific goal for each campaign will keep your content clear and concise. For example, do you want your subscribers to give you a review after purchase? Or make another purchase or register for a new event?
You can not have too many goals from one triggered email marketing campaign. Focus on one goal to get the best results.
2. Personalize your email campaigns
According to Epsilon, 80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase from a company that offers such customized experiences. So, ensure the emails you send to customers are personalized.
Personalization can be done by incorporating personal information in the email. Another way can be sending emails based on customer purchase history.
3. Be concise
Whether you send text-only emails or include media, make sure they are concise and to the point.
According to Campaign Monitor, an average person sends and receives 121 business emails per day. If you write too long emails or emails with too many things going on, they can overwhelm users and irritate them. Therefore, make sure your emails are simple and succinct.
4. Add one compelling CTA
Emails with a single CTA (call to action) get 371% more clicks than emails with multiple CTAs. So, avoid using multiple CTAs. You should add a single CTA in your emails that tells users to take the action that you want them to take. It could be to make them buy an item, auto-apply the discount coupon, subscribe to your mailing list, and more.
5. Offer value to customers
Your emails should be worth the customer’s time, energy, and money. If customers find your brand’s emails don’t provide any value, they won’t read your future emails. Thus, make sure each email you send to customers offers value.
You can offer value by suggesting relevant products based on their purchase history, educating them about our products so they can use them effectively, offering discounts on specific products, etc.
More Questions About Triggered Emails
Here are the frequently asked questions about triggered emails with answers:
What are the most common types of triggered emails?
Common types of triggered emails include welcome emails, cart abandonment emails, order confirmation emails, purchase anniversary emails, and win-back emails. Each serves a unique purpose and can be customized to engage customers at different stages of their journey.
How do I measure the effectiveness of my triggered emails?
You can measure the effectiveness of triggered emails by tracking key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, revenue per email, and overall return on investment (ROI). Tools like FunnelKit Automations provide detailed analytics to help you monitor and improve your campaigns.
What should I avoid when setting up triggered emails?
Avoid sending too many emails, as it can overwhelm customers. Make sure your emails are clear and to the point, and avoid overcomplicating the design. Also, ensure that your triggers are set up correctly so customers aren’t bombarded with irrelevant emails.
Are triggered emails GDPR-compliant?
Triggered emails can be GDPR-compliant if they adhere to certain principles, such as obtaining explicit consent for marketing emails and allowing customers to easily unsubscribe. Always include an opt-in checkbox for email consent and ensure that your email campaigns respect privacy regulations.
Are You Ready to Leverage Triggered Emails?
Triggered emails keep customers engaged with your brand. It helps you to gain customer loyalty. Most importantly, leveraging trigger email campaigns can help you to multiply your revenue.
FunnelKit Automations makes it easy for you to achieve maximum results from triggered emails.
With this wonderful plugin, you can create practically any kind of triggered email campaigns. Moreover, it provides campaign data so you can optimize campaigns to maximize results. Also, if you want, you can send a broadcast email as well.
Don’t miss opportunities to engage with your clients through triggered emails.
Start leveraging triggered emails today!
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