With the number of email users projected to hit 4.6 billion worldwide in 2025, it’s more important than ever to keep the email conversation going with your customers. A carefully calibrated email sequence can be an effective email marketing tool for welcoming new users, converting leads, and improving customer retention at scale.
Whether it’s re-engaging those who have lapsed or wishing a customer a happy birthday, all businesses need to do is write the emails for each trigger, set up the system, and let automation software handle the rest. Here’s what email sequences are, why they’re such an effective email marketing strategy, the different types available, and tips to get started.
What is an email sequence?
An email sequence is a series of pre-written, scheduled emails that automation software sends based on customer actions. Also known as drip campaigns or lifecycle emails, these email sequences are sent based on specific triggers, like when a customer makes a purchase or joins your email list. The email sequence guides each subscriber along a path that unfolds automatically, leading new subscribers and paying customers through the customer journey. The system delivers emails in a specific order—like a welcome email the day someone signs up for your email list, followed by a new subscriber discount a week later, and so on.
Automated email campaigns can also branch the content depending on how the recipient responds. When someone opens the email and clicks a link, they might get a follow-up email with relevant blog content. If they don’t engage, the system might send an appealing offer to pique their interest. This makes each email feel personalized, at scale.
Marketing automation software also makes timing and content customizable and ensures the emails are relevant to each trigger, rather than random. Because email sequences are triggered by customer behavior and sent out automatically (signing up, clicking, cart abandonment), the messages are more relevant. This relevance translates into revenue—while just 2% of total email volume, automated emails drive 37% of sales.
How email sequences work
Two types of triggers can initiate an automated email sequence: event-based and time-based triggers.
Event-based emails respond directly to a user’s behavior. The system waits for an action like browsing a particular page, subscribing to a newsletter, downloading content, abandoning a cart, or buying a product. It then sends the next email in the sequence. Event-based emails are reactive, responding to what the customer does in the moment.
Time-based emails follow a predetermined schedule, independent of what the user does after the initial opt-in. Sometimes called auto-responders, these emails arrive at specific intervals in the customer’s journey. You might send a welcome email one day after sign-up, a follow-up five days later, and a recommended product round-up two weeks after sign-up.
Email sequences serve different purposes depending on your goals. A lead nurturing sequence builds trust over time, educating your target audience and positioning your brand as a helpful guide with customer stories, tips, and valuable content. A sales email sequence guides the recipient directly to purchase.
Types of email sequences for ecommerce
- Welcome email sequence
- Abandoned cart email sequence
- Repeat customer email sequence
- Re-engagement email sequence
- Event promotion email sequence
- Conversion email sequence
Every email sequence shares one goal: move people step by step through your sales funnel from awareness to interest to decision and finally to action. Here are a few instances where you might create email sequences:
Welcome email sequence
A welcome email sequence is one of the first ways to build trust with new customers. Also known as an onboarding email sequence, it greets new customers right after signup or purchase. This is your chance to introduce your brand, offer valued content or incentives, highlight your best products, and ultimately, kick off the sales process.
An effective welcome flow can include:
- A personalized greeting—you might use the customer’s name, mention their sign-up path, or reference what they browsed
- A bit about you, what you offer, and what makes your brand unique
- Incentives like style guides, discount codes, or free shipping
- Clear calls to action (CTAs) like “Explore Bestsellers”
- Friendly copy with strong subject lines, e.g., “Welcome to the family!”
Welcome emails done right can immediately convert new users to paying customers, combining personalized messages, a strong hook, clear action steps, and valuable content that keeps new subscribers engaged.
Glossier’s first welcome email in the sequence has a photo collage and a friendly introduction. It highlights popular products with free returns and exchanges within 30 days.
Abandoned cart email sequence
An abandoned cart email sequence is a classic example of how email marketing automation can convert leads into sales. The sequence is triggered when a subscriber adds items to their cart but leaves without completing the purchase. Abandoned cart email sequences are among the most effective types of automated emails, with a 50% open rate across ecommerce industries.
These drip campaigns are normally three emails long and attempt to re-engage shoppers, including sending reminders, customer stories, and incentives to increase conversions. The first email might simply remind them: “You left something behind.” The second usually adds urgency: “Your items are selling out fast!” The third tends to sweeten the deal with a discount or free shipping.
A strong abandoned cart sequence includes:
- Timely delivery—the first email should go out within a few hours
- Simple copy and subject lines like “Your cart misses you”
- A clear CTA like “Return to Cart”
- Visuals of the abandoned items
- Personalization with tailored product recommendations
Revival uses a light, humorous tone for its abandoned cart email sequence, drawing subscribers back in with the text “Don’t let this be the one that got away” and a clear call to action.
Repeat customer email sequence
Unlike welcome emails, which focus on introductions, repeat customer emails are directed to paying customers and say, “We see you, value you, and here’s how we can continue to add to your experience.”
These messages are more than just a broad hello. They are meant to deepen the relationship with a focus on making the customer a part of your community. This follow-up sequence nurtures loyalty by showcasing customer stories, introducing valuable content, and recommending related products.
Repeat customer emails can be triggered by things like post-purchase milestones, replenishment windows (e.g., skin care that runs out in 30 days or pantry items that need restocking), or browsing related items. For example, if someone buys running shoes, follow-up emails might suggest socks, training gear, or apparel from the same product line.
A strong repeat customer email includes:
- Personalization beyond just a name—e.g., leverages purchase history to recommend relevant products
- Acknowledgement of loyalty with mentions like “second order” or “anniversary”
- A mix of valuable content and product—like blog posts, how-tos, or styling tips
- Timing that aligns with user behavior, such as reminders after browsing but not buying
- CTAs that feel helpful, not pushy, like “complete your collection”
Little Beast leans into community by celebrating customer milestones. Its birthday email offers a gift of 20% off, creating a lighthearted, personal touch that reinforces loyalty and adds delight.
Re-engagement email sequence
A re-engagement sequence targets inactive subscribers and is designed to help you win back subscribers who have gone quiet—those who haven’t clicked, opened, or purchased in a while. These re-engagement automations are typically triggered after 30, 60, or 90 days of inactivity by reminding people of the value they once saw in your brand without being too pushy.
A strong re-engagement sequence might:
- Reignite interest with a reminder: “Remember your favorite stop?”
- Offer a timely perk to draw them back: “Today only: free shipping.”
- Include personalized recommendations: “Since you loved X, here’s Y.”
- Ask if they still want to stay connected: “Do you still want to hear from us?”
- Limits the sequence to three to four emails—too many may feel desperate
Good Girl Snacks sends a warm re-engagement email with the headline, “Ur coupon is still available <3,” and offers a 10%-off incentive to win back subscribers and guide them back into the customer journey.
Event promotion email sequence
Email campaigns work best when recipients feel part of something special and exclusive. Event promotion email sequences are tied to holidays, specific campaigns, webinars, product launches, and big sales, and are triggered by calendar sign-ups, webinar links, a particular page visit, or pre-scheduled email drip campaigns.
Strong event promotion email sequences:
- Build anticipation: “Something new is about to drop!”
- Deliver the main event: “The holiday collection is now live.”
- Add a sense of urgency: “Last chance! The fun ends tonight.”
- Recap the event with a follow-up email: “Here’s what you missed.”
Free Soul gets subscribers celebrating International Women’s Day by hosting a wellness studio for its community.
Conversion email sequence
A conversion email sequence—also called a sales email sequence—nudges prospects toward becoming paying customers. It targets leads who’ve shown interest but haven’t purchased, often including testimonials, social proof, and limited-time offers. Triggers can include demo requests, repeated product page visits, downloads, or sign-ups.
A strong conversion email sequence includes:
- Trust-building with reviews, testimonials, and customer stories
- Clear, confident CTAs like “Finish Checkout”
- Urgency and exclusivity: “Offer ends tonight!”
- Incentives that tip the balance, like discount codes or free shipping
For example, Bite features multiple testimonials in its lead nurturing sequence, providing social proof that encourages prospects to give its products a try.
Tips for effective email sequences
- Capture leads with form tools
- Build and automate sequences
- Test your subject lines and content
- Mix content with promotion
- Keep it concise
Concocting high-converting email sequences starts with the right strategy and tools. Here are a few tips to boost your email marketing efforts:
Capture leads with form tools
Lead generation form tools, or smart forms, help you target the right users to find new customers by capturing new subscribers and feeding them into your welcome email sequence or lead nurturing sequence. Shopify Forms, for instance, allows you to attract, acquire, and convert new customers by building up an email list via popup and inline forms.
Build and automate sequences
Use email builders to design branded, professional email sequence templates and automatically trigger messages based on user actions. Shopify Email is especially powerful for ecommerce. It integrates directly with your store and lets you set up automated email sequences based on conditions like cart abandonment, post-purchase follow-up, or customer inactivity.
Test your subject lines and content
Even the best email won’t work if it’s never opened. Test your email subject line with tools like SubjectLine.com, CoSchedule Headline Analyzer, and Litmus, which check for length, tone, spam triggers, and how your email will look across different devices. You can use email A/B testing to assess the impact of copy, images, and CTAs.
Mix content with promotion
Don’t just sell. Alternate your promotional emails with valuable content like customer stories, tips, or updates. This keeps your audience engaged and builds trust over time, making them more likely to convert when you do add a sales CTA.
Keep it concise
Readers skim. Make your point quickly and clearly with short paragraphs, scannable formatting, and a single CTA. Each email in your sequence should focus on a single core message or action.
Email sequence FAQ
How many emails should be in an email sequence?
Most ecommerce flows are three to six emails. For example, a cart follow-up sequence often uses three touches (reminder, urgency, incentive).
How long should an email sequence be?2
It depends on your goal. A welcome sequence may run a week, while a re-engagement sequence might span 30 days. Keep timing consistent with the customer journey.
What is a trigger in an email?
A trigger is the action or time condition that initiates an automated email, like a new user signup, cart abandonment, link click, or one week after a previous email.
