8 Drip Campaign Email Examples (From Welcome to Post-Purchase)

What is a drip campaign?

A drip email campaign is an automated email series sent on a predetermined schedule or based on a subscriber’s activity.

So, how many drip campaigns should you have?

While the exact number depends on your business and goal, there are three drip campaigns that are non-negotiable for all ecommerce stores.

Here’s our take:

1. Welcome email campaign is the bare minimum. Without it, you can’t introduce your brand, let alone increase brand recognition. You risk your next emails being ignored.

2. Abandonment email campaign is crucial from a revenue perspective. Don’t want to leave money on the table? Reclaim shoppers who left your store and earn back your lost sales.

3. Seasonal and holidays email campaign are another biggie. Special occasions like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Mother’s Day aren’t one-off events. At least not in the email world! You need an email sequence to build and maintain the sales momentum.

In terms of the number of emails in an individual sequence, there are no hard and fast rules here. The ideal number will depend on the customer’s journey and preference (more on this below).

8 Drip campaign email examples for ecommerce

These eight email drip campaign examples span across industries. Let’s explore the tactics to replicate in your own.

1. Welcome drip campaign: Tumble

Tumble sets the gold standard in welcome emails.

Following the surprise automatic giveaway entry for new subscribers, the home and living eсommerce store dives into its brand story, customer reviews, and its rugs’ unique benefits.

What we like

• Brand story that humanizes the business. The co-founders’ own frustrations with rugs make them relatable to customers.

• Multiple testimonials that target different customer segments. In just one email sequence, Tumble positions its rugs as the best option for home and pet owners.

• Campaign email copy that aligns with customer awareness. Tumble surprises new subscribers with a giveaway, instilling goodwill right off the bat. As they near the end of the funnel, it anticipates (and squashes!) their objections with testimonials and its unique customer service offerings.

What we think can be improved

Nothing we can think of! Tumble’s drip campaign ticks all the boxes.

What tactic can you apply from this drip campaign

Overcome customers’ objections.

To identify objections, you can poll, survey, or interview your audience. Alternatively, analyze social media comments, customer reviews, or online activity via a heatmap software (tip: focus on FAQs that get the most clicks).

Select the most common objections and resolve them accordingly.

2. Nurturing sequence: Axiology

Ecommerce stores selling novel products usually invest more in educational content to show customers how to use them successfully.

Axiology is no exception.

Note how it teaches new subscribers about its 3-in-1 Balmie crayons, a zero-waste makeup alternative that works on the cheek, eyelid, and lips.

What we like

• Eye-catching images that show how the product works. Axiology does this with zoomed-in shots of the model’s cheeks, eyelids, and lips.

• Behind-the-scenes GIFs that put shoppers’ concerns about toxic ingredients and mass production to rest.

• Color guide quiz that overcomes choice paralysis. Axiology also reduces friction by mentioning it takes less than a minute to complete.

What we think can be improved

Feature more models with different skin tones. In the second email, a model’s photo is used twice, resulting in an awkwardly repetitive experience.

What tactic can you apply from this drip campaign

Replace static images with GIFs to visualize how your product works. Pro tip: Use a cut transition instead of a fade transition. It’ll significantly reduce the GIF file size, ensuring it loads fast in your email.

3. Click-triggered drip campaign: Baseboarders

Baseboarders’ click-triggered drip campaign doesn’t look impressive at first glance, but if you look closer, you’ll see one of the most overlooked revenue-generating tactics.

A recipient clicking on the product image in the first email receives a follow-up email featuring that product.

What we like

• Straightforward email that does its job: educating customers how to clean their baseboard heaters in a few minutes.

• Personalized recommendation: the second email is a targeted email reminding about the product that picked a subscriber’s interest in the previous newsletter.

What we think can be improved

• Create desire behind the CTA buttons (e.g., “Get lifetime coverage” instead of a generic “Learn more” in the Baseboarders Warranty section)

• Turn the Quick Ship Promise into a badge and place it next to the white samples to drive more clicks

What tactic can you apply from this drip campaign

Increase your chances to make a sale by sending personalized recommendations to your email subscribers.

You can easily do this with an email marketing suite like Getsitecontrol following the steps below.

To create an email featuring specific products from your store, first select an email template from our extensive library.

Customize it to fit your unique brand.

Next, complete the following steps to display shoppable cards (a.k.a. relevant product recommendations) in your email:

1. Click +Insert
2. Select Product Cards

In the product cards settings, click +Add product and enter the product URL link you want to assign to the card.

Complete the remaining product details.

Customize the product cards and the email accordingly.

Click Save template in the top left corner. Then follow the guide to setting up an automated drip campaign triggered by an email click-through.

4. Re-engagement email campaign: Misfits Market

Misfits Market uses witty humor to capture attention. Its re-engagement drip campaign reminds past customers why they purchased in the first place: sustainable groceries, doorstep delivery, and a desire to save money.

Note: This is a re-engagement sequence for past customers. If you want to re-engage non-buyers or inactive subscribers, introduce them to new ways to engage with your brand (e.g., participate in a giveaway on social media or explore the new collection).

What we like

• Punchy copy that cuts to the chase. The pun in the headline delights subscribers, while the copy below reignites customers’ interest with an attractive offer.

• Excellent use of colors. From top to bottom, Misfits Market’s email is a picturesque feast.

What we think can be improved

Create different variations for the CTA (e.g., “Start saving” instead of “Sign back up”)

What tactic can you apply from this drip campaign

Incorporate puns, rhymes, or acronyms into your email copy. Wordplays add fun and entertainment. In Misfits Market’s case, it exudes a confident and sassy tone.

5. Cart abandonment campaign: James Michelle

James Michelle keeps it simple. The jewelry store may not have the most persuasive copy, but the way it sparks interest in its other pieces is interesting.

What we like

• Various CTAs that redirect to alternative products for shoppers who have lost interest

• Customer support that lays out contact details and operating hours

• Cross selling of complementary jewelries. James Michelle shows how shoppers can complete their look with these additional pieces (tip: apply this tactic on your product page to increase AOV).

What we think can be improved

Feature a model wearing these distinct pieces. It’ll illustrate how shoppers can mix and match them to look more put together.

What tactic can you apply from this drip campaign

Let shoppers know how and when they can contact you. Even better, enable them to respond to your email. This way, you can step in before it’s too late.

If you’re on Shopify, you can use Getsitecontrol to set up an automatic abandoned cart email

Note: There are three types of abandonment campaigns and how you address them will depend on where shoppers drop off. Keep these points at the back of your mind as you set up your abandonment email campaign:

• If it’s a cart abandonment, you’ll need to address cart friction points like unexpected shipping fees and shipping options.

• If it’s a checkout abandonment, you’ll need to address checkout issues like payment processing tools and payment options.

• If it’s a browse abandonment, you’ll need to look at your product page (product features, cost, etc.). Unlike cart and checkout, browsing lacks buying intent. This drip campaign is usually unnecessary, so don’t worry about it.

6. Post-purchase sequence: Sephora

Note: Sephora is the only big brand on this list. It’s worth learning from it as most brands have short post-purchase sequences with just confirmation emails.

Sephora cares about customer experience. Just look at its post-purchase email drip campaign. It guides shoppers how to use the product correctly, empowering them at every step of the way.

What we like

• Steps that empower shoppers how to best use the SPF kit. The tutorial takes the center stage, highlighting Sephora’s customer care.

• Call-out that appeals to shoppers to review the product. Sephora speaks to shoppers’ innate desire to help other customers, creating a vibrant skincare community that supports one another.

• Soft selling of relevant products across the entire campaign to increase AOV.

What we think can be improved

Nothing we can think of! Sephora’s drip campaign ticks all the boxes.

What tactic can you apply from this drip campaign

Support customers at every stage of their journey to increase product adoption, retention, and revenue.

For example, if you sell customizable pillows, embed a video or GIFs in the email to show how to wash, clean, and assemble them correctly.

If you’re on Shopify, you can use Getsitecontrol to set up an automatic post-purchase sequence.

7. Mother’s Day drip campaign: Bryan Anthonys

Bryan Anthonys’ drip campaign is, at its core, a love letter to motherhood.

Note how the beautiful imagery and poetic copy tug at your heart’s strings. The last email (not pictured) features the CEO and co-founder paying tribute to her mother, daughter, and womanhood.

What we like

• Testimonials that feature daughters, mothers, and in-laws. Each jewelry piece speaks to a unique customer segment.

• Excellent spotlight on hero customers (i.e., what motherhood means to mothers).

• Evocative, poetic copy that expresses the love we have for our mothers.

What we think can be improved

Nothing we can think of! Bryan Anthonys’ drip campaign ticks all the boxes.

What tactic can you apply from this drip campaign

Shine a light on customers in your drip campaigns. In Bryan Anthonys’ case, it features daughters, mothers, and in-laws.

8. Promotional email drip campaign: Notebook Therapy

Notebook Therapy sells the cutest stationery.

And it shows.

The store goes all-in on its promotional product campaign, using a countdown timer to drive FOMO. Its last email (not pictured) shares a quick and easy tip to decorate the journal, perfect for newbies looking for inspiration.

What we like

• Countdown timer that drives urgency.
• Categorization of bundle deals, along with savings laid out.
• Beautiful product photography that tempts you to click the buy button.

What we think can be improved

Nothing we can think of! Notebook Therapy’s drip campaign ticks all the boxes.

What tactic can you apply from this drip campaign

Embed a countdown timer to create a sense of urgency.

If you’re just starting out, use a tool like MailTimers. It starts free with 100K views/month and offers full color customization.

3 Email Drip Campaign Best Practices to Follow Today

There’s more to effective drip campaigns besides the tactics above. Here are three best practices that work consistently well for ecommerce stores.

1. Research customers

Brands don’t know everything about customers.

Fortunately, that’s where customer research (or user research) comes in.

Unlike market research, which gathers data around a target market, customer research provides information about customers’ behavior: challenges, motivations, content habits (including emails), etc.

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Customer research comes in different forms, such as polls, surveys, and reviews. The best customer research happens in interviews, because you get a front-row seat to learn what triggers customers to buy today.

If you have the resources, reach out to your customers for a 30-minute chat.

Here are six tips to nail it:

• Focus on customers with high purchase frequency. To boost the response rate, offer them an attractive incentive like a gift card or a year’s worth of your products.

• Interview eight to 10 customers per segment. This allows you to identify patterns and differences. This number also lets you “dive deeper into nuances you may discover during research.”

• Ask open-ended questions (e.g., product purchase and usage questions like: “What convinced you to give [product] a try?”, “How does [product] fit into your life?”)

• Stay flexible! You don’t need to follow your interview questionnaire precisely. If a customer mentions something noteworthy or surprising, dig deeper and see where it leads.

• Research customers at least every quarter. And update your drip campaigns accordingly. Customer behavior evolves constantly. This helps you stay on top of their needs and preferences.

• Avoid taking notes in the interview. Record and transcribe it instead. This helps you to stay present.

Analyze the transcripts and identify patterns. These insights can be applied in your entire email campaign: topics, email subject lines, and even calls to action.

2. Maintain consistency

With 71% of consumers more likely to buy from a business they recognize, it’s high time brands need to align their messaging, voice, and visual identity across different channels.

The commitment to consistency pays off.

These businesses see a 33% higher revenue compared to counterparts that struggle with off-brand content.

Create a brand style guide that outlines your messaging framework, brand architecture, key design elements, and applications (for emails, social media posts, etc.).

It’ll help you keep your branding guidelines in mind as you create new emails.

3. Capitalize on events & emerging trends

Remember that recent global IT outrage that sent everyone in panic?

Blackwell’s does an excellent job in its email. Note how it references the event and positions its technology-themed books organically.

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Stay on top of world events.

Better yet, subscribe to sources like Exploding Topics. It surfaces potentially trendy topics before they take off.

Monitor metrics like open rate and click-through rate to gauge how your emails resonate with customers. By learning what makes them tick (or ick), your next batch of emails stands a much better chance of driving sales consistently.

It’s time to craft (or revamp) your email drip sequence

There’s a lot to unpack here.

Our advice?

Start with these three drip marketing campaigns: welcome, abandoned cart, and seasonal. These email sequences increase brand recognition, prevent revenue leakage, and maintain sales momentum, respectively.

When you’re ready, work your way through the remaining drip campaigns.

And watch your sales shoot up.