Many retailers and ecommerce brands still follow a campaign-centric marketing messaging strategy. RevZilla used to be one of them with batch-and-blast making up 80% of the motorcycle gear retailer’s email marketing mix. However, that changed last year. RevZilla realized that while triggered messages only comprised 20% of their email program, they produced 84% more revenue per thousand users.

That’s not unusual. According to the Data & Marketing Association, 77% of email ROI is generated from targeted, triggered messages. And why wouldn’t it be? In many cases, triggered messaging is one of the first marketing initiatives that leverages true one-to-one personalization. They’re direct reactions to customers’ specific behaviors, such as signing up for an email list, making a purchase or abandoning an online shopping cart.

The Benefits of Triggered Messages

Customers’ actions clue you into how they’re feeling and artificial intelligence has enabled marketers to tap into that. As a result, retailers have evolved their tactics from foundational to more sophisticated with personalization, predictive analytics and other forms of machine learning.

Often consisting of flows, triggered messages give every retailer the opportunity to:

  • Increase list size
  • Reduce risk of attrition and churn
  • Increase revenue from email
  • Acquire valuable customers cost-effectively
  • Boost average order value
  • Turn browsers into buyers
  • Drive repeat purchases from existing customers

Because RevZilla evolved their email marketing plan to be more lifecycle-centric, the brand’s generic three-part welcome series was replaced by a more robust flow dictated by customers’ interests and behaviors. They’re far from the only retailer mastering triggered messaging. Anthropologie comes to mind with their birthday discounts. Because they sell beauty and grooming products, Sephora and Dollar Shave Club have seen success with their replenishment reminders for consumable products. And then there’s Blue Apron, whose re-engagement emails offer good discounts and even better puns.

Feeling inspired? Whether you’re looking to learn more about triggered messages or up your trigger game, our new guide has something for you.

Click here to download The Ultimate Playbook to Triggered Messaging for Retail Marketers: Best Practices for Increasing Revenue with Email and Multichannel Triggers.