Marketing Automation
Systems that trigger automatic marketing actions: cart abandonment → email, purchase → thank-you SMS, 90 days without a purchase → win-back campaign.
In practice
Automation is a marketing team that works 24/7 for free. Set it up once — it runs forever. Four flows can generate 20-35% of a mature store's revenue.
Common misconception
'Automation replaces the human touch.' Bad automation feels like spam. Good automation feels like 'they know me.' The difference: personalization, correct timing, human-sounding copy.
How to fix it
Automation not converting? (1) Timing — send an abandoned cart email within an hour, not a week, (2) relevance — is the message tied to the trigger? (3) fatigue — how many automations does a customer receive per day?
Example
A sports store set up Welcome, Abandoned Cart, and Post-Purchase flows. Month 1: automation drove 31% of email revenue. A $220 setup cost produced $5,000/month.
Priority
Order: (1) Abandoned Cart, (2) Welcome Series, (3) Post-Purchase, (4) Win-Back, (5) Browse Abandonment. Start with #1.
Related terms
Keep learning. Metrics that touch the same area:
- Email MarketingMarketingA direct marketing channel. Average ROI: $36 for every $1 spent. Generates 20-30% of revenue for mature stores.
- API – Application Programming InterfaceTechA 'language' for communication between systems. A store connects via API to shipping providers, Klaviyo, and payment platforms. The API is the 'pipe' through which data flows.
- Headless CommerceTechAn architecture that separates the front end (what the customer sees) from the back end (catalog, payments, inventory). Gives full freedom in design and channel integration.
- CRM – Customer Relationship ManagementTechA system for storing customer data, communication history, and purchase history. Enables segmentation, personalization, service tracking, and lifecycle management. HubSpot, Salesforce, Klaviyo.
- CDP – Customer Data PlatformTechConsolidates customer data from multiple sources into a unified real-time profile. More advanced than a CRM — pulls behavioral events and enables instant segmentation.
- PWA – Progressive Web AppTechA website that behaves like an app — fast, works offline, and can be added to the home screen. Cuts load time by 50%+ and increases engagement and CR on mobile.
Jimmy tracks your Marketing Automation, automatically
WhatsApp alerts when something important changes. No dashboards, no hassle.