{"id":119468,"date":"2025-08-06T10:03:53","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T14:03:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/?p=119468"},"modified":"2025-10-21T17:45:43","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T21:45:43","slug":"email-marketing-for-ecommerce-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/email-marketing-for-ecommerce-guide","title":{"rendered":"Retail and eCommerce Email Marketing: From Cart to Loyal Customer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t<div id=\"simple-text-block-block_39c012245f47d831398121bdd4eb9988\" class=\"block-simple-text-block alignfull \" style=\"background-color:\">\n  <div class=\"container\">\n  \t<div class=\"row\">\n  \t\t<div class=\"col\">\n  \t\t\t<div class=\"copy\">\n  \t\t\t\t<table style=\"background-color: #f2f3f6;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"block-1\" style=\"padding: 20px;\">\n<h3>Key takeaways \u2728<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Email still outperforms paid ads<\/strong> for eCommerce, with higher ROI, reliance on first-party data, and customer perceptions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The eCommerce marketing lifecycle<\/strong> ranges from the initial interactions to first sales and beyond, with specific types of emails and benchmarks at each stage.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Personalization and segmentation<\/strong> are must-haves to drive sales, and tools like Litmus Personalize make it easier to do.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Email marketing and eCommerce are old friends that happen to work very well together.<a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/infographic-the-roi-of-email-marketing\"> Email marketing ROI<\/a> consistently outperforms other channels, with 35% of companies getting over $36 back for every $1 spent on the inbox. What eCommerce brand doesn&#8217;t love those results?<\/p>\n<p>Retail email marketing isn\u2019t a magic money-printing machine, however. Today\u2019s shoppers expect personalized, seamless, and beautifully rendered emails that speak to what they want, when they want it. That can feel like a tall order if you\u2019re a lean team, trying to scale alongside a growing company, or simply pressured to boost performance.<\/p>\n<p>We know you aren\u2019t one to back away from a creative challenge, though, and this guide will help you join the ranks of companies like <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/customers\/kate-spade\">Kate Spade<\/a>, which boosted revenue by 174% with just a couple of emails.<\/p>\n<p>Read on for a walkthrough of the full eCommerce email lifecycle, from acquisition to re-engagement. You\u2019ll also find real retail benchmarks (hello, 2025 click-through rate averages), creative personalization ideas, and QA best practices that help you send better emails, faster.<\/p>\n<h2>Table of contents<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#outperforms\">Why email marketing outperforms paid ads<\/a><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#lifecycle-framework\">The eCommerce lifecycle framework<\/a><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#emails-lifecycle\">Which emails to send at each lifecycle<\/a>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"2\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#discover\">Discover<\/a><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"2\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#welcome\">Welcome<\/a><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"2\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#recover\">Recover<\/a><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"2\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#grow\">Grow<\/a><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"2\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#reward\">Reward<\/a><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"2\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#reignite\">Reignite<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#segment\">How to segment and personalize retail emails<\/a><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#tech-stacks\">Retail email marketing tech stacks<\/a><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#design\">Design and QA best practices for email marketing for eCommerce<\/a><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#testing\">The testing workflow you should follow<\/a><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#kate spade\">How Kate Spade increased conversions 50% with Litmus<\/a><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#metrics-benchmarks\">Key metrics and benchmarks for retail email marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#get-started\">How to get started with Litmus<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"outperforms\">Email still out-performs ads for eCommerce in 2025<\/h2>\n<p>All the way back in 2013\u2014practically a lifetime ago in digital standards\u2014there was talk that <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/2013\/07\/email-crushing-twitter-facebook\/\">email outperformed<\/a> Twitter and Facebook for selling stuff online. Guess what\u2019s still the best marketing investment for eCommerce brands more than a decade later? Email.<\/p>\n<p>The eCommerce brands that master email see healthier margins than if they put more marketing dollars into paid ads.<\/p>\n<p>There are a few reasons why email is a better bet to make every marketing dollar count.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Email can be less expensive per person than ads<\/strong>. True, brands might have to pay more to send a message to 50,000 people than 500. But, in general, once you create an email, you can send it over and over without paying for each view or click.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Email marketing is relationship-driven<\/strong>. (At least, the best programs are). Building trust over time and relevance through personalization puts potential buyers in a better state of mind than an ad that pops up out of the blue. Plus, they\u2019ve opted into seeing your emails. The same can\u2019t always be said for paid ads.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Email isn\u2019t beholden to algorithms or third-party cookies<\/strong>. Email sidesteps these restrictions, allowing for direct, personalized messaging based on first-party behavior like purchases, opens, or clicks. Data privacy is also a concern for subscribers, and being upfront about the data you use can build trust. The three most important aspects of email privacy were transparency about data collection (58%), no third-party sharing (54%), and control over personal information access (52%).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>By the numbers: Are ads or emails better for e-commerce marketing?<\/strong><\/p>\n<table class=\"table table-striped\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Metric<\/th>\n<th>Ads<\/th>\n<th>Email<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"metric\">Average ROI<\/td>\n<td>2:1\u00b9<\/td>\n<td>36:1\u00b2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"metric\">Acquisition cost trends<\/td>\n<td>Retail paid CAC rose 7% from 2023 to 2024\u00b3<\/td>\n<td>Retail organic CAC rose by only 2% from 2023 to 2024<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"metric\">Percent of consumers who say this is the top channel affecting purchase decisions\u2074<\/td>\n<td>22% (social media ads)<\/td>\n<td>28%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"metric\">Audience perception<\/td>\n<td>42.7% of internet users now block ads\u2075<\/td>\n<td>Subscribers have opted in to receive messages from you<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"metric\">Privacy concerns<\/td>\n<td>65% of people say they are concerned about excessive cookie usage\u2076<\/td>\n<td>Email targeting relies on first-party data<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<div class=\"sources\">\n<p><strong>Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u00b9 Wordstream<br \/>\n\u00b2 State of Email 2025<br \/>\n\u00b3 Focus Digital<br \/>\n\u2074 Litmus<br \/>\n\u2075 CROPink<br \/>\n\u2076 CookieYes<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"container pt-3 pb-5 px-1\">\n\t<div class=\"row blog-cta-blue rounded-5 p-4\">\n\t\t<div class=\"mx-auto col-12\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row d-flex align-items-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-12 text-center\">\n\t\t\t\t<p class=\"bold fs-4\">Get email insights from nearly 1,000 marketers<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<p>Dive into the State of Email Reports for the latest trends, innovations, and best practices across the email marketing industry.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"button-blue download\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/state-of-email-reports\" class=\"text-white text-decoration-none\">Get the latest report<\/a><\/button>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!--col-6-->\n\t\t\t<div class=\"d-none\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/State-of-Innovations-Banner.png\" width=\"221\" height=\"175\" alt=\"\">\n\t\t\t<\/div><!--col-6-->\n\t\t\t<\/div> <!--row-->\n\t\t<\/div><!--col-12-->\n\t<\/div><!--row-->\n<\/div><!--container-->\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n<h2 id=\"lifecycle-framework\">The eCommerce lifecycle framework<\/h2>\n<p>Before you can start planning your email marketing for eCommerce strategy, you need to step back and look at the entire journey a customer takes. An eCommerce lifecycle framework helps you split the buying journey into manageable chunks so you can create and send content that moves the needle at that moment.<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-119303\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/e-commerce-lifecycle-1024x233.png\" alt=\"e-commerce lifecycle framework\" width=\"1024\" height=\"233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/e-commerce-lifecycle-1024x233.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/e-commerce-lifecycle-300x68.png 300w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/e-commerce-lifecycle-768x175.png 768w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/e-commerce-lifecycle.png 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\n<h2 id=\"emails-lifecycle\">eCommerce email playbook by stage<\/h2>\n<p>Now that you have a general understanding of the eCommerce lifecycle, it\u2019s time to look at how specific types of emails fit into the strategy. P.S. If you want to find more email examples, check out our favorite spots for <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/best-places-for-email-inspiration-and-examples\">email inspiration<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>E-commerce Email Marketing Lifecycle<\/strong><\/p>\n<table class=\"table table-striped\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Lifecycle Stage<\/th>\n<th class=\"email-types\">Email Types<\/th>\n<th class=\"cadence\">Cadence<\/th>\n<th class=\"kpi\">KPI Targets<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<div class=\"stage\"><span class=\"stage-name\">Discover<\/span><br \/>\n<small>acquisition and list-building<\/small><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"email-types\">\n<ul>\n<li>Welcome offer<\/li>\n<li>List opt-in confirmation<\/li>\n<li>Content lead magnet delivery<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"cadence\">Triggered on signup<br \/>\n1\u20132 emails over 3\u20135 days<\/td>\n<td class=\"kpi\">\n<ul>\n<li>Signup conversion rate: 3\u201310%<\/li>\n<li>Welcome email open rate: 50%<\/li>\n<li>Click-through rate (CTR): 5\u201310%<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<div class=\"stage\"><span class=\"stage-name\">Welcome<\/span><br \/>\n<small>welcome and first purchase<\/small><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"email-types\">\n<ul>\n<li>Brand intro series<\/li>\n<li>Product education<\/li>\n<li>Social proof\/testimonials<\/li>\n<li>First-purchase incentive<\/li>\n<li>Personalization based on browse<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"cadence\">3\u20135 email series over 7\u201310 days post-signup<\/td>\n<td class=\"kpi\">\n<ul>\n<li>First purchase rate: 10\u201325%<\/li>\n<li>Revenue per email or recipient (RPE): $0.10\u2013$0.25<\/li>\n<li>Time to first purchase: &lt;7 days<\/li>\n<li>Click-through rate (CTR): 5\u201310%<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<div class=\"stage\"><span class=\"stage-name\">Recover<\/span><br \/>\n<small>cart and browse abandonment<\/small><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"email-types\">\n<ul>\n<li>Cart\/browse reminder<\/li>\n<li>Product photo and dynamic CTA<\/li>\n<li>FOMO (&#8220;low stock&#8221;, reviews)<\/li>\n<li>Secondary offer if no purchase<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"cadence\">Series of 2\u20133 emails:<br \/>\n<span class=\"bullet-point\">\u2022<\/span> 1\u20133 hrs post-abandon<br \/>\n<span class=\"bullet-point\">\u2022<\/span> 24 hrs later<br \/>\n<span class=\"bullet-point\">\u2022<\/span> 48\u201372 hrs final reminder<\/td>\n<td class=\"kpi\">\n<ul>\n<li>Cart recovery rate: 8\u201315%<\/li>\n<li>RPE: $1.50\u2013$5.00<\/li>\n<li>Conversion rate: 10\u201325%<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<div class=\"stage\"><span class=\"stage-name\">Grow<\/span><br \/>\n<small>post-purchase and upsell<\/small><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"email-types\">\n<ul>\n<li>Order confirmation<\/li>\n<li>Thank-you and review request<\/li>\n<li>Product tips \/ how-tos<\/li>\n<li>Upsell\/cross-sell<\/li>\n<li>Loyalty invitation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"cadence\">Transactional email immediately<\/p>\n<p>Follow-up series 2\u20133 emails over 7\u201310 days post-purchase<\/td>\n<td class=\"kpi\">\n<ul>\n<li>Repeat purchase rate: 20\u201330%<\/li>\n<li>Review conversion rate: 5\u201310%<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<div class=\"stage\"><span class=\"stage-name\">Reward<\/span><br \/>\n<small>VIP, loyalty, and referrals<\/small><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"email-types\">\n<ul>\n<li>Tier progress updates<\/li>\n<li>Birthday\/anniversary perks<\/li>\n<li>Referral program invitations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"cadence\">Monthly or event-triggered based on milestones<\/td>\n<td class=\"kpi\">\n<ul>\n<li>Referral conversion rate: 3\u20138%<\/li>\n<li>VIP retention: 60\u201370%<\/li>\n<li>Churn rate: &lt;5%<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<div class=\"stage\"><span class=\"stage-name\">Reignite<\/span><br \/>\n<small>re-engagement and winback<\/small><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"email-types\">\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;We miss you&#8221; winback offers<\/li>\n<li>Personalized recommendations<\/li>\n<li>Last chance re-subscribe prompts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"cadence\">Triggered after 30\u201390 days of inactivity<\/p>\n<p>1\u20132 message series<\/td>\n<td class=\"kpi\">\n<ul>\n<li>Re-engagement rate: 5\u201312%<\/li>\n<li>Unsubscribe rate: &lt;0.5%<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3 id=\"discover\">1. Discover: acquisition and list-building emails<\/h3>\n<p>Think of the first phase in the eCommerce lifecycle as meeting a new friend. Potential customers find you from a referral, social post, ad, or elsewhere and start to get to know you. If they like what they see (fingers crossed), they\u2019ll sign up for your email list. You shouldn\u2019t try to sell to them yet, just build the connection.<\/p>\n<p>Your goal: Introduce people to your brand and collect first-party data you can use for future email personalization.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Types of emails to send<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">List opt-in confirmation and email preferences<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">What to expect\/short intro<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Welcome offer (especially if that\u2019s why they signed up!)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>How to measure email marketing success<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Signup conversion rate<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Open rate<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Click-through rate (CTR)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/reallygoodemails.com\/emails\/hi-nice-to-have-you-with-us\">reMarkable<\/a>\u2019s sign up email features a welcome message from the team plus a few links to explore content and socials.<\/p>\n<div class=\"image-scroll mb-3\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/reMarkable-email-scaled.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n\n<h3 id=\"welcome\">2. Welcome: intro and first purchase emails<\/h3>\n<p>Once subscribers are on your email list, you move them to their first sale. After subscribers have met your brand, you can start to work toward the first sale.<\/p>\n<p>Your goal: help subscribers connect with your brand or products and drive urgency toward purchase.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Types of emails to send<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Brand intro series<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Product education<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Social proof\/testimonials<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">First-purchase incentive<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Personalization based on browse<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Time-limited offers for first-time buyers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>How to measure email marketing success<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">First purchase rate<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Revenue per email (RPE)<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Time to first purchase<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Click-through rate (CTR)<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Email read time\/engagement<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/reallygoodemails.com\/emails\/welcome-to-the-family-gozney\">Gozney\u2019s<\/a> welcome email introduces new subscribers to the brand and product without feeling like an immediate sales pitch.<\/p>\n<div class=\"image-scroll mb-3\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Gozney-email-scaled.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n\n<h3 id=\"recover\">3. Recover: cart and browse abandonment emails<\/h3>\n<p>Not everyone buys on the first try, but with a targeted cart and browse abandonment strategy, you can save the sale. Cart and browse abandonment emails follow up with window shoppers or people who came *this* close to buying. You can either use a discount or offer to sweeten the deal, alert them to low stock, or simply remind them of exactly what they left behind.<\/p>\n<p>Your goal: Get browsers and lookers to come back to your website to finish the purchase they started.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Types of emails to send<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Cart\/browse reminder<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Product photo and dynamic CTA<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">FOMO (\u201clow stock\u201d, reviews)<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Secondary offer if no purchase<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Reviews, FAQs, or low-stock warnings<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>How to measure email marketing success<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Cart recovery rate<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Revenue per email<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Conversion rate<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/reallygoodemails.com\/emails\/hey-you-left-this-behind\">Bite<\/a> shows subscribers exactly what they left in their cart with a call to action (CTA) to finish checkout. They also found a way to incorporate benefits and brand differentiators in the design with a banner touting their clean ingredients and cruelty free formula.<\/p>\n<div class=\"image-scroll mb-3\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Bite-email-scaled.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n\n<h3 id=\"grow\">4. Grow: post-purchase and upsell emails<\/h3>\n<p>What\u2019s better than a buyer? A repeat buyer. Showing customers what else they can do with your brand and keeping them up to date with the latest drops keeps the good times going. Personalized content can promote related items, or you can upsell them on add-ons or larger items.<\/p>\n<p>Your goal: Smooth out boom and bust sales cycles with higher repeat purchase rates.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Types of emails to send<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Order confirmation<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Personalized product recommendations<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Thank you and review request<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Product tips\/how-tos<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Upsell\/cross-sell<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Loyalty invitation<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Review requests<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>How to measure marketing success<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Repeat purchase rate<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Review conversion rate<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Avg order value (AOV) uplift<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/reallygoodemails.com\/emails\/not-just-a-sofa-company\">Outer<\/a> shows customers how to complement their purchase with other product categories.<\/p>\n<div class=\"image-scroll mb-3\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/outer-email-scaled.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n\n<h3 id=\"reward\">5. Reward: VIP, loyalty, and referral emails<\/h3>\n<p>Loyalty programs and VIP discounts reward your best customers, and referral programs encourage them to share your brand with others. Reward emails and loyalty programs give you a chance to show gratitude to your most engaged subscribers and buyers.<\/p>\n<p>Your goal: Incentivize engagement with rewards, offers, or discounts.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Types of emails to send<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Tier progress updates<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Birthday\/anniversary perks<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Referral program invitations<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Personalized milestone emails<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Exclusive access to product drops, events, or early sales based on customer tier or purchase history<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 15px; border-left: 10px solid #0d5477;\"><strong>LitTip<\/strong>: putting an \u2018<a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/how-to-create-an-add-to-calendar-link-for-your-emails\">add to calendar<\/a>\u2019 option in your email helps subscribers keep track of VIP events<\/p>\n<p><strong>How to measure marketing success<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Referral conversion rate<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">VIP retention<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Churn rate<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/reallygoodemails.com\/emails\/good-friends-share-olive-oil\">Graza<\/a> promotes their referral and reward program, Glug Club, with an overview of benefits and rewards.<\/p>\n<div class=\"image-scroll mb-3\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Graza-email.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n\n<h3 id=\"reignite\">6. Reignite: re-engagement and winback emails<\/h3>\n<p>Sometimes, subscribers and customers go quiet. Re-engagement emails are a reminder to come back around, but if they don\u2019t re-engage, then you can remove them for a tidy and active email list.<\/p>\n<p>Your goal: Identify who\u2019s drifting and give them a reason to return.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Types of emails to send<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">\u201cWe miss you\u201d winback offers<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Personalized recommendations<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Last chance re-subscribe prompts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>How to measure marketing success<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Re-engagement rate<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Unsubscribe rate<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/reallygoodemails.com\/emails\/we-miss-you-belgian-boys\">Belgian Boys<\/a> let subscribers know that they\u2019ll remove them from the email list and give them a chance to re-engage without pressure or guilt.<\/p>\n<div class=\"image-scroll mb-3\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Belgian-Boys-email.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n\n<h2 id=\"segment\">Retail-ready segmentation and personalization<\/h2>\n<p>As a human with an inbox, you know what it feels like to have way too many messages to catch up on. Our recent research confirms that your customers want relevant emails at a manageable cadence, too.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">The primary reason consumers delete retail marketing emails without opening them is too many emails\/inbox overload (39%).<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Irrelevant or non-personalized content drives 46% of unsubscribes.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">42% unsubscribe due to excessive promotions with few valuable offers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So what\u2019s an eCommerce email marketer to do? Segment and personalize your retail emails to balance your sales goals with the subscriber relationship.<\/p>\n<p>First, a quick lesson on <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/combining-segmentation-and-personalization\">segmentation vs. personalization<\/a>, since we\u2019ll use those terms in a moment. <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/what-is-email-segmentation\">Email segmentation<\/a> sorts your customers into groups based on traits they have in common.<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-117943\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/05_SegmentationStrategie-1024x537.jpeg\" alt=\"Pie chart from Litmus' State of Email report showing the most effective segmentation strategies: interest-based 26%, engagement-based 19%, lifecycle stage 18%, demographic 15%, behavior based 14%, geographic 8%\" width=\"1024\" height=\"537\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/05_SegmentationStrategie-1024x537.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/05_SegmentationStrategie-300x157.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/05_SegmentationStrategie-768x403.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/05_SegmentationStrategie.jpeg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\n<p>Email personalization uses subscriber data and dynamic content to create highly relevant, individualized email experiences.<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-117919\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/03_PersonalizationStrategie-1024x599.jpeg\" alt=\"Pie chart from Litmus' State of Email report showing which personalization strategies marketers find most effective: segmentation (most), dynamic content, personalized subject lines, location-based personalization, and behavior-based triggers (least).\" width=\"1024\" height=\"599\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/03_PersonalizationStrategie-1024x599.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/03_PersonalizationStrategie-300x176.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/03_PersonalizationStrategie-768x450.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/03_PersonalizationStrategie.jpeg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\n<p>Now, onto your playbook to create retail emails that inspire \u2018oohs\u2019 instead of \u2018ughs\u2019.<\/p>\n<h3>Choose data that matches your objective<\/h3>\n<p>You already know that basic first name personalization doesn\u2019t wow anymore, but maybe you\u2019re at a loss for where to go from there.<\/p>\n<p>To build personalization that drives clicks and conversions, you need to lean into behavioral and value-based data. Here are four foundational inputs for retail marketers to use <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/email-personalization-best-practices-the-ultimate-checklist-for-email-marketers\">email personalization best practices<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p><strong>E-commerce Personalization Data Types<\/strong><\/p>\n<table class=\"table table-striped\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Data Type<\/th>\n<th class=\"what-it-means\">What It Means<\/th>\n<th class=\"personalization\">What You Can Personalize<\/th>\n<th class=\"benefits\">How It Can Help<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<div class=\"data-type rfm\">RFM<\/div>\n<div class=\"description\">(Recency, Frequency, Monetary)<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"what-it-means\">Measures how recently someone purchased, how often they purchase, and how much they spend<\/td>\n<td class=\"personalization\">\n<ul>\n<li>Change up timing or urgency based on behavior<\/li>\n<li>Scale your offers to activity, like bigger deals for lapsed customers<\/li>\n<li>Highlight product categories they buy from most<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"benefits\">\n<ul class=\"benefits-list\">\n<li>Turn around cart abandonment<\/li>\n<li>Boost repeat purchase rates<\/li>\n<li>Prevent discount abuse<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<div class=\"data-type category\">Category Affinity<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"what-it-means\">Highlights which product types or collections a shopper browses or buys most<\/td>\n<td class=\"personalization\">\n<ul>\n<li>Feature products from their favorite categories<\/li>\n<li>Personalize your hero image or main CTA<\/li>\n<li>Shift the order of content to match what they care about<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"benefits\">\n<ul class=\"benefits-list\">\n<li>Increase engagement from large segments<\/li>\n<li>Transform generic product recommendations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<div class=\"data-type geo\">Geolocation<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"what-it-means\">Describes where the subscriber lives, down to city or region<\/td>\n<td class=\"personalization\">\n<ul>\n<li>Swap in location-based store info or promos<\/li>\n<li>Show weather-relevant products (like coats in cold regions)<\/li>\n<li>Adjust shipping cutoffs or delivery timelines<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"benefits\">\n<ul class=\"benefits-list\">\n<li>Highlight local sales opportunities<\/li>\n<li>Tap into last-minute holiday sales<\/li>\n<li>Promote event-based campaigns<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<div class=\"data-type clv\">CLV<\/div>\n<div class=\"description\">(Customer Lifetime Value)<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"what-it-means\">Forecasts or reflects the long-term value of a customer based on spend and behavior<\/td>\n<td class=\"personalization\">\n<ul>\n<li>Customize offers based on value, like early access for VIPs<\/li>\n<li>Add loyalty program content or reward progress<\/li>\n<li>Include special touches for top-tier customers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"benefits\">\n<ul class=\"benefits-list\">\n<li>Increase retention<\/li>\n<li>Drive repeat purchases<\/li>\n<li>Decrease acquisition costs (since each customer spends more over time to offset it)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3>Build 1:1 experiences with personalized and dynamic content<\/h3>\n<p><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/your-guide-to-email-personalization-for-ecommerce\">Personalization for eCommerce<\/a> can be fun and creative, but sometimes it seems intimidating to actually put the ideas into motion. In fact, <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/landing-page\/state-of-email-2025\">Litmus\u2019 State of Email Report 2025<\/a> found that the top personalization challenge is developing personalized content efficiently (17%).<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s where <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-personalization\">email personalization tools<\/a> come in. Builders like Litmus Personalize let non-tech-savvy marketers add personalized and dynamic content into emails.<\/p>\n<p>Take it for a spin in this interactive demo:<\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"border: 0;\" title=\"Walnut embedded demo\" src=\"https:\/\/app.teamwalnut.com\/player\/?demoId=cae9c435-baff-4d47-b436-e6aaf4489b83&amp;screenId=6bb84b58-1391-4951-8cfa-05f5f3456b2a&amp;showGuide=true&amp;showGuidesToolbar=true&amp;showHotspots=true&amp;source=app\" name=\"walnut_iframe\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500px\" frameborder=\"none\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-forms allow-downloads allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><br \/>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Now, let\u2019s tie them to your eCommerce lifecycle so you can actually put them to work for you. Here\u2019s how to use Litmus Personalize to add personalized and dynamic content across the retail email marketing lifecycle.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Discover<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Add <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/how-litmus-uses-live-polls\">live polls<\/a> to ask new subscribers what they\u2019re interested in.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Use personalized images to welcome subscribers based on source or device.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Pull in Instagram feeds to show social proof with real UGC.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Enable interest signals to begin tracking clicks and preferences from email #1.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Welcome<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Use rule-based images to feature different products based on category interest or persona.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Add timers to drive urgency around limited-time welcome offers.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Show progress bars to highlight how close they are to free shipping or a reward.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Include personalized images that say hello by name and recommend top-sellers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Recover<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Add timers to create urgency around expiring carts or limited stock.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Use rule-based images to show the exact product left behind\u2014or a smarter alternative.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Include a scratch-off to surprise them with a save-the-sale discount.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Try a sentiment tracker to ask if something got in the way (like price or shipping).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Grow<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Add image carousels with related products or \u201cyou might also like\u201d ideas.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Use interest signals to recommend next-step items based on past behavior.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/video-in-email\">Embed videos in email<\/a> for unboxings, product demos, or styling guides.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Include an \u2018add to calendar\u2019 option for refills, launches, or product care content.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Reward<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Show progress bars for loyalty tier tracking or earned rewards.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Use rule-based images to unlock VIP content for top-tier shoppers.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Add animated videos to celebrate milestones or send thank-you messages.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Drop in a scratch-off to deliver a fun perk or surprise reward.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Reignite<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Use personalized images with \u201cWe miss you\u201d messaging and custom offers.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Swap in rule-based images that scale incentives based on past value or inactivity.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Add a sentiment tracker to find out why they stopped engaging.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Include a live poll to let them tell you what content or products they want now.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<div class=\"container pt-3 pb-5 px-1\">\n\t<div class=\"row blog-cta-green rounded-5 p-4\">\n\t\t<div class=\"mx-auto col-12\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row d-flex align-items-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-lg-6 col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t<p class=\"bold fs-4\">Drive engagement with dynamic content<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<p>Personalize emails with live polls, personalized images, scratch-offs, and more. No coding experience required. <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-personalization\" class=\"bold\">Learn more.<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"button-blue arrow\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/pricing-litmus\" class=\"text-white text-decoration-none\">Book a demo<\/a><\/button>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!--col-6-->\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-6 d-none d-lg-block\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/hero_example_email.png\" width=\"210\" height=\"151\" alt=\"\">\n\t\t\t<\/div><!--col-6-->\n\t\t\t<\/div> <!--row-->\n\t\t<\/div><!--col-12-->\n\t<\/div><!--row-->\n<\/div><!--container-->\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n<h2 id=\"tech-stacks\">Tool stack and integrations for retail marketers<\/h2>\n<p>Creating an email is a labor of love. Plus time, sweat, and occasionally, tears. Thankfully, <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/successful-email-workflow-management\">email workflows<\/a> are generally getting easier and more efficient. Our <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/landing-page\/state-of-email-2025\">2025 State of Email<\/a> report found that the percentage of teams taking over two weeks to produce an email dropped dramatically to just 6% in 2025.<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-119276\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/average-email-deploy-time-961x1024.png\" alt=\"State of Email report chart showing the times it takes teams to product one email\" width=\"961\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/average-email-deploy-time-961x1024.png 961w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/average-email-deploy-time-282x300.png 282w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/average-email-deploy-time-768x818.png 768w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/average-email-deploy-time.png 980w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 961px) 100vw, 961px\" \/>\n<p>One component of excellent<a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/successful-email-workflow-management\"> email workflow management<\/a> is centralized tools and<a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/integrations\"> email integrations<\/a>. The better and easier your marketing tools work together, the less time you spend shuffling information around. Here are the types of tools you might need for each step of an eCommerce email marketing workflow.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Email Marketing Workflow Stages &amp; Tools<\/strong><\/p>\n<table class=\"table table-striped\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Workflow Stage<\/th>\n<th>Popular Tools<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Planning and content creation<\/td>\n<td>Litmus Template Library, Figma, Adobe, Trello, Asana, Airtable, Copy.ai<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Build, QA, and testing<\/td>\n<td>Litmus Builder, Litmus Previews, ESP editor, Litmus Personalize, Grammarly<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Approvals and sending<\/td>\n<td>Litmus Proof, Slack, Teams, Litmus Checklist<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Post-send review<\/td>\n<td>Litmus Analytics, ESP dashboard, Google Analytics<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3>Planning, design, and content creation<\/h3>\n<p>Retail marketing runs on rhythm: campaign calendars, product drops, promotions, and peak seasons. That is, until something throws a wrench in the process. The smoother and faster your planning, design, and content creation are, though, the better you can weather any storm.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Litmus helps you move faster without compromising brand quality. <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-design\">Email design tools<\/a> like reusable templates and code snippets keep content consistent.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">The top <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/state-of-email-design-tools\">email design programs<\/a> include Adobe Photoshop, Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Canva, and Adobe InDesign.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Trello, Asana, or Airtable keep campaigns organized, especially when you\u2019re managing multiple handoffs across creative, marketing, and ops.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>AI writing tools like Copy.ai and Jasper help you brainstorm subject lines, CTAs, and content so you don\u2019t have to start down the ever-intimidating blank page. Our <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/why-your-best-marketing-channel-is-driving-customers-away#privacy\">recent research<\/a> found that AI-generated email marketing faces a trust divide along generational lines\u2014trust increased with younger generations like Millennials (38%) and Gen Z (38%).<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 15px; border-left: 10px solid #0d5477;\"><strong>LitTip<\/strong>: Create an <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/why-you-should-be-creating-email-briefs-and-what-to-include-in-them\">email brief<\/a> during the planning process to keep stakeholders on the same page and guide everyone in the same direction.<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-119277\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Graphic-design-programme-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"Graphic design programs for email marketing\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Graphic-design-programme-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Graphic-design-programme-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Graphic-design-programme-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Graphic-design-programme-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Graphic-design-programme.png 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\n<h3>Build, QA, and testing<\/h3>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve nailed your message and layout, it\u2019s time to build. Then, you need to make sure everything looks flawless, no matter where it\u2019s opened.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-builder\">Litmus Builder<\/a> <\/strong>cuts email development time in half with <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/solutions\/esp\">ESP integrations<\/a> and sync, centralized design assets, and the option to build with or without HTML.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>An <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-testing\">email testing tool<\/a> like Litmus Previews<\/strong> lets you test emails across 100+ clients and devices before hitting send. You\u2019ll catch layout breaks, image issues, and font weirdness early. <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/6-crucial-email-qa-tasks-you-can-automate-with-litmus\">Email QA automation<\/a> saves time without sacrificing quality.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-guardian\"><strong>Litmus Email Guardian<\/strong><\/a> monitors your emails to alert you to changes in how your email renders, like if email client updates suddenly make your welcome email template break.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Your <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/what-is-an-esp\">ESP<\/a> editor<\/strong> (like Klaviyo, <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/salesforce-marketing-cloud-email-integration-litmus\">Salesforce Marketing Cloud<\/a>, or Mailchimp) may have a drag-and-drop editor in addition to HTML code views.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Litmus Personalize<\/strong> makes it simple to layer in dynamic content blocks, like timers or personalized product rows\u2014no heavy ESP configuration needed.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">For copy checks, tools like Grammarly help maintain tone, clarity, and polish across messages.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-119278\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/esp-company-size-1024x501.png\" alt=\"Bar chart of top ESP by company size and industry\" width=\"1024\" height=\"501\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/esp-company-size-1024x501.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/esp-company-size-300x147.png 300w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/esp-company-size-768x376.png 768w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/esp-company-size-1536x752.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/esp-company-size.png 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\n<h3>Approvals and sending<\/h3>\n<p>When deadlines are tight, you need a fast, flexible approval flow that works for marketing and stakeholders. And that doesn\u2019t require you to jump between email threads, tabs, images, and discussions.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Litmus Proof<\/strong> simplifies the process. Share a live, interactive email preview (not a flat screenshot) where reviewers can leave feedback directly on the email and in one centralized location instead of in various places like Slack, Teams, and email.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-39059\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Proof-Example-Screens-768x526-1.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot of Litmus Email Analytics\" width=\"768\" height=\"526\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Proof-Example-Screens-768x526-1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Proof-Example-Screens-768x526-1-300x205.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Proof-Example-Screens-768x526-1-700x479.jpg 700w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before anything goes live, <strong>Litmus Previews and QA<\/strong> runs a full pre-send QA, like checking links, images, tracking, load speed, and accessibility, so you can send with confidence.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-119296\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Litmus-links-1024x446.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of the Previews &amp; QA tab in Litmus\" width=\"1024\" height=\"446\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Litmus-links-1024x446.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Litmus-links-300x131.png 300w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Litmus-links-768x334.png 768w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Litmus-links.png 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\n<h3>Post-send review<\/h3>\n<p>Every email is a chance to learn, but you need the right analytics and reports to make sense of how each campaign performed.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Litmus Analytics<\/strong> goes beyond open rates. See read time, device breakdowns, and how different audiences interact with your content.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-89921\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Litmus-Analytics-Dahsboard-1024x891.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of the Litmus analytics dashboard\" width=\"1024\" height=\"891\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Litmus-Analytics-Dahsboard-1024x891.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Litmus-Analytics-Dahsboard-300x261.png 300w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Litmus-Analytics-Dahsboard-768x668.png 768w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Litmus-Analytics-Dahsboard-1536x1336.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Litmus-Analytics-Dahsboard.png 1674w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Your ESP dashboard<\/strong> tracks revenue, automation flows, and top-performing segments\u2014essential for retail teams who live and die by ROI.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Google Analytics<\/strong><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><strong> (or GA4)<\/strong> closes the loop, tying on-site behavior and purchases back to email clicks.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"design\">Design and QA best practices for mobile-first retail<\/h2>\n<p>We care (a lot) about helping email teams send out error-free emails and have guides to<a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/smarter-email-client-testing\"> email testing best practices<\/a>. We even have<a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/using-responsive-email-templates\"> mobile-responsive email templates<\/a> you can use.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to general best practices design and QA best practices, like <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/why-you-need-email-brand-guidelines-and-what-to-put-in-them\">maintaining an email style guide<\/a>, here are a few <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/conversion-centered-design-email\">conversion-centered design<\/a> elements to consider when you\u2019re creating mobile-first emails for a retail audience.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Email Design Best Practices<\/strong><\/p>\n<table class=\"table table-striped\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Best Practice<\/th>\n<th>Why It Matters<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Lead with a clear CTA<\/td>\n<td>Focuses user action and makes performance easier to measure<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Stack content vertically<\/td>\n<td>Ensures smooth scrolling and clean layout on mobile screens<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Test your designs in dark mode<\/td>\n<td>Prevents disappearing logos, inverted colors, and unreadable buttons<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Use 16px+ fonts and use min 48px tap targets<\/td>\n<td>Keeps text legible and scannable on small screens and makes buttons easy to tap without errors<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Test image load times<\/td>\n<td>Prevents lag on mobile networks and ensures key visuals load quickly<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Don&#8217;t send image-only designs<\/td>\n<td>A significant portion of your audience may never see the design, from visually impaired customers to people without a strong internet connection<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Build with reusable modules<\/td>\n<td>Speeds up production and ensures mobile-ready design with less rework<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3>Lead with a clear CTA<\/h3>\n<p>Limiting your call to action buttons to a single action benefits both you and your customers. For you, it\u2019s easier to measure the email\u2019s performance\u2014it\u2019s a case of whether they clicked or not, instead of \u201cno, they didn\u2019t click this, but they did click that.\u201d For customers, it\u2019s easy to see the point of the email and act on it while skimming.<\/p>\n<h3>Stack content vertically<\/h3>\n<p>Mobile phones are narrower than, say, laptops or tablets. Putting emails in a single column, especially retail messages showing off multiple products, makes it easier to see everything with a simple up-and-down scroll.<\/p>\n<h3>Beware Dark Mode<\/h3>\n<p><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/the-ultimate-guide-to-dark-mode-for-email-marketers\">Dark Mode<\/a> is the default for many mobile users, particularly in Apple Mail. But it can mess with your email design. Light logos can disappear. Colors invert. Buttons become unreadable. Optimizing for Dark Mode means using transparent PNGs, safe color palettes, and testing your designs to make sure they hold up in both light and dark environments.<\/p>\n<h3>Use 16px+ fonts and ample button spacing<\/h3>\n<p>Email font size is always important for accessibility, but it\u2019s especially noticeable on smaller devices like phones. Fonts should be at least 16px and have breathing room around all of your headers, text, and buttons so the message doesn\u2019t feel smooshed. 48px is a good place to start with tap targets.<\/p>\n<h3>Test image load times<\/h3>\n<p>Retail emails are visual by nature, but image-heavy design can drag down load speed on slower connections (especially when your audience is on the move). If your hero image or first product block takes too long to load, people may never see it. Compress file sizes, use modern formats like JPG or WebP, and test for lag so load time doesn\u2019t get in the way of conversions. Feel free to snag our <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/the-102-of-email-code-working-with-images\">imagery code<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Stay away from image-only emails<\/h3>\n<p>If your entire email is one big image, you risk losing the message for anyone using image blockers, with accessibility needs, or on slow connections. Use live HTML text for headlines, CTAs, and key messaging so everyone can enjoy your email.<\/p>\n<p>For example, this email has the images on:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-119280\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Litmus-Email-Images-On-824x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Example of a Litmus email with images on\" width=\"824\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Litmus-Email-Images-On-824x1024.jpg 824w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Litmus-Email-Images-On-241x300.jpg 241w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Litmus-Email-Images-On-768x955.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Litmus-Email-Images-On.jpg 980w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 824px) 100vw, 824px\" \/>\n<p>This email has the images off:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-119279\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Litmus-Email-Images-Off-824x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Example of a Litmus email with images off\" width=\"824\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Litmus-Email-Images-Off-824x1024.jpg 824w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Litmus-Email-Images-Off-241x300.jpg 241w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Litmus-Email-Images-Off-768x955.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Litmus-Email-Images-Off.jpg 980w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 824px) 100vw, 824px\" \/>\n<h3>Build with reusable, tested modules<\/h3>\n<p><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/email-modules-and-modular-email\">Modular email design<\/a> makes building emails faster and easier, which will be a real gift when you get the notice that you need to create and send that specific promo ASAP. Swapping in new <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/create-and-manage-dynamic-code-blocks-easily-with-partials\">partial blocks<\/a>, like reusable CTA elements, helps you build new emails that stay on-brand.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"container pt-3 pb-5 px-1\">\n\t<div class=\"row blog-cta-green rounded-5 p-4\">\n\t\t<div class=\"mx-auto col-12\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row d-flex align-items-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-lg-6 col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t<p class=\"bold fs-4\">Emails that wow, built with ease<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<p>Drag-and-drop or code from scratch. Sync with your ESP and test in one click. Build emails your way. Ready to build better?\n<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"button-blue arrow\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-analytics\" class=\"text-white text-decoration-none\">Book a demo<\/a><\/button>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!--col-6-->\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-6 d-none d-lg-block\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/blog-cta-email-guardian-07292024.svg\" width=\"210\" height=\"180\" alt=\"\">\n\t\t\t<\/div><!--col-6-->\n\t\t\t<\/div> <!--row-->\n\t\t<\/div><!--col-12-->\n\t<\/div><!--row-->\n<\/div><!--container-->\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n<h2 id=\"testing\">Testing workflow for retail emails: From preview to inbox<\/h2>\n<p>Nobody wants the dreaded feeling of realizing the email you just sent has a mistake. To err is human (<a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/how-to-recover-from-email-marketing-mistakes\">we\u2019ve all been there<\/a>), but an organized pre-send workflow and <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/ultimate-email-checklist\">email testing checklist<\/a> catches mistakes without last-minute scrambling.<\/p>\n<p>Litmus takes the chaos out of send day with a workflow that helps you catch mistakes before your customers do. Here\u2019s how the ideal testing process unfolds:<\/p>\n<h3>Step one: Start with reusable modules and templates<\/h3>\n<p>Start with mobile-ready, pre-tested building blocks from your Litmus Design Library. This keeps layouts consistent, speeds up production, and reduces rendering issues down the line.<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-119282\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Litmus-design-library-1024x556.png\" alt=\"pre-tested building blocks in the Litmus Design Library\" width=\"1024\" height=\"556\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Litmus-design-library-1024x556.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Litmus-design-library-300x163.png 300w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Litmus-design-library-768x417.png 768w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Litmus-design-library-1536x834.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Litmus-design-library.png 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\n<h3>Step two: Litmus Previews and QA Checks<\/h3>\n<p>Before you send a test, use Litmus Email testing to run pre-send QA checks. It flags common issues like broken links, missing ALT text, untracked CTAs, and how your images affect loading speed.<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-118369\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/loading-speed-1024x348.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of Litmus Previews and QA Checks\" width=\"1024\" height=\"348\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/loading-speed-1024x348.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/loading-speed-300x102.png 300w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/loading-speed-768x261.png 768w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/loading-speed-1536x522.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/loading-speed.png 1648w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\n<h3>Step three: Preview across top inboxes<\/h3>\n<p>Check how your email renders across 100+ email clients and devices, including key mobile environments like Gmail, Apple Mail, and Outlook Mobile. Dark Mode included.<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-118368\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/previews-devices-907x1024.png\" alt=\"Email previews in Litmus showing Dark Mode\" width=\"907\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/previews-devices-907x1024.png 907w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/previews-devices-266x300.png 266w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/previews-devices-768x867.png 768w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/previews-devices.png 1228w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 907px) 100vw, 907px\" \/>\n<h3>Step four: Confirm accessibility<\/h3>\n<p>Use Litmus\u2019s built-in accessibility tools to flag contrast issues, missing semantic structure, or font sizing problems so your emails work for everyone.<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-108785\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Accessibility-Checker-1-1024x896.png\" alt=\"Litmus\u2019s built-in accessibility checker\" width=\"1024\" height=\"896\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Accessibility-Checker-1-1024x896.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Accessibility-Checker-1-300x263.png 300w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Accessibility-Checker-1-768x672.png 768w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Accessibility-Checker-1.png 1250w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\n<h3>Step five: Share for review with Litmus Proof<\/h3>\n<p>Collaborate in real time with your team or stakeholders by sharing a live email proof. Collect feedback, tag comments, and resolve edits\u2014all in one place without long email threads.<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-119289\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Review-process-1024x314.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of how to collaborate in Litmus Proof\" width=\"1024\" height=\"314\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Review-process-1024x314.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Review-process-300x92.png 300w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Review-process-768x235.png 768w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Review-process-1536x470.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Review-process.png 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\n<h2 id=\"kate-spade\">Case snapshot: How Kate Spade increased email conversion rates 50% with Litmus<\/h2>\n<p>You could say the Kate Spade email team had too much of a good thing. A constant stream of new arrivals to share with a large customer base makes personalization difficult without the right tools. Even if your brand can\u2019t relate to the scale of Kate Spade, the pressure to juggle campaigns with limited time or teams is relatable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"quote my-5 col-12 blue-quote\" >\n\t\n\t<div class=\"row d-flex align-items-center\">\n\t<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-9\">&#8220;<em>We have new products arriving all the time and our new arrivals emails are key to our CRM strategy. We needed a smart way to manage new in and move from a one-size-fits-all email. We\u2019re a small team so we needed automation to help us achieve our personalization goal, we simply couldn\u2019t build a version of the email for every product category. We\u2019re now listening to what our customers would like from us and using Kickdynamic to show them what they want.<\/em>&#8220;<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-3 text-center\">\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/chloe-temple-kate-spade.png\" alt=\"Chloe Temple\" width=\"125\" height=\"125\" class=\"mt-3 mt-lg-0\">\t<p><strong>Chloe Temple<\/strong>\t<br><span class=\"quote-title\">Ecommerce Marketing Director (Europe)<\/span><\/p>\t<a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/chloe-temple-ecommerce\" target=\"blank\"><i class=\"fa-brands fa-linkedin\"><\/i><\/a>\t<\/div>\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>To personalize email at scale, the Kate Spade team created two emails with Litmus Personalize. The first one encouraged subscribers to engage, and what they clicked determined their preferred category for the following new arrivals email. Email two showcased the latest products from the click category using an automated product feed in conjunction with their CRM data.<\/p>\n<p>The results:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">50% increase in conversion rate<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">174% increase in revenue<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">36% increase in click-through rate (CTR)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<div class=\"container pt-3 pb-5\">\n\t<div class=\"row blog-cta-blue rounded-5 p-4\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col-12 mx-auto\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row d-flex align-items-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-lg-6 col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t<p class=\"bold fs-4\">Maximize retail ROI<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<p>Discover how Litmus helps brands like Costco and Best Buy create impactful, revenue-generating email campaigns.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"button-blue arrow\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/customers?industry_category=retail-ecommerce\" class=\"text-white text-decoration-none\">Explore Case Studies<\/a><\/button>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!--col-6-->\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-6 d-none d-lg-block\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/blog-cta-12172024.svg\" width=\"208\" height=\"171\" alt=\"\">\n\t\t\t<\/div><!--col-6-->\n\t\t\t<\/div> <!--row-->\n\t\t<\/div><!--col-12-->\n\t<\/div><!--row-->\n<\/div><!--container-->\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n<h2 id=\"metrics-benchmarks\">Key metrics and benchmarks for retail email marketers<\/h2>\n<p>Setting goals and targets is a must-have part of every <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/how-to-plan-your-email-campaign-strategy\">email campaign strategy<\/a>, even if it isn\u2019t quite as flashy as brainstorming creative copy or visuals. Once you understand how your emails typically perform, though, you can work on <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/email-optimization-tips\">email optimization<\/a> (and impress your boss with your progress).<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-119294\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/KPI-2-1024x808.png\" alt=\"Chart of the top KPIs for marketing emails\" width=\"1024\" height=\"808\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/KPI-2-1024x808.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/KPI-2-300x237.png 300w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/KPI-2-768x606.png 768w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/KPI-2.png 1338w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\n<h3>Open rate<\/h3>\n<p><strong>What it is<\/strong>: the percentage of recipients who opened your email out of the total delivered.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How to measure it<\/strong>: (Openers \u00f7 Emails Delivered) \u00d7 100<\/p>\n<p><strong>2025 retail benchmark<\/strong>: ~38% (<a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.klaviyo.com\/products\/email-marketing\/benchmarks\">Klaviyo Benchmarks<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>How to improve it<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Use<a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/subject-line-tests-and-tips\"> email subject line testing<\/a> to experiment with different versions, personalization, and numbers or emojis. Without A\/B testing, you could leave money on the table\u2014nearly one-third (31%) of people delete emails within seconds based on subject lines<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Optimize preview text to complement the subject line.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Test send times by segment or timezone<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Build engaged segments to improve deliverability<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You should know: open rates aren\u2019t a <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/measure-email-marketing-success#:~:text=Open%20rate%20is%20no%20longer,an%20unreliable%20number%20to%20measure.\">reliable metric<\/a> anymore. While many email marketers still track it, don\u2019t rely too heavily on it to indicate performance.<\/p>\n<h3>Click-through rate<\/h3>\n<p><strong>What it is<\/strong>: the percentage of recipients who clicked any link in your email.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How to measure it<\/strong>: (Unique Clicks \u00f7 Emails Delivered) \u00d7 100<\/p>\n<p><strong>2025 retail benchmark<\/strong>: 1.29% (<a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.klaviyo.com\/products\/email-marketing\/benchmarks\">Klaviyo Benchmarks<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>How to improve it<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Include a single clear CTA per section<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Use tappable buttons optimized for mobile<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Add social proof or user-generated content<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 15px; border-left: 10px solid #0d5477;\"><strong>LitTip<\/strong>: check how your ESP or analytics dashboard defines click rate or click-through rate. The terms are often used interchangeably or alongside click-to-open rate, but meanings can vary slightly. They all measure how many people clicked in your email, but might use the total delivered emails or number of people who opened the email as the basis.<\/p>\n<h3>Conversion rate<\/h3>\n<p><strong>What it is<\/strong>: the percentage of delivered emails that led to a purchase or desired action.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How to measure it<\/strong>: (Conversions \u00f7 Emails Delivered) \u00d7 100<\/p>\n<p><strong>2025 retail benchmark<\/strong>: 1%-5% (<a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/unbounce.com\/email-marketing\/email-conversion-rate\">Unbounce<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>How to improve it<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Automate cart abandonment or welcome flows<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Highlight trust signals like reviews, return policies, and \u201clow stock\u201d urgency dynamically<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Use geo-based offers or location-specific shipping cutoffs to remove friction<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Learn more about how to create <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/emails-that-convert\">emails that convert<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Revenue per recipient<\/h3>\n<p><strong>What it is<\/strong>: the average amount of revenue generated for each email delivered.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How to measure it<\/strong>: (Total Revenue \u00f7 Emails Delivered)<\/p>\n<p><strong>2025 retail benchmark<\/strong>: $0.10 (<a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.klaviyo.com\/products\/email-marketing\/benchmarks\">Klaviyo Benchmarks<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>How to improve it<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Use Litmus Personalize to tailor product recommendations to each recipient\u2019s past behavior or top categories<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Test exclusive offers for high-value segments (based on CLV or purchase frequency)<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Use post-purchase cross-sell blocks to increase average order value (AOV)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Placed order rate<\/h3>\n<p><strong>What it is<\/strong>: the percentage of delivered emails that led directly to a completed order.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How to measure it<\/strong>: (Number of Orders \u00f7 Emails Delivered) \u00d7 100<\/p>\n<p><strong>2025 retail benchmark<\/strong>: 0.08% (<a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.klaviyo.com\/products\/email-marketing\/benchmarks\">Klaviyo Benchmarks<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>How to improve it<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Personalize product offers based on browse or cart behavior<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Swap in location- or time-specific shipping info<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Create automated browse\/cart abandonment flows with optimized timing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>ROI<\/h3>\n<p><strong>What it is<\/strong>: the profitability of your email program relative to the cost of running it.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/infographic-the-roi-of-email-marketing\">How to measure ROI<\/a><\/strong>: \u00a0((Revenue from Email \u2013 Email Marketing Costs) \u00f7 Email Marketing Costs) \u00d7 100<\/p>\n<p><strong>2025 Retail Benchmark<\/strong>: 35% of brands 10:1-36:1, 35% of brands over 36:1 (<a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/infographic-the-roi-of-email-marketing\">Litmus<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>How to improve it<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Increase efficiency with modular templates and reusable content blocks in Litmus<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Reduce send-day stress and errors with Litmus Checklist and Proof workflows<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Maximize campaign performance with dynamic content like CLV or product interest<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"get-started\">How to get started with Litmus<\/h2>\n<p>Litmus can help you save time, reduce errors, and boost retail email ROI, whether you\u2019re in-house at a retail brand or help with<a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/industry\/agencies\"> email marketing for agencies<\/a>. Here\u2019s what to do next with your newfound retail email smarts:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-checked=\"false\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Pick a campaign to refine<\/strong>. You don\u2019t have to overhaul everything at once. Start with a high-volume flow, like your welcome series or cart abandonment emails, that could be working harder. Audit how it\u2019s performing today so you\u2019ll have a baseline to measure against.<\/li>\n<li aria-checked=\"false\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Clean up your workflow<\/strong>. You deserve better than juggling test links in Slack or chasing sign-off in spreadsheets. Litmus brings testing, collaboration, and QA into one spot, so you can stop fixing the same mistakes and spend more time creating better results.<\/li>\n<li aria-checked=\"false\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Use the data you already have<\/strong>. You don\u2019t need to reinvent the wheel. Use what you already know\u2014purchase behavior, location, categories of interest\u2014to create more relevant experiences. Litmus Personalize makes it easy to bring that data to life with dynamic content blocks.<\/li>\n<li aria-checked=\"false\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Try a quick win<\/strong>. Add a countdown timer to your next flash sale. Show personalized recommendations based on purchase history. Highlight loyalty milestones. With Litmus Personalize, it\u2019s drag-and-drop simple. You can start with one of our tested <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-templates\">email templates<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li aria-checked=\"false\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Test and learn<\/strong>. Set up an A\/B test, track your KPIs in Litmus Analytics, and let your audience\u2019s behavior guide your next move. Start small, iterate quickly, and build a personalization engine that improves over time. If you need a refresher, we have a guide to <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/email-ab-testing-how-to\">email A\/B testing best practices<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You\u2019ll learn best by doing, so start with one idea, see what works, and let your results point you in the right direction.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"container pt-3 pb-5 px-1\">\n\t<div class=\"row blog-cta-green rounded-5 p-4\">\n\t\t<div class=\"mx-auto col-12\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row d-flex align-items-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-lg-6 col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t<p class=\"bold fs-4\">Take the stress out of sending<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<p>Catch errors before they reach subscribers. Test rendering, links, and spam scores in seconds with Litmus.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"button-blue arrow\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-testing\" class=\"text-white text-decoration-none\">Start email testing<\/a><\/button>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!--col-6-->\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-6 d-none d-lg-block\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/blog-cta-email-guardian-07292024.svg\" width=\"210\" height=\"180\" alt=\"\">\n\t\t\t<\/div><!--col-6-->\n\t\t\t<\/div> <!--row-->\n\t\t<\/div><!--col-12-->\n\t<\/div><!--row-->\n<\/div><!--container-->\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n  \t\t\t<\/div>\n  \t\t<\/div>\n  \t<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Retail and eCommerce email marketing guide: top tools, benchmarks, and QA tips to recover carts, grow ROI, and wow shoppers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":119269,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[9363],"blog_category":[10306],"class_list":["post-119468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-email-marketing-strategy","blog_category-email-marketing-strategy"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.5 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - 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