2020 accelerated ecommerce trends and online engagement like no year ever has. And yet, for many retailers out there, the pace of change and elevating consumer expectations has yet to slow down. Combined with record-high email conversion rates, this leaves a lot of opportunity for any retailer savvy enough to take advantage.

So, if your goal is to be one of Q4’s highest-performing digital merchants, here are four ecommerce trends you can use to increase your email conversion rate.

Personalize your welcome experience

Over the next few months, you’re going to see more new ecommerce shoppers than any other time this year. In fact, after surveying our retail customers, you can expect around one-third of your holiday sales to come from brand-new buyers.

And because our research also found that email is the most effective channel for converting new customers into loyal brand followers, your welcome experience needs to be on point going forward if your goal is inspiring success by incorporating ecommerce trends like personalization from your very first send.

Even something as simple as a customized welcome message based on where someone first engaged your brand can lead to massive conversion gains. Many retailers already use some kind of website referral process that immediately recognizes where a visitor comes from — so take advantage of this insight to personalize your hello in the context of each individual interaction accordingly.

If you want to take the ecommerce feel of your welcome emails to another level, ask your shoppers about the content they’d like to see and only deliver what’s relevant to their specific interests. By directing new subscribers and loyal customers alike to your email preference center as soon as possible, they can opt into the content they’re most likely to engage with — enabling you to deliver a more personal, relevant, and likely-to-convert communication right away.

Transparency and honesty are a refreshing ecommerce trend

If the past 18+ months have taught retail marketers anything, it’s that today’s buyers value trust and open communication more than ever. So, if you haven’t given it much thought yet, what does your brand stand for?

Online shoppers are increasingly basing purchase decisions on your societal impact—not products, services, or hollow mission statements. Are you working to create more sustainable practices? Do you care about climate change and fair trade? Let your engaged followers know about all the good you’re doing—then carry this approach over to your ecommerce environment.

Because, when it comes to ecommerce trends and modern customer expectations, an online experience that hides shipping costs, makes transactions overly complex and time-consuming, or features irrelevant products and messaging usually scares away more subscribers than it converts.

While there’s immense pressure to perform and convert as many shoppers to paying customers as possible, keep in mind that not every email or promotion you send has to push a product. In fact, shoppers worn out from seeing the same sales speak and pushy emails day after day are more likely to notice and appreciate your efforts for doing so.

Our 2021 Retail Personalization Index Consumer Survey found that two-thirds of all retail buyers believe a brand’s ethics and values are important — substantiating 5W Public Relations’ 2020 Consumer Culture Report that notes 71% of shoppers prefer to shop with brands that are aligned to their values.

Add value to every brand interaction

While personalized experiences and honest messaging is great, ultimately your ecommerce shoppers seek one thing above all else: value. And there’s a ton of ways to deliver value across every interaction without undercutting your competitors on price.

After all, a $20 toaster oven with limited functionality is likely to offer less value than a $200 model that will last 20 years or more. But if your product descriptions and marketing efforts don’t communicate this long-term value, how is anyone supposed to know? And—more importantly—how do you expect to compete against the online giants?
And where your email marketing effort is concerned, first-party data can be your key to creating the personalized value your customers crave. Did you know that retail marketing teams with a data-driven personalization strategy achieve 15% to 20% greater ROI?

Shopper-specific insights such as gender, birthday, brand-specific anniversary dates, customer acquisition source, Average Order Value (AOV), propensity to buy, purchase history, Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV), personal product preferences, and whether someone’s shopping for themselves or someone else are all extremely valuable discoveries your team can use to make emails more engaging—and, more importantly, more likely to result in conversion.

Make buy now, pay later your best friend

Another ecommerce trend gaining massive momentum is Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL). Unlike traditional ecommerce and in-store layaway payment options, BNPL gives your buyers the benefit of instant gratification—and your brand the advantage of actualized revenue and conversions as soon as you implement it.

Because someone doesn’t have to wait until payments are complete to receive their products, emails that feature BNPL financing options increase conversion rate by 79% and AOV by twice as much on average. No doubt a huge boon for any retail brand looking to better recent results.