Email marketing for e-commerce is a cost effective way to reach new customers and grow your business. With the number of e-commerce stores rising and online shopping being more popular than ever, it's important for small businesses to do all they can to promote their store.

With email marketing, businesses of all sizes can directly connect with customers and drive more traffic to your store. In this guide, you'll find tips and ideas on how to get started with email marketing for your small business or optimize your existing email strategy.

Why is Email Marketing Essential for E-Commerce?

Although marketing strategies like paid ads, SEO and social media campaigns are all effective in their own way, they can't guarantee you a direct channel to customers. Email presents you with the unique chance to speak to your audience on a one-to-one level and create personalized content for them.

Especially in retail, customer loyalty is a strong success factor. Most businesses rely on customers returning to provide a steady stream of sales. Email is a great tool for maintaining relationships with repeat customers and keeping them engaged with your business over time.

Getting started

As long as you have an idea of your goals and knowledge of best practice, email marketing for e-commerce is really straightforward. All you need to get started is an email list, a set of email templates, and a sending service like Mail Designer!

Email Lead Generation for E-Commerce Sites

The first step in getting started with email marketing is collecting email subscribers for your list. This is also known as email lead generation.

One common way for e-commerce websites to gain email subscribers is through collecting email addresses at the point of sale. Inserting a field on your online checkout for shoppers to enter their email address allows you to stay in touch with them following the sale.

Important: Remember that data privacy regulations in most countries also require the customer's consent for receiving marketing emails. Make sure you research the opt in requirements in your country before setting this up.

More ways to grow your email list

While the above method provides you with contact information for existing customers, it doesn't take into account those who haven't purchased from your store. Here are a few organic ways to collect more email addresses for your list:

Build opt in forms

This is a popular method for many businesses. Build an opt in form for your website to allow customers to subscribe to your list for regular news and updates. These kind of sign ups are the most valuable, as they are customers with an active interest in your business.

Some good places to include an opt in form are: the footer area of your website, on your "contact" or "about" page, or as a header bar at the top of your site.

Tip: Mail Designer Delivery offers an integrated form builder so you can easily insert sign up forms into your website. Learn more.

Set up popup promotions

Offering customers an incentive in exchange for providing their email address can also be effective. One way of doing this is through a discount or promotion. For example, many websites offer new customers money off their first purchase if they enter their email address.

Although this could be part of a regular sign up form, it can be even more effective as an eye-catching pop up window.

Tip: Set your popup to appear to new customers after a few minutes of browsing. This way, you'll know they have an interest in your store.

Run a giveaway

A giveaway or competition is another fun way to increase email signups and get more people engaging with your store. Set up a dedicated landing page where participants can enter their email address for a chance to win.

Tip: Use your social media platforms to promote your giveaway and encourage more people to take part.

Offer "back in stock" notifications

If you have products which are out of stock, use this as an opportunity to encourage more newsletter sign ups. Create a dedicated sign up form for sold out items which customers can use to get notified when the product is available again.

Tip: Use this sign up data to see which products customers are interested in and offer an alternative.

Types of Emails to Send for E-Commerce

When it comes to the types of emails you can send for your e-commerce site, you have a wide range of options. Split your emails into two main categories: automated, transactional emails for everyday use and one-time promotional campaigns. Find out more about each of these below.

Automated email strategy for e-commerce

Transactional emails cover the emails a business need to send on a day-to-day basis. They are sent out when a customer performs a certain action or trigger (e.g. making a purchase.) For an online store, this will most often be order confirmation emails and delivery updates.

Every business is unique. Think about your store's general workflow and come up with a set of functional, on-brand templates to simplify this process. This article offers some great tips on how to do this. Once you have created your email templates, you can set them up to use with your automation tool of choice.

Tip: Over time, you can optimize your strategy and add more and more templates to respond to different triggers. Here are some more great ideas for transactional emails.

Promotional email strategy for e-commerce

Promotional email campaigns are also a major part of your email marketing strategy. These campaigns help you generate revenue and get more traffic to your store. As one-off campaigns, it will take a little more work to make them stand out and excite customers, so good design is key.

Here are some examples of email promotions you can run for your online store:

Seasonal sale

A seasonal sale is a classic choice for any online retailer. Announce your sale to email subscribers and watch your website traffic skyrocket, as customers try and get hold of a great deal.

Tip: Make sure to generate a sense of urgency in your email by using time sensitive language. This plays on customers' FOMO (fear of missing out) and helps ensure they check out your sale faster. When it's gone, it's gone!

"New in" email

Tempt subscribers with your latest products and send an email to announce new stock in your store. Whether it's a new product range, exciting collaboration or restock, your customers will want to know.

Product inspiration

Staying relevant is really important for your small business's survival. Even if you have nothing new to share, you can engage customers by showing them new and creative ways to use your products.

Themed promotion

Similarly to a sale, running a promotion is also an effective way to tempt customers onto your e-commerce site. A promotion can come in many shapes and sizes, covering everything including: free delivery, x% off, free gift with purchase, etc.

Tying in a promotion with a certain theme or event is a good method in making it more relevant to your customers. As well as popular seasonal holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day, there are also a number of alternative occasions throughout the year which provide a great opportunity to hold a promotion with less competition from other brands. Here are a few ideas:

• International Women's Day (8th March)
• Singles Day (11th November)
• Earth Day (22nd April)
• International Thank You Day (11th January)
• International Day of Friendship (30th July)

Tip: Running promotions too regularly can often be detrimental to your business, as they will lose their exclusivity and also deter customers from purchasing at full price on a regular day.

Blog content

If you have a blog, this can be another good tool to use to get more visitors to your online store. Curating your latest blog posts and sending them to subscribers alongside fun product recommendations and other news can make for a great newsletter.

Your subscribers signed up because they are interested in your business. Informative, content-based emails are often a welcome break from a sales heavy strategy. It's good to balance out your content every now and again.

Blog topics could include industry news, smart ways to use your products, step-by-step tutorials, or personal stories about your products or business.

Best Practice for Marketing Emails

Now you have an idea of which emails to be sending your customers, you should briefly familiarise yourself with these five, specially selected best practice tips. This helps ensure your marketing emails are effective and will result in more conversions.

Eye-catching subject line

Your email subject line is your first chance to make an impression on your reader. Oftentimes, if the subject line is not interesting enough, the email will be left unread.

When writing your email subject, you should try your best to ensure it is entertaining and also effective in communicating the contents of the email. Advertising a summer sale? Make sure you use these keywords in the subject line! Emojis can also be a great way to make your subject even more striking.

Tip: Mail Designer 365 has a built in inbox preview tool. Use this to keep control of the length and get a feel of how your email subject will look in your recipients' inbox.

Sales layout

Most of your promotional emails will be advertising certain products. To make these easier to shop, you should make sure your email layout is practical and easy for readers to navigate.

In addition to good quality product photos, remember to also include a product name and up to date price tag. This helps customers a lot in the shopping process. As well as this, a direct and accurate link to the product is also essential, as customers will quickly lose interest if they are unable to find what they are looking for.

Where possible, you should also ensure that your email layout reflects your store's layout in the best way possible. Consistency is key and helps streamline the transition between your emails and your website.

Tip: Mail Designer 365 offers 1000s of layout combinations which you can use to recreate the look and feel of your store in your email designs. Drag and drop to build.

Clear call to action

Having a clear call-to-action (CTA) is a must in every email. Your CTA points the customer to their next step and is a critical factor in securing more conversions.

If you have a great email design but no clear next step, your customer will quickly become disengaged and move on. Use a bold CTA button to link to a specific product, to your sale page, your blog, or another destination.

Mail Designer 365 supports the use of text buttons for ultimate compatibility in all email clients. Learn more.

 

Mobile optimization

Just like your online store needs to be mobile friendly, so do your emails! Having great email content for smartphones and other mobile devices is an important part of the user experience for many of your customers.

Tip: Mail Designer 365 automatically creates a mobile responsive version of your email design that you can edit separately in the smartphone view.

Unsubscribe link

By law, you are required to include an unsubscribe link in every promotional email. This allows subscribers a way to opt out of your list if they are no longer interested.

The email footer is the most common location for an unsubscribe link. When you do set this up, it's best practice to make it well-visible, as not to deceive customers and make things difficult.

Remember, subscribers removing themselves from your list is not all bad. Your goal is to send emails to customers with a genuine interest in your business. With fewer disengaged subscribers on your list, you can hope for better open and click rates in the future.

Get Started with Email Marketing for E-Commerce Today

Hopefully, this guide has shown you the benefits of email marketing for e-commerce. Getting started with an email marketing strategy for your e-commerce business is super straightforward:

1. Build up your email list with innovative lead generation techniques
2. Use Mail Designer 365 for Mac to build stylish templates for your online store
3. Send directly to customers via Mail Designer Delivery

For more useful resources on getting started with email marketing for e-commerce – including setting up email target groups, scheduling campaigns, and managing email contacts, check out the Mail Designer 365 Manual.

Email marketing for schools is a flexible and effective communication channel — especially for schools and universities. Whether you’re sharing internal updates, contacting recent graduates, or reaching out to potential new students, email marketing helps you connect with your audience in a targeted and meaningful way.

If you’re looking to get started, on our page for email marketing for higher education you will find everything you need to create impactful, professional emails that reflect your institution’s brand.

In this post, we’ll walk you through the key steps to building a successful email strategy for your school or university — from planning and content ideas to design tips and best practices.

Why Email Marketing is Essential for Schools & Universities

Cost-Effective Communication That Saves Your School Money

Email marketing for schools is a cost-effective and powerful way to enhance communication with students, parents, teachers, and staff. Beyond saving your institution thousands of dollars each year in printing and postage costs, it offers a modern, easy-to-implement solution to streamline your outreach efforts.

Reach Students, Parents, and Staff Directly on Their Devices

In today’s digital age, students and educators frequently check their smartphones, tablets, and laptops throughout the day. Email provides a direct, reliable channel to reach your school community instantly — whether you’re sharing urgent updates, upcoming events, or important announcements.

Personalize Messages to Different School Community Groups

Moreover, email marketing allows schools to deliver personalized messages tailored to different groups, such as parents, students, and faculty, improving engagement and building stronger relationships. This direct communication boosts transparency, fosters trust, and encourages active participation in school activities.

Automate Routine Communications for Efficiency

With email marketing for schools, you can also automate routine communications like enrollment reminders, newsletters, and event invitations, freeing up valuable administrative time. And thanks to detailed performance tracking, you can continuously refine your campaigns to ensure your messages resonate and make an impact.

Measure and Improve Your Outreach Effectiveness

Track email open rates, click-throughs, and engagement to refine your campaigns and ensure your messages resonate with your school community.

Top Email Campaigns for Educational Institutions

Email marketing for schools goes far beyond flashy sales messages — it’s a powerful tool to improve internal communication and connect with students, parents, staff, and alumni in a targeted, cost-effective way. Here are the most impactful email campaigns your school, college, or university should consider using:

1. Email Newsletters for Schools: Keep Your Community Informed

Most institutions are already familiar with newsletters. Switching from printed to email newsletters lets you share school updates, event highlights, and important announcements — while saving on printing costs and reducing your environmental footprint.

• Use it for: Monthly school updates, board decisions, new programs
• Who it’s for: Staff, students, parents, governors

2. Orientation Emails: Welcome New Students with Confidence

Start-of-year communications can be overwhelming. A well-designed orientation email helps students feel informed and supported from day one, with easy access to schedules, campus maps, key contacts, and must-know info.

• Use it for: Back-to-school info, exchange student support
• Who it’s for: Incoming students, international students

3. Feedback Emails: Hear Directly from Students and Staff

Email is a great way to gather honest feedback from your school community. Instead of printed slips, send a quick, mobile-friendly survey (e.g. via Google Forms) and use responses to improve courses, events, or campus life.

• Use it for: Course feedback, faculty evaluations, student check-ins
• Who it’s for: Current students, teaching staff

4. Use Email Marketing to Attract Prospective Students

Use email campaigns to showcase your institution’s strengths. Highlight upcoming open days, academic programs, research breakthroughs, or student success stories to stand out from the competition.

• Use it for: Admissions marketing, open day invites
• Who it’s for: Prospective students, parents, school counselors

5. Email Marketing for Alumni Outreach in Schools

Stay connected with your alumni community by sharing success stories, event invites, or giving opportunities. Since graduates often move, email is a more reliable channel than postal mail.

• Use it for: Fundraising, testimonials, alumni spotlights
• Who it’s for: Former students, donors, alumni groups

Best Practices for Email Marketing in Schools and Universities

Once you’ve chosen your email campaigns, follow these design and content guidelines to ensure your emails look professional and perform well.

With a drag & drop email editor like Mail Designer 365, you can build professional email templates for your school or university in minutes. Start with a blank canvas or choose a Design Idea from our selection of email templates for education.

Branding: Stay Consistent with Your School’s Identity

Every email you send on behalf of your institution should conform to your brand guidelines. Not only does this make it easier for recipients to recognise that the email has come from you, it also helps you to protect your reputation.

Start by inserting the logo or crest for your school in a prominent place in your design. Usually, this would be the email header. You should also keep other aspects such as the font family and color scheme consistent at all times.

Tip: In Mail Designer 365, you can save your logo header under "My saved blocks" to reuse in all future email designs.

Layout: Organize Content for Easy Reading

Especially when you are presenting large amounts of information to your readers, it's important to opt for a clear layout. There's nothing worse than trying to navigate your way through a cramped email to locate what you're looking for.

Be sure to use a healthy balance of text and images and use spacers and headlines to separate different sections of your email.

Tip: Mail Designer 365 offers you a wide range of layout options, including mobile-responsive table layouts, which you can use to clearly present important information.

Tone & Style: Adapt to Your Audience

When putting together your emails, it's also best practice to consider your target group. This will help you determine the tone you use in your email copy, as well as other important style elements, such as graphics and eye-catchers.

If you are creating email content for a younger audience (i.e. high-schoolers or college students) it's generally fine to use a more relaxed tone and even shake things up visually, e.g. with GIFs, memes, emojis, etc.

On the other hand, if the email is intended for a different audience (i.e. parents, governors, etc.), or you are sharing important information, it's best to keep the tone more formal and to refrain from any style elements which may distract from your key message.

Clear Calls to Action (CTAs)

Including a call to action (CTA) in your email helps point the recipient towards their next steps. This does not have to be sales-related! Here are a few examples of CTA links you can include in your institution's emails:

• Sign up for a class/activity/field trip/extra tuition
• Get tickets for an event/football game/prom
• Download an eBook/guide/worksheet/timetable
• Watch a video lecture/webinar
• Share your class feedback
• Follow us on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook/etc...

Whatever you opt for, you should ensure your CTA stands out well against the rest of your email and that the text is clear and concise.

Get Started with Email Marketing for Schools

We hope you’ve found this email guide for schools and universities useful and will consider applying some of these tips to your own email strategy. Getting started with email marketing for your institution is easy and affordable:

1. Open the Mail Designer 365 app (Don’t have a Mail Designer 365 plan yet? Get your free trial here!)
2. Use one of our dedicated email templates for education, or create your own design from scratch.
3. Send  finished designs directly using Mail Designer, send from your school’s email account, or export as HTML to use with your own service.

Until next time,

Your Mail Designer 365 Team