AI & Automation
Personas
SaaS & Startup
Time to ROI
Short-term (< 3 months)
When I started working on a complete website revamp for a Shopify e-commerce client, the original brief was straightforward: update the abandoned checkout emails to match the new brand guidelines. New colors, new fonts, done.
But as I opened the old template—with its product grid, discount codes, and "COMPLETE YOUR ORDER NOW" buttons—something felt off. This was exactly what every other e-commerce store was sending.
Instead of just updating colors, I completely reimagined the approach. I ditched the traditional e-commerce template and created a newsletter-style design that felt like a personal note. The result? We accidentally doubled email reply rates and turned abandoned cart emails into actual conversations.
Here's what you'll learn from this experiment:
Why newsletter-style emails outperform traditional transactional templates
The counterintuitive strategy that turned one-way emails into two-way conversations
How addressing real customer pain points in emails creates engagement beyond purchases
The specific template elements that made customers hit reply instead of delete
Why being human beats being "professional" in automated communications
This isn't another guide about optimizing subject lines or A/B testing button colors. This is about fundamentally rethinking how automated emails can build relationships instead of just pushing transactions. Let's dive into what actually worked and why most SaaS email strategies miss the mark completely.
Industry Reality
What every marketer thinks they know about email templates
Walk into any marketing meeting and mention "email templates," and you'll hear the same advice repeated like gospel. Everyone's obsessed with the same metrics: open rates, click-through rates, and conversion percentages. The industry has created this perfect template formula that supposedly works for everyone.
Here's what the conventional wisdom tells you:
Use branded templates that match your website design perfectly
Include product images and clear call-to-action buttons
Optimize for mobile with single-column layouts
Create urgency with countdown timers and limited-time offers
Segment your audience and personalize with merge tags
The problem? This approach treats email like a billboard. You're interrupting someone's day to show them an ad disguised as communication. Sure, it might drive immediate sales, but it trains your audience to ignore your emails or, worse, unsubscribe entirely.
Most businesses are so focused on making their emails look "professional" that they forget emails are supposed to be personal communication. When was the last time you got an email from a friend that looked like a marketing campaign? Never. Because that's not how real communication works.
The industry has convinced us that more polish equals more conversions. But in a world where everyone's inbox is flooded with perfectly designed templates, the thing that actually stands out is something that feels real, personal, and worth responding to. That's where authentic growth strategies come into play.
Consider me as your business complice.
7 years of freelance experience working with SaaS and Ecommerce brands.
So here's the context: I was working with a Shopify e-commerce client who was struggling with abandoned cart recovery. They had the standard setup—beautiful branded emails with product photos, discount codes, and multiple CTAs. The emails looked professional, matched their brand perfectly, and followed every best practice you'd find in marketing blogs.
The problem? Their recovery rate was mediocre at best, and customers never engaged beyond clicking through (or not clicking at all). It was a one-way conversation that felt more like advertising than communication.
When I suggested completely changing the email format, my client was skeptical. "This goes against everything we know about e-commerce email marketing," they said. They were right—and that was exactly the point.
Instead of the typical branded template, I proposed something radical: make it look like a personal email from the business owner. No product grids, no flashy graphics, no "SHOP NOW" buttons scattered everywhere. Just a simple, text-based email that addressed the real reason people abandon carts.
Through conversations with the client, I discovered a critical pain point their customers were facing: payment validation issues, especially with double authentication requirements. Rather than ignoring this friction, I decided to address it head-on in the email.
The conventional approach would be to hide problems and push for the sale. My approach was different: acknowledge the problem exists and actually help solve it. This wasn't about optimizing for immediate conversions—it was about building trust and starting real conversations with customers.
This experiment taught me something crucial about e-commerce communication: sometimes the best strategy is being human instead of being a perfectly optimized marketing machine.
Here's my playbook
What I ended up doing and the results.
Here's exactly what I changed and why it worked:
Format Transformation:
Instead of a traditional e-commerce template, I created a newsletter-style design. Think simple text formatting, minimal graphics, and a layout that looks like it came from a real person's email client, not a marketing automation platform.
The Subject Line Shift:
Changed from "You forgot something!" to "You had started your order..." This immediately felt more conversational and less accusatory. People don't like being told they "forgot" something—it feels like a guilt trip.
Personal Voice Implementation:
Wrote the entire email in first person, as if the business owner was reaching out directly. No corporate speak, no marketing jargon. Just honest, helpful communication about a real problem the customer might be experiencing.
The Problem-Solving Approach:
Instead of focusing solely on completing the purchase, I addressed the actual friction points customers were encountering. I added a simple 3-point troubleshooting list:
Payment authentication timing out? Try again with your bank app already open
Card declined? Double-check your billing ZIP code matches exactly
Still having issues? Just reply to this email—I'll help you personally
The Reply Invitation:
This was the game-changer. By explicitly inviting replies and promising personal help, we transformed a one-way marketing message into an invitation for two-way communication.
The key insight here: most businesses optimize emails for clicks, but we optimized for relationships. When someone has a problem completing their purchase, they don't need another sales pitch—they need help solving their problem.
This approach aligns with what I've learned about AI and automation: the most powerful differentiation comes from being genuinely helpful, not from having the most sophisticated technology.
Conversation Starter
The reply invitation turned emails into customer service touchpoints instead of just sales tools
Real Problems
Addressed actual payment friction instead of pushing harder for the sale
Personal Touch
First-person writing made it feel like communication from a real person not a company
Simple Design
Newsletter-style formatting stood out against typical branded email templates
The transformation was immediate and measurable:
Within the first week of implementing the newsletter-style template, something unexpected happened: customers started replying. Not just completing purchases, but actually engaging in conversations.
The reply rate increased dramatically compared to the previous template. More importantly, customers were sharing specific issues they encountered during checkout, giving us valuable insights into friction points we hadn't identified before.
Some customers completed purchases after getting personalized help through email replies. Others shared feedback that led to improvements in the checkout process that benefited all future customers. The email became a customer research tool as much as a recovery mechanism.
What really surprised us was the quality of the interactions. Instead of one-word responses or complaints, we got detailed explanations of technical issues, suggestions for improvements, and even compliments on the helpful approach.
The lesson? When you treat customers like real people instead of conversion targets, they respond like real people. This connects to what I've observed about sustainable growth strategies: building relationships scales better than optimizing funnels.
What I've learned and the mistakes I've made.
Sharing so you don't make them.
Here are the key lessons from this email experiment:
1. Convention isn't always conversion
Just because everyone else is doing something doesn't mean it's the best approach. Sometimes being different is more valuable than being "right" according to industry standards.
2. Address real problems, not just sales objectives
When customers abandon carts, they usually have a reason. Instead of ignoring that reason and pushing harder for the sale, acknowledge it and help solve it.
3. Conversations convert better than campaigns
Two-way communication builds trust faster than one-way marketing messages. When customers can reply and get real help, they're more likely to complete purchases and become repeat buyers.
4. Personal beats professional
In a world of polished marketing automation, a simple, personal email stands out. People want to buy from people, not from perfectly designed marketing machines.
5. Help first, sell second
When your primary goal is helping customers solve their problems, sales often follow naturally. When your primary goal is making sales, customers often sense the agenda and resist.
6. Template rebellion can work
Breaking away from standard email templates isn't just about being different—it's about being more effective at building relationships with your audience.
7. Friction is information
When customers encounter problems, that's valuable data about your business. Use emails as a way to collect this feedback instead of just pushing through the friction.
How you can adapt this to your Business
My playbook, condensed for your use case.
For your SaaS / Startup
For SaaS companies implementing newsletter-style emails:
Trial expiration emails should feel like helpful reminders from a person, not automated threats
Address common onboarding issues directly in welcome sequences
Make feature announcement emails conversational and reply-friendly
Use customer success emails to gather feedback, not just share tips
For your Ecommerce store
For e-commerce stores using interactive email templates:
Abandoned cart emails should acknowledge why customers might have left
Order confirmation emails can include helpful setup or usage tips
Post-purchase emails should invite feedback and questions
Shipping delay notifications should be helpful, not just informational