That's the average return for every euro invested in email marketing. The channel with the highest ROI in all digital marketing, year after year. Yet it's systematically undervalued.
Every year new tools, new channels, new platforms emerge. TikTok, Reels, Shorts, podcasts, Substack newsletters. And every year, email marketing quietly continues to generate the highest ROI of any other digital channel.
Not because it's the sexiest. But because it works. And most importantly, because your audience built on your email list is yours — it doesn't depend on any platform's algorithms.
The problem: almost everyone uses it wrong
Email marketing is like a gym. Almost everyone knows it would be useful. Many go occasionally. Very few follow a structured program and see serious results.
Most ecommerce businesses use email reactively: they send a newsletter when there's a promotion, they send an order confirmation, maybe they send a cart abandonment reminder if someone set it up a year ago. Then they complain that "email doesn't work anymore".
Email doesn't work anymore because they use it wrong. Brands that use it right are generating 15-25% of their total revenue almost automatically.
The 5 flows you can't do without
1. Cart abandonment — the most profitable of all.
On average, 70% of people who add a product to their cart don't complete the purchase. With a well-structured cart recovery flow — three emails in 48 hours — you can recover 10-15% of these abandonments. Without spending a euro on acquisition.
The classic flow: first email after 1 hour (simple reminder, no pressure), second email after 24 hours (addressing the most common objections), third email after 48 hours (final incentive, perhaps a small discount or free shipping).
2. Welcome series — the long-term investment.
The first 5-7 emails you send to a new subscriber define your relationship for months to come. Don't use them just to sell — use them to build trust. Introduce your brand, tell your story, showcase your community's favorite products, and share your unique perspective. Then, only at the end, make an offer.
3. Post-purchase — the opportunity everyone ignores.
After a purchase, your customer is at peak satisfaction and trust toward your brand. It's the perfect moment for three things: ask for a review (which boosts social proof), suggest complementary products (cross-sell), and start the loyalty journey (loyalty program, exclusive content).
4. Win-back — recover those who were slipping away.
Anyone who hasn't opened an email in 60 days or hasn't purchased in 90 days is at risk of churn. A win-back flow with a direct, honest message — "have you missed us?" — followed by a targeted offer recovers a significant percentage of customers before they disappear for good.
5. Behavior-based upsells.
Don't send the same email to everyone. Someone who bought once deserves different communication than someone who bought five times. Someone who purchased entry-level products can be gradually guided toward premium offerings. Segmentation isn't complicated — but it makes an enormous difference.
The ROI math
An ecommerce store with 10,000 well-cultivated email contacts and well-structured flows can realistically generate 50,000-80,000 euros in additional revenue per year almost automatically. Without increasing your advertising budget by a single euro. Simply by working smarter with people who already know your brand.