Why Email Marketing Is Still Useful for Sellers with Their Own Website?

Many online sellers think that once they have their own e-commerce website, their channel development is complete. In reality, having a website only provides a place for customers to make purchases, but it doesn't automatically help you retain existing customers or encourage them to buy again. Email marketing remains useful for sellers who already have their own website because it's a way to maintain connection with customers who know your brand, remind them to repurchase, and better leverage customer data collected from your website, forms, or orders.

When customers visit your website, leave their information, or make a purchase, that's valuable business asset. However, if you have no way to contact them afterward, they might forget your brand within a few days. Email helps you stay top-of-mind with customers without the need for continuous, costly advertising.

This article will help you better understand the role of email marketing when you have your own website, what types of emails you should have, how to connect your website with CRM and email, as well as some specific customer retention flows you can implement right away.

A Website Helps You Sell, Email Helps You Retain Customers

A website is the platform for customers to explore products, place orders, and make payments. But after customers leave your site, you have no proactive way to reach them unless they return on their own or you run retargeting ads again.

Email marketing allows you to proactively reach out to those who have previously interacted with your brand. When customers leave their email on your website through a signup form, landing page, or during checkout, you have the legal right to send them emails. This is an opportunity to invite them back, introduce new products, send relevant offers, or simply maintain brand presence.

Many online sellers haven't realized that the cost of selling to an existing customer is often much lower than constantly finding new ones. Existing customers already know your brand, have purchased from you, or at least shown interest. Email is a tool to effectively tap into this customer segment.

When Should Sellers Start Using Email Marketing?

You should start using email marketing when you have accumulated a certain amount of customer contact data. Specifically, when you have at least one of the following situations:

When you have customers purchasing on your website
After each order, you get the customer's email. This is a good time to send a thank-you email, order confirmation, product usage instructions, or a reminder to repurchase after an appropriate period. Post-purchase emails help maintain your relationship with customers instead of letting them forget you after the first transaction.

When you have customers leaving their information on a landing page or signup form
If you run ads to drive customers to a landing page to receive offers, download resources, or sign up for updates, this email list is a valuable asset. You can send a welcome email series, introduce products, or nurture leads who showed interest but haven't purchased yet.

When you want to reactivate long-inactive old customers
Many sellers have lists of old customers from previous orders but don't know how to re-engage them. Email is an effective tool to encourage them to come back and buy more, especially when you have new products or suitable promotions.

When you want to introduce new products or promotions
Instead of just posting on social media and hoping customers will see it, you can send emails directly to those who have shown interest or purchased before. Email allows you to control who receives your message and track who opens emails and clicks on products.

If you are in any of the situations above, it's time to take email marketing seriously instead of just focusing on having a website.

Basic Email Categories Sellers Should Have

When starting with email marketing, you don't need too many complex types of emails. Here are the basic categories that most online sellers should have:

Welcome or Confirmation Email When Customers Leave Information

When customers leave their email on your website via a signup form or landing page, you should send a welcome email immediately. This email confirms that their information has been received and briefly introduces your brand, products, or the benefits they will receive by following you. It's also an opportunity to make a good first impression.

Post-Purchase Email

After a customer makes a purchase, you should send a thank-you email, order confirmation, and product usage instructions if needed. This email not only reassures customers about their order but also provides an opportunity to introduce related products or your loyalty program, if you have one. Post-purchase emails have one of the highest open rates because customers are eagerly awaiting information about their order.

Re-engagement Email for Old Customers

After a certain period, for example, 30 or 60 days from their last purchase, you can send an email reminding customers to return. This email can introduce new products, special offers, or simply remind them that your brand is still active and ready to serve. Re-engagement emails help you reactivate old customers instead of letting them forget your brand.

Email Introducing New Products or Relevant Promotions

When you have new products or promotional campaigns, you can send emails to relevant customer lists. If you have a CRM to segment customers based on their preferences or purchase history, these emails will be much more effective than sending them out broadly to everyone. Emails introducing new products help you leverage existing customer data rather than relying solely on advertising to reach them again.

Email Nurturing Leads Who Showed Interest But Didn't Purchase

Many customers visit your website, view products, and may even add them to their cart but ultimately don't complete the purchase. If you collected their emails through forms or popups, you can send emails reminding them about the products they viewed or offer a small incentive to encourage them to complete their order. These emails help you leverage customers who intended to buy but hadn't decided yet.

Additionally, if appropriate, you can include emails sharing useful content like product usage guides, industry-related tips, or brand stories. However, for online sellers, the above email categories are sufficient to start and maintain effective customer connections.

The Connection Between Website, CRM, and Email Marketing

When you only have a website without a CRM, customer data will be scattered across various places. You might have customer lists from orders, signup forms, and landing pages, but you won't know how to manage and use them systematically.

CRM helps you consolidate all contact data in one place. When customers leave their information on your website or make a purchase, this data is saved in the CRM along with related details such as products purchased, purchase date, order value, customer source, and current status. This allows you to know who is an existing customer, who is new, who has purchased multiple times, and who only left information but hasn't bought.

Email marketing becomes significantly more effective when connected to your CRM. Instead of sending emails broadly to everyone, you can send emails based on the actual data of each contact. For example, you only send re-engagement emails to customers who have purchased at least once, or only introduce new products to customers who have previously bought similar items.

When you combine your website, CRM, and email correctly, your process will look like this:

Customers visit your website or landing page, leave their information, or make a purchase. This data is saved in the CRM with detailed information. Based on the customer's status, they are categorized into appropriate segments. Then, you can send post-purchase emails to new buyers or re-engagement emails to customers who haven't purchased in a while. When customers open emails and click on products, they return to your website and may make another purchase. This entire process helps you better utilize existing customer data instead of losing them after the first interaction.

This is precisely why many online sellers today focus not only on having a website but also on building a system that includes CRM and email for systematic customer care.

Basic Email Flows for Customer Retention

Here is a basic email flow you can implement right away to retain existing customers:

Flow 1: Post-Purchase Follow-up

Day 0: Customer purchases on the website
Immediately: Send a thank-you email and order confirmation
Day 3: Send an email asking about their product experience
Day 7: Send an email introducing related products or the loyalty program
Day 30: Send a reminder to repurchase or introduce new products

This flow helps you maintain contact with customers after they purchase, preventing them from forgetting your brand. Each email in this flow has a clear purpose and is sent at an appropriate time.

Flow 2: Nurturing Leads Who Left Information but Haven't Purchased

Day 0: Customer leaves their email on a landing page or signup form
Immediately: Send a welcome email and brand introduction
Day 2: Send an email introducing featured products or special offers
Day 5: Send an email sharing case studies or reviews from real customers
Day 10: Send an email reminding them about an expiring offer or a popular product

This flow helps you leverage customers who intended to learn more but haven't decided to buy yet. Instead of letting them forget after a few days, you proactively send information to keep them engaged with your brand.

Flow 3: Reactivating Long-Inactive Old Customers

After 60 days of no activity: Send an email reminding the customer to return with a special offer
After 90 days: Send an email introducing new products or a new collection
After 120 days: Send an email asking why they haven't returned and offer a discount code

This flow helps you not miss out on old customers who have purchased before but haven't returned in a long time. Often, customers don't return not because they dislike the product, but simply because they forgot or didn't have an immediate need. Re-engagement emails help you appear at the right time when they need you.

All the above flows can be automated using email automation if you have the right tools. Once set up, you don't need to manually send each email; the system will automatically send them based on customer actions or status.

Real-World Example from an Online Shop

There was a fashion shop with its own website that ran Facebook ads quite successfully. Each month, the shop had about 100 new orders from first-time customers. However, after customers purchased, the shop had no way to contact them again other than running retargeting ads on Facebook.

The problem was that advertising costs were increasing, and customers didn't always see the shop's ads. Many customers forgot about the brand after their first purchase because there was nothing to remind them to return.

The shop decided to start using email marketing to re-engage old customers. First, the shop set up an automatic thank-you email to be sent immediately after a customer placed an order. This email not only confirmed the order but also inquired about their experience and introduced the loyalty program.

After 7 days, the shop sent an email asking about their product experience and introduced a few related products. After 30 days, the shop sent an email reminding customers to return with a small discount code for their next purchase.

Thanks to email, the shop no longer relies solely on advertising to reach old customers again. A portion of customers returned to buy more after receiving emails, without the shop needing to run ads for them. This helped the shop reduce customer acquisition costs and increase the lifetime value of each customer.

This is a practical example showing that when you have a website and customer data, email marketing is the tool that helps you leverage that asset better instead of letting it sit idle.

Comparison Between Sellers with Only a Website and Sellers with Email Marketing

When you only have a website without email marketing, your process usually looks like this:

Customers visit your website through ads or search. Some customers purchase, some leave. Afterward, you have no way to contact them unless they return on their own or you run ads again. If you want to sell to them again, you have to pay for ads to reach them. Advertising costs increase over time, and you are always dependent on advertising platforms.

When you have a website with email marketing and CRM, the process is different:

Customers visit your website through ads or search. Customers leave their information or make a purchase, and the data is saved in the CRM. You send post-purchase emails or welcome emails. After a period, you send re-engagement emails, introduce new products, or relevant promotions. A portion of customers will return to purchase again through email without you needing to run ads for them. You reduce the cost of acquiring new customers and increase the lifetime value of each customer.

The biggest difference is that you can proactively reach out to old customers without being completely dependent on advertising. Email helps you build your own channel to maintain connections with your customers.

How GTG CRM Helps Sellers Connect Website, CRM, and Email?

GTG CRM is a solution that helps online sellers connect their website, manage contact data, and send emails systematically.

When you use GTG CRM, you can store contact data from your website, signup forms, or orders in a single place. Each contact will have complete information such as name, email, phone number, purchase history, and relevant notes. This allows you to know who is an existing customer, who is new, who has purchased multiple times, and who only left information but hasn't bought.

GTG CRM has a drag-and-drop email builder that allows you to easily create emails with text, images, buttons, and basic blocks. You don't need to know code or complex design. The system also supports personalization variables like name, email, and company name for each contact, making your emails look professional and relevant to each recipient.

You can send email campaigns to all contacts, or only to a specific group based on filters or segments. For example, you can create a segment of customers who purchased within the last 30 days, or a segment of those who haven't purchased but left their information. GTG CRM also has Smart Segments to intelligently group customers based on their behavior and status.

You can send emails immediately or schedule them for a suitable time. Before sending, you can preview and send a test to check how the email looks. After sending, GTG CRM provides basic metrics like emails sent, emails opened, clicks, bounces, and unsubscribes. This helps you understand the effectiveness of your email campaigns.

GTG CRM also supports basic email automation, allowing you to automatically send emails based on customer actions or status. For example, you can set it up to automatically send a welcome email when you get a new contact, or automatically send a re-engagement email 30 days after their last purchase.

In addition, GTG CRM offers AI assistance for creating email campaigns from natural language descriptions. You just need to describe the content you want to send, and the AI will help you create a draft email. This saves you time and makes email content creation easier.

All these features enable online sellers to easily connect their website with email marketing without needing deep technical knowledge.

Notes When Starting with Email Marketing

When starting with email marketing, you should keep a few points in mind to ensure effectiveness and compliance:

Only send emails to those who have opted in
You should not send emails to people who have never left their information or haven't agreed to receive emails from you. This not only helps you comply with data protection regulations but also results in better open and engagement rates for your emails.

Send emails at the right time
Do not send emails too frequently or too infrequently. You should have a reasonable sending schedule based on purchase frequency and customer behavior. For example, for new customers, you might send emails after 3 days, 7 days, and 30 days. For customers who haven't purchased in a while, you might send emails after 60 or 90 days.

Email content must provide value
Every email you send should offer value to the recipient, whether it's useful information, a special offer, or a reminder about products they were interested in. Do not send emails just for the sake of sending without a clear purpose.

Continuously track and improve
After each email campaign, review metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribe rates. Based on this, you can adjust content, sending times, or target audiences to improve effectiveness.

Integrate email with other channels
Email marketing does not replace other channels like social media or advertising; rather, it complements them. You can combine email with Facebook, Zalo, or SMS to create a more comprehensive customer care system.

Conclusion

Having your own e-commerce website is the first step for online sellers to build an independent sales channel. However, if you stop there without a way to maintain connections with customers who have interacted with you, you are missing out on many sales opportunities from existing customers.

Email marketing remains useful for sellers who have their own website because it helps you nurture existing customers, remind them to repurchase, and better leverage your existing customer data. When you combine your website, CRM, and email correctly, you not only make a sale once but also have the opportunity to generate repeat purchases without being entirely dependent on advertising.

If you are looking for an easy way to connect your website with email, you can explore GTG CRM. The system helps you manage contact data, create and send emails systematically, and automate basic customer care flows. You can start with simple emails and gradually expand as you become familiar with its functionality.

Start building your email system today so you don't miss out on customers who already know your brand.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is email marketing suitable for beginner sellers?
Email marketing is suitable for sellers who have at least a collection of customer contact data. If you already have 50 to 100 emails from customers who have purchased or left their information, it's time to start using email to nurture them rather than letting that data sit idle.

How often should I send emails to old customers?
Email frequency depends on the product type and customer purchase cycle. For fast-moving consumer goods, you might send emails weekly or bi-weekly. For durable goods, you might send emails monthly or when new products are available. The key is not to send too often to the point where customers feel annoyed.

When should post-purchase emails be sent?
Post-purchase emails should be sent immediately after a customer places an order to confirm it. Afterward, you can send another email on day 3 to check on their experience, and an email on day 7 or 30 to introduce related products or remind them to repurchase.

How do I know if my emails are effective?
You can track basic metrics like email open rates, click-through rates to links within the email, and the number of orders generated from emails. If the open rate is below 10% or there are no clicks, you should re-evaluate the content or sending time of your emails.

Do I need to hire a professional email writer?
When you're just starting, you don't necessarily need to hire a professional email writer. You can write simple emails with clear, sincere, and valuable content for customers. Once you're comfortable with sending emails and see results, you can consider hiring someone to refine the content further.

Is GTG CRM suitable for small and medium-sized sellers?
GTG CRM is designed to be suitable for small to medium-sized online sellers. The system has an easy-to-use interface, requires no deep technical knowledge, and offers basic features sufficient for you to start effectively with email marketing. You can begin with simple email campaigns and gradually expand as needed.