How to Grow an Email List Fast as an E-Commerce Brand

Growing an email list as an e-commerce brand can often feel like navigating through a maze with endless turns and dead ends – you feel hopeless and overwhelmed after five different tries. I’ve always believed that building a meaningful connection with your audience is key, and email marketing offers just that—a direct line to your customers’ hearts and minds. 

From my journey of marketing over 250 different e-commerce brands, I’ve learned that while technology changes, the essence of human connection does not. So, how do you grow an email list that not only expands in number but also in engagement? This blogpost will share some insights that have been game-changers for our clients.

1. Offer Something Irresistible

The first step in growing your list is to attract subscribers by offering something they can’t resist. This could be a first-purchase discount, private and exclusive access to sales, customized and personalized answers to a quiz or insightful content tailored to their interests. The goal is to offer value that goes beyond the ordinary—something that makes signing up feel like joining a special club.

First-purchase discounts are extremely common to generate email opt-ins and are effective. However, we’ve found that people are quick to unsubscribe as soon as they have the code – they may purchase your product, or they may not.

Offering a quiz is very effective in converting website visitors into email subscribers but there are a few things to be mindful of. The quiz shouldn’t take longer than 45 seconds to complete; the shorter, the better. This leads me to the results – asking visitors to take a quiz is asking for their time, so they should be able to access their results fairly quickly, if not instantly after completing the quiz. We recommend that you give them the answer in a landing page post-completion and then offer customized product results and tips in their inbox, asking for their email first.

2. Make It Easy and Enticing to Sign Up

User experience plays a crucial role in how likely visitors are to sign up. Place your subscription forms strategically across your site—on the homepage, at the footer, as a timed pop-up, or even as a fun, interactive quiz that ends with a sign-up invitation. Make sure the process is as simple as possible. The fewer the clicks, the better!

In our experience, website visitors do not frequent the footer of the site as often as we’d like them to. A timed pop-up will be the most effective and enticing way to generate sign-ups. We recommend timing your pop-up strategically so that visitors have time to scroll and become interested in your products before the opt-in incentive pops up. Otherwise, you risk them clicking out of the pop-up and being unable to submit their email for the discount or quiz.

3. Utilize Every Touchpoint

Whether it’s after a purchase, during a service call, or at a physical event like an expo or a tradeshow, every interaction with a customer is an opportunity to grow your list. One mistake many e-commerce founders make is that they feel as though growing an email list requires only digital marketing. However, there’s ample opportunity to gain emails in person.

Make sure your team is trained to gently encourage email sign-ups by conveying the benefits succinctly at in-person events. For instance, after a purchase, you might include a note about signing up to get notified for restocks or future discounts. Or if customers are hesitant to make a purchase, ask them for their email address and promise to provide a discount for when they are ready to purchase.

4. Create Exclusive Content

Creating content that is exclusive to email subscribers can be a huge draw. This could be a weekly newsletter with tips, early access to new products, or behind-the-scenes content. Share secrets that make your subscribers feel like insiders. 

This could be about the sourcing of your materials, the inspiration behind your latest collection, or upcoming features in development. For example, a skincare brand could share detailed tips about the benefits of a new ingredient they’re using, coupled with a Q&A session with their product developers. Content like this helps in building trust and authority which increases overall conversion rate.

Let your audience know that your emails aren’t just another sales pitch—they’re a VIP pass to valuable insights and opportunities. If you want to learn more about how to craft exclusive email content, click here!

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5. Run Contests and Giveaways

Who doesn’t love giveaways? Use contests to encourage email sign-ups by making subscription a condition for entry. Make sure the prize is desirable enough and relevant enough to your audience’s interests. This not only increases your list size but also engages your audience in a fun and interactive way. Pro hack: create a low-lift UGC contest, this way you’re able to generate buzz, new content, new ideas and email opt-ins.

Growing an email list is not just about increasing numbers—it’s about building a community of engaged followers who see real value in your messages. Keep testing and optimizing your strategies. The digital world is always evolving, and so should our approaches to engaging with it. 

If you stay committed to genuinely serving your subscribers, they’ll not only stick around—they’ll become your most loyal advocates. Check out other e-mail marketing blogposts here.

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