E-commerce thank you email templates

Email marketing is one of the “oldest” marketing communication channels. And by the term “old”, we mean that it’s been around for quite a long time. One of the first email clients was created at MIT (the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in 1965. And even though some marketing experts and business gurus have been announcing “the end of email” as a marketing channel, this kind of communication is still commonly used even decades after the first email was sent.

Why should you not give up on email?

Emails are an excellent means of communication that can connect you with users, establish relationships with them, and build trust and loyalty. It can be the most cost-effective method of converting first-time buyers into loyal customers. As marketers, you have much more to gain by nurturing your existing customers rather than by focusing all your efforts on acquiring new customers.

Of course, all repeat customers were first-time buyers once. That’s why we can’t say that you shouldn’t spend time acquiring new clients. But it would help if you remembered that according to many studies, (for example, a study by BAIN&COMPANY) returning customers spend approximately 33% more with a business than first-time buyers. The impact of this correlation is evident and shouldn’t be underestimated by decision-makers in companies from various industries.

So where exactly do emails fit into all of this? The key to using email as a channel for increasing client retention is treating each finalized purchase as an opportunity to restart the customer journey. This means amplifying post-purchase emails so customers don’t just drop off and churn. And thank you emails are the first part of that strategy.

Key points to remember

The main objective of email marketing strategies is to build loyalty among those who subscribe to your database and consent to receive marketing communication. After building loyalty, it’s easier to convert your subscribers into customers by sending timely and interesting messages.

Thank you emails are an important type of communication in the loyalty phase. It’s also a crucial resource used to strengthen the loyalty of existing customers, earn more trust, and encourage them to shop with you again. Let’s have a closer look at the function of thank you emails in e-commerce.

The role of thank you emails in marketing and e-commerce

When planning any online marketing campaign, including thank you emails,  you should always keep your objective in mind. A thank-you email can be presented in several different formats, but it always has a common goal– to show the recipients of your message how important they are to your business. 

As an example, you could send thank you emails to show your appreciation to those who have subscribed to your newsletter, showed interest in a particular offer, or purchased a certain product or service.

As already mentioned, there are several different types of thank you emails. 

Types of e-commerce thank you emails

The welcome thank you email

A welcome thank you email is sent after someone subscribes to a newsletter or mailing list. It confirms the subscription and presents the type of content you’ll be sending out in addition to showing appreciation for the subscriber.

The thank you for your purchase email

This thank you email is sent after someone makes a purchase and becomes your customer. Such a message fulfills the objective of building customer loyalty and can also suggest other related products that may be of interest to that client.

The thank you for your participation email

As is evident, this type of email aims to thank a user for participating in an event (whether online or offline). Its function is to ask for feedback about the event, allowing users to share their opinions and make them feel heard. 

The templates presented in this article are examples of thank you emails that can be sent to customers after they place an order online.

E-commerce thank you email template subject lines

• Thank you for shopping with [online store’s name]
• We really appreciate you!
• Welcome to the [online store’s name] family
• Your first order made us happy
• We’re thrilled to see you here

• Thank you for your purchase!
• Thank you for supporting [e-store’s name], [customer’s name] <3
• We’d like to thank you for your support, [customer’s name]
• [customer’s name], thank you for shopping with us!
• Thanks for being a part of our community!
• Thank you for [x] great [years/months]

E-commerce thank you email templates 

Thank you email template #1 – asking for a customer’s opinion

Thank you email template #2 – upselling or cross-selling

Thank you email template #3 – message to a returning customer

Thank you email template #4 – new customer

Thank you email template #5 – after the first and subsequent purchase(s)

Thank you email template #6 – loyalty thank you email

Please note: this kind of email should be sent to a repeat customer approximately one year after their first purchase.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common types of thank you emails?

There are various types of thank you emails that you can send to your customers, and it’s up to you which one to choose. But before you send the first thank you email, remember that these emails are about your customers, not about your family. 

So, the types of thank you email may include: 

• A “Thank you for your first purchase” email.
• A “Thank you for your payment” email.
• A “Thank you for your interest email” for a customer who is looking for something new in the store but is already a returning buyer.
• A “Thank you for being with us” email to recurring or repeat customers.
• A birthday wishes email with a “Thank you message”.

Should a thank you email be sent to customers after every purchase?

Yes, a short thank you email should be sent every time someone places an order at your online store. Nowadays, customers receive various types of emails: confirmation emails, thank you emails, emails informing about product shipment, etc., and they are used to this kind of communication. They may be more concerned if they order something and don’t receive any email communication than if they do.

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How long should a thank you email be?

The purpose of any thank you email is to show appreciation. That’s why this message doesn’t have to be long, or filled with lots of information and numerous CTA buttons (calls to action). Actually, it should be the opposite – a thank you email should be short, concise, and contain only helpful information such as the estimated delivery date, information about a customer loyalty program, or upcoming sales.

You can also use thank you emails to upsell and cross-sell your products or services, but any sales-related section within a thank you email should also be relatively short and straight-to-the-point.

Do I have to send a thank you email each time someone places an order at my store?

As a general rule – yes. Thank you emails are a kind of a courtesy message your company sends to customers to acknowledge their actions and let them know you appreciate their interest in your products or services. Obviously, thank you emails can also have other goals like upselling, cross-selling, or generating traffic to your blog. But apart from using thank you emails to fulfill these business goals, you shouldn’t forget about their main purpose–to build and strengthen positive relationships with your existing customers. 

As such, it’s advisable to send out a thank you email each time someone buys something from your store. You can easily automate this process with email automation tools. However, remember to give your customers the option to unsubscribe from further marketing communication. It’s best to include an unsubscribe link at the top of every email or in a footer.

Is the visual side of a thank you email important?

Yes, the visual side of a thank you email is important. A thank you email template should be coherent with your brand guidelines, including fonts and brand colors. You can obviously design thank you emails to have a more relaxed and playful feel, but they should resemble other content you send to customers or publish on your blog, website, or social media. If you usually send plain text emails, follow the same style with thank you emails.

No matter if you send an HTML-coded, colorful email or a plain text email, don’t forget about the way people on the Internet consume content. Most of your customers won’t read a lengthy thank you message presented as large blocks of uninterrupted text. Create your email in a way that makes it easy for recipients to skim. Otherwise, they’ll stop opening your thank you emails. This will most probably hurt the open and delivery rates of your emails as well as the sender reputation of your domain. 

Are thank-you emails a type of marketing communication?

Thank you emails are a type of marketing communication. Even though the name may not indicate it, they are still a kind of communication that your customers must consent to receive. Usually, consent to receive different types of marketing communication should be established when someone creates an account in your online store. This is when they should tick a box that says they allow you to send them emails. 

And because thank you emails are a type of marketing communication, your customers can always opt-out of receiving them or unsubscribe from your mailing list for good. As mentioned in the previous answer, an unsubscribe link or a button should be included in every email sent to your database, and It’s no different for thank you emails.