The death of email is slightly exaggerated. Let’s see why, and how to effectively use email marketing best practices on Amazon.
If you’re an Amazon seller, you already know how competitive the platform can be. While Amazon does a great job of bringing customers to your listings, you don’t own those customer relationships. That’s where email marketing comes in.
With the right email marketing strategy, you can stay connected with your customers, drive repeat sales, and even build a brand that people trust.
But if you want real results, you need to follow these email marketing best practices―and avoid the common mistakes that can land your emails in the spam folder.
What is Email Marketing?
Ecommerce email marketing is exactly what it sounds like―using email to promote your products and engage with customers. It’s one of the most effective ways to grow your business because it allows you to speak directly to your audience.
Unlike social media or paid ads, email gives you direct access to your customers—without worrying about an algorithm deciding who sees your message. It’s also a great way to:
- Welcome new subscribers and introduce them to your brand.
- Keep your audience engaged with useful content.
- Send promotions, special deals and recommendations
Why Is Email Marketing So Important?
You might be thinking, “But Amazon already brings me customers; do I really need email marketing?” Yes! Here’s why:
- Build a loyal customer base. Amazon controls the customer relationship, but email helps you stay in touch even after the sale.
- Drives More Sales. Sending targeted offers and recommendations keeps your products in front of the right people.
- Reduces your dependence on Amazon. If the marketplace ever changes its policies or rankings, having your own email list gives you a backup plan.
- Helps you get more reviews. A simple follow-up email can remind happy customers to leave a review, boosting your credibility.
- Recover Lost Sales. Abandoned cart emails can nudge customers to complete their purchases.
Email Marketing Best Practices
If you want to get the most out of your email marketing strategy, you need to focus on five key elements.
These email marketing best practices help you send emails that engage your audience, increase conversions, and build long-term customer relationships.
Targeting
Not all email subscribers are the same. Some are first-time buyers, while others are repeat customers. Some prefer discounts, while others want exclusive product updates.
If you sell fitness accessories on Amazon, you wouldn’t send an email about beginner yoga mats to someone who recently bought an advanced weightlifting set. Instead, you’d send them an email about strength-training gear or workout recovery tools.
Effective targeting starts with segmenting your email list based on customer behavior, purchase history, and engagement levels. By doing this, you ensure that your emails are relevant, increasing the likelihood that your subscribers will open, read, and act on them.
Timing
Even the best email won’t work if it arrives at the wrong time. Timing plays a crucial role in how your emails are received and whether they drive action.
If you run an ecommerce store, sending an email about a weekend sale on a Friday afternoon might generate better results than sending it on a Monday morning when people are busy at work.
The best way to determine optimal email timing is to analyze your email marketing tools’ data. Look at when your audience typically opens emails and makes purchases, and schedule your emails accordingly.
Testing
Email marketing isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy. What works for one audience may not work for another. That’s why testing different aspects of your emails is crucial.
A/B testing―also called split testing―lets you compare different versions of your emails to see which performs better. You can test elements like:
- Subject lines. Does “Exclusive Deal Inside” get more clicks than “John, Here’s a Special Offer for You”?
- Call-to-action (CTA). Does “Shop Now” lead to more clicks than “Claim Your Discount”?
- Email design. Do subscribers engage more with emails that have lots of images or those with a simple text-based format?
By running these tests, you can make data-driven decisions and refine your email marketing campaign to improve results.
Tracking
If you’re not tracking your email performance, you’re operating in the dark. Tracking helps you understand what’s working and what needs improvement.
The key metrics to monitor include:
- Open rate. How many people actually open your emails?
- Click-through rate (CTR). How many people click on links in your emails?
- Conversion rate. How many people take the desired action, like making a purchase?
For example, if you notice that your open rates are low, your subject lines might not be compelling enough. If your CTR is low, your email content or CTA may need improvement. Tracking these metrics helps you adjust your strategy to get better results over time.
Tweaking
The best marketers are always tweaking their emails based on data and performance insights.
If your email open rates are high, but your conversion rate is low, you may need to tweak your email copy or offer to make it more enticing. If certain email designs aren’t mobile-friendly, you may need to adjust your layout.
Small changes—like adjusting the CTA, modifying the subject line, or experimenting with email length—can make a significant difference. The key is to stay flexible, adapt to changing customer preferences, and continuously refine your approach.
Email Marketing Best Practices for Amazon Sellers
Build a Quality Email List
Buying an email list might seem like an easy way to grow your audience. But those lists are full of people who don’t know your brand. Instead, grow your list the right way by:
- Offer lead magnets like a discount code, free guide, or exclusive deal in exchange for an email sign-up.
- Use pop-ups on your website or social media ads to collect emails.
- Encourage customers to subscribe for early access to sales and product launches.
The goal is to attract people who want to hear from you. That way, when you send an email, they’ll actually open it.
Segment Your List
Not all customers are the same, so sending the same email to everyone isn’t smart. Instead, break your list into groups based on:
- What they’ve bought. Recommend products based on past purchases.
- What they’ve browsed. Target shoppers who looked but didn’t buy.
- How engaged they are. Reward repeat buyers with special perks.
- Where they live. Offer location-specific deals.
Using hyper personalization helps make emails even more relevant by tailoring content to each person’s interests and shopping habits.
Write Enticing Subject Lines
A boring subject line = an unopened email. Keep yours:
- Short and direct. Stick to 50 characters or less.
- Personalized. Add the recipient’s name or reference their past purchases.
- Engaging. Create urgency or curiosity (“Only a Few Left – Grab Yours Now!”)
Test different subject lines to see what works best with your audience.
Make Emails Mobile-Friendly
Most people check their email on their phones, so if your email isn’t easy to read on a small screen, they won’t bother. Make sure your emails:
- Use a responsive design that adjusts to any device.
- Keep text short and easy to scan (bullet points help.)
- Include big, clear buttons for CTAs.
If you’re sending an email to promote an Amazon product, your CTA should be obvious—think “Shop Now” instead of a tiny hyperlink hidden in a paragraph.
Automate to Save Time
Instead of sending every email manually, automate the ones that matter most:
- Welcome emails. Greet new subscribers and introduce your brand.
- Abandoned cart emails. Remind shoppers to complete their purchase.
- Post-purchase emails. Thank customers, ask for a review, and suggest related products.
A good email automation platform makes your life easier and your campaigns more effective. Some great options include:
- Klaviyo. Perfect for Amazon sellers who want advanced automation and smart product recommendations.
- Mailchimp. Simple and user-friendly, with easy-to-use templates.
- Omnisend. Great for sending emails, SMS, and push notifications.
Tools like Amazon Personalize can take automation a step further by offering AI-powered product recommendations.
Follow Amazon’s Email Rules
Amazon has strict guidelines about how sellers can contact customers. Breaking the rules can get your account flagged or suspended.
For example, you can’t use emails to ask for positive reviews in a biased way like saying “Leave a 5-star review,” Instead you should go for some of the most common feedback request templates.
Email Marketing Tips
Even if you follow all the email marketing best practices, there are some common mistakes that can hurt your results.
Too Many Emails
Nobody likes to be bombarded with emails. If you send too many, your subscribers will feel overwhelmed and either unsubscribe or start ignoring your messages altogether.
Best practice
- Stick to a consistent but reasonable schedule―once or twice a week is usually ideal for ecommerce email marketing.
- Focus on sending valuable content rather than just sales pitches. For example, you could share fitness tips, workout routines, or customer success stories.
Ignoring Email Analytics
If you’re not tracking your open rates, CTR and conversions, you have no way of knowing if your email marketing campaign is actually working.
Best practice
- Monitor your email analytics regularly to identify what’s working and what’s not.
- Look for trends—if your open rates are low, your subject lines might need improvement.
- If your CTR is low, tweak content or CTA to make the email more engaging.
Boring, Generic Emails
People receive hundreds of emails every day. If your messages feel bland, impersonal, or overly promotional, they’ll either be ignored or marked as spam.
Best practice
- Personalize your emails using the recipient’s name and past purchase behavior.
- Use storytelling to make your emails more engaging. For example, instead of saying, “Buy our new sustainable bamboo utensils,” tell a story about how switching to bamboo can reduce plastic waste.
- Make your emails feel like they’re coming from a real person, not just a business.
Skipping A/B Testing
Even small changes in your emails can have a big impact on how well they perform. If you never test different versions of your emails, you’re missing out on opportunities to improve. For example:
- Subject Line A: Your Exclusive Deal Inside – Don’t Miss Out!
- Subject Line B: John, You’ve Got a Special Offer Waiting!
After running the test, you might find that the personalized subject line (B) gets a 20% higher open rate. Now you know what works better for future emails!
Final thoughts
Email marketing isn’t just another marketing tool, it’s one of the most powerful ways to build direct relationships.
By following these email marketing best practices, you’ll get the chance to stop chasing on time buyers and turn them into repeat customers.
Author
Antonella Fleitas is highly adept at creating fact-based, evergreen content about science, language learning, and culture. Her main goal is to build a strong content foundation for her clients, based on meaningful stories that people can learn from.
