Email marketing has long been a staple in a marketer’s toolkit, and for good reason.
It’s a powerful way to engage and nurture leads. However, one often overlooked but highly effective strategy is email remarketing. When done right, it can significantly enhance ROI and drive conversions.
In this article, we’ll explore key email remarketing strategies and how they can help re-engage potential customers who didn’t convert the first time.
What Is Email Remarketing?
Email remarketing is the practice of re-engaging users who previously interacted with your brand but didn’t take the desired action—whether it was making a purchase, signing up for a service, or downloading content. These users have already shown interest, making them prime candidates for re-engagement.
Some common remarketing scenarios include:
✔ Cart abandonment – When a shopper adds products to their cart but doesn’t complete the purchase.
✔ Browse abandonment – When a visitor views product pages but leaves without buying.
✔ Lead nurturing – When a prospect downloads a resource but doesn’t engage further.
✔ Inactive subscribers – When users sign up for emails but stop engaging over time.
1. Segmenting and Personalizing Remarketing Emails
A successful remarketing strategy begins with audience segmentation. Grouping your audience based on their behavior helps create highly targeted email campaigns that feel relevant.
📌 Effective ways to segment your email list:
- Cart abandoners: Send them reminders and offer discounts to encourage them to complete their purchase.
- Product viewers: Retarget users who browsed specific items with recommendations and related products.
- Inactive users: Re-engage subscribers who haven’t opened emails in a while by offering exclusive deals or fresh content.
Once segmented, personalization is key. Research shows that personalized emails can boost conversions by 6x. Instead of generic messages, craft emails that include:
✅ The recipient’s first name
✅ Product recommendations based on browsing history
✅ Exclusive discounts or incentives
✅ Urgency-driven CTAs, such as “Your cart is waiting—checkout now!”
📝 Related Resource: How to Use Behavioral Data to Improve E-Commerce Email Campaigns
2. Crafting Irresistible Offers
Remarketing emails should not only remind users of their previous interactions but also incentivize action. Consider:
🔹 Limited-time discounts – “Your 20% discount expires in 24 hours!”
🔹 Free shipping or perks – “Checkout now and get free express delivery!”
🔹 Scarcity tactics – “Only 3 left in stock—grab yours before it’s gone!”
💡 Example: If a user abandoned their cart, a well-crafted email could say:
“We noticed you left something behind. Complete your purchase today and get an extra 10% off!”
📝 Related Resource: How to Use Scarcity Tactics in E-Commerce Emails
3. Optimizing the Timing of Remarketing Emails
Timing is everything. Sending emails immediately after a user interacts with your site may feel too aggressive, while waiting too long may cause them to forget about your brand.
📅 Best practices for email remarketing timing:
✔ Cart abandonment: Send the first email within 1 hour, followed by a second reminder within 24 hours.
✔ Inactive subscribers: Send a re-engagement email after 30–60 days of inactivity.
✔ Lead nurturing: Follow up with additional resources or incentives 3–5 days after initial contact.
📊 Automation plays a big role in timely remarketing emails. Setting up triggered email sequences based on user actions can significantly improve conversions.
📝 Related Resource: Boosting ROI with Email Marketing Automation
4. A/B Testing and Optimization
Like any email marketing strategy, remarketing emails should be tested and optimized. Use A/B testing to compare different email elements and improve performance.
🔹 What to A/B test?
- Subject lines (“Still thinking it over?” vs. “Don’t miss out on your discount!”)
- CTA placement (button vs. hyperlink)
- Offer types (discount vs. free shipping)
- Email timing (1-hour follow-up vs. next-day reminder)
Regularly analyzing your open rates, CTR, and conversion rates will help fine-tune your remarketing campaigns for maximum effectiveness.
5. Measuring ROI from Email Remarketing
Ultimately, the goal of email remarketing is to improve ROI. To measure success, focus on:
📈 Conversion Rate – How many recipients completed the desired action?
📊 Click-Through Rate (CTR) – Are users engaging with your emails?
💰 Revenue Generated – How much sales revenue is attributed to your remarketing emails?
🔄 Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) – Are remarketed customers making repeat purchases?
Regularly tracking these KPIs ensures you get the most out of your email remarketing efforts and continue optimizing for better performance.
Final Thoughts
Email remarketing is a powerful tool for re-engaging leads, boosting conversions, and increasing ROI. By segmenting your audience, crafting personalized content, optimizing timing, and continuously testing your emails, you can turn abandoned interactions into valuable sales opportunities.
The key takeaway? It’s not just about sending more emails—it’s about sending the right emails at the right time to the right people.
