Sales & Conversion
Personas
Ecommerce
Time to ROI
Short-term (< 3 months)
Last month, I was 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. What started as a simple email redesign turned into a cross-industry discovery that transformed how we collect customer feedback and product ratings.
The breakthrough came from applying e-commerce review automation tactics to B2B SaaS—something most businesses never consider. The result? We didn't just recover abandoned carts; we created an entire automated review collection system that felt personal.
Here's what you'll learn from this real client case:
Why traditional review requests fail (and what actually converts)
The cross-industry automation strategy that works across B2B and B2C
How to make automated emails feel like personal conversations
The unexpected 3-step troubleshooting method that increased replies
Why aggressive automation sometimes works better than "personalized" touches
This isn't theory—it's what happened when I applied e-commerce automation principles to solve a completely different problem.
Cross-Industry
What everyone else is doing wrong
Walk into any marketing conference and you'll hear the same tired advice about review collection: "Make it personal," "reduce friction," "ask at the perfect moment." The traditional approach treats review requests like delicate flowers that need perfect conditions to bloom.
Here's what most businesses are doing:
Manual outreach campaigns - Crafting individual emails for each customer, spending hours on personalization for minimal results
Generic template emails - Using corporate-speak that sounds like it came from a compliance manual
Perfect timing obsession - Waiting for the "ideal moment" that never comes
Feature-focused requests - Asking customers to rate products without addressing their actual pain points
One-size-fits-all approaches - Using the same strategy for B2B and B2C without understanding the difference
The industry loves this approach because it feels "sophisticated" and "customer-centric." Marketing teams can present detailed customer journey maps and talk about "touchpoint optimization."
But here's the uncomfortable truth: while everyone's obsessing over perfect personalization, e-commerce businesses have been quietly automating review collection at scale. They figured out that aggressive, well-designed automation often outperforms manual "personal" outreach.
The problem is that most B2B and service businesses think they're too "premium" or "relationship-focused" for automation. They're stuck in manual processes while their competitors are building systems that work 24/7.
This conventional wisdom exists for a reason—it makes marketers feel important. But it completely misses what customers actually respond to: clear value, solved problems, and follow-through on promises.
Consider me as your business complice.
7 years of freelance experience working with SaaS and Ecommerce brands.
When I started working with this Shopify e-commerce client, we faced the same challenge every business struggles with: getting client testimonials and product ratings. You know the drill—your product works great, clients are happy in calls, but getting them to write it down? That's another story.
I set up what I thought was a solid manual outreach campaign. Personalized emails, follow-ups, the whole nine yards. Did it work? Kind of. We got some reviews trickling in, but the time investment was brutal. Hours spent crafting emails for a handful of testimonials—the ROI just wasn't there.
Like many startups, we ended up doing what we had to do: strategically crafting our reviews page to look more populated than it actually was. Not ideal, but we needed social proof to convert visitors.
The breakthrough came when I was simultaneously working on an e-commerce project—completely different industry, right? Wrong. That's where I learned my most valuable lesson about reviews.
In e-commerce, reviews aren't nice-to-have; they're make-or-break. Think about your own Amazon shopping behavior—you probably won't buy anything under 4 stars with less than 50 reviews. E-commerce businesses have been solving the review automation problem for years because their survival depends on it.
I started researching how they actually do it. After testing multiple tools in the e-commerce space, I landed on Trustpilot. Yes, it's expensive. Yes, their automated emails are a bit aggressive for my personal taste. But here's the thing—their email automation converted like crazy.
So I did what seemed obvious in hindsight but revolutionary at the time: I implemented the same Trustpilot process for my B2B SaaS client.
Instead of treating it like a "premium service business," I treated it like what it really was: a business that needed systematic feedback collection. The approach wasn't gentle or overly personalized—it was direct, automated, and focused on solving customer problems.
Here's my playbook
What I ended up doing and the results.
Here's exactly what I implemented, step by step. This isn't theory—it's the actual process that transformed our review collection from a manual nightmare into an automated system.
Step 1: The Email Template Revolution
I ditched the traditional e-commerce template completely. Instead of product grids and "COMPLETE YOUR ORDER NOW" buttons, I created a newsletter-style design that felt like a personal note. Here's what changed:
Wrote it in first person, as if the business owner was reaching out directly
Changed the subject line from "You forgot something!" to "You had started your order..."
Removed all corporate branding elements that screamed "automated email"
Step 2: The Problem-Solving Approach
Through conversations with the client, I discovered a critical pain point: customers were struggling with payment validation, especially with double authentication requirements. Rather than ignoring this friction, I addressed it head-on in the email.
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
Step 3: The Trustpilot Integration
I implemented Trustpilot's automation system but adapted it for our specific context. The key was understanding that their system works because it's:
Persistent without being annoying - Multiple touchpoints spread over time
Value-focused - Each email provides something useful
Conversion-optimized - Tested across thousands of businesses
Step 4: The Cross-Platform Implementation
The real innovation was applying this to both abandoned cart recovery AND review collection. I created separate automated sequences for:
Post-purchase satisfaction surveys (immediate value check)
30-day follow-up for product reviews (after they've used the product)
90-day loyalty check-ins (building long-term relationships)
Step 5: The Automation That Felt Human
The secret sauce was making automation feel like conversation. Each email in the sequence was written as if I was personally following up. No corporate speak, no marketing jargon—just direct communication about solving problems.
I used triggers based on customer behavior, not just time delays. If someone replied to any email in the sequence, they were automatically moved to a "personal attention" list for manual follow-up.
Automation Stack
Trustpilot integration for systematic review collection, Shopify flows for behavior triggers, and custom email sequences that feel like personal conversations
Problem-First Approach
Instead of asking for reviews immediately, solve customer problems first. Address payment issues, shipping concerns, or product questions before requesting feedback
Cross-Industry Learning
E-commerce automation tactics work incredibly well for B2B when adapted properly. Don't limit yourself to industry-specific solutions
Human-Feeling Automation
Write automated emails in first person, address real problems, and always provide a way for customers to get personal help when needed
The impact went beyond just recovered carts and collected reviews. Within 30 days of implementing the new system, we saw:
Immediate Results:
Customers started replying to the emails asking questions
Some completed purchases after getting personalized help
Others shared specific issues we could fix site-wide
The Unexpected Outcome:
The abandoned cart email became a customer service touchpoint, not just a sales tool. People felt comfortable reaching out because the email felt like it came from a real person who actually cared about solving problems.
More importantly, when we applied the same principles to review collection for the B2B SaaS client, we saw similar results. The automated review requests that focused on problem-solving and provided real value consistently outperformed manual outreach.
The system now runs automatically, converting both abandoned carts and generating authentic customer feedback without constant manual intervention. It's not just about the technology—it's about the approach.
What I've learned and the mistakes I've made.
Sharing so you don't make them.
Looking back at this experiment, here are the top insights that completely changed how I think about automation and customer communication:
Industry borders are artificial - The best solutions often come from completely different sectors. E-commerce automation works for B2B when adapted thoughtfully.
Aggressive automation can feel more personal than manual outreach - When done right, automated systems provide consistent value that manual efforts can't match.
Problem-solving beats sales pitches - Customers respond to emails that help them, not emails that try to convert them.
First-person writing makes automation feel human - Write like the business owner is personally reaching out, not like a marketing department.
Timing matters less than value - Don't obsess over the "perfect moment." Focus on providing something useful every time you contact someone.
Cross-platform thinking multiplies results - The same principles that work for cart recovery work for review collection, customer service, and relationship building.
Reply capability transforms everything - Always give people a way to respond personally. It changes the entire dynamic of automated communication.
The biggest lesson? Stop treating your business like it's too special for proven automation tactics. The same psychology that drives e-commerce purchases drives B2B decisions—people want problems solved efficiently.
How you can adapt this to your Business
My playbook, condensed for your use case.
For your SaaS / Startup
For SaaS startups implementing automated review collection:
Integrate review requests into your onboarding email sequence
Address common support issues before asking for feedback
Use behavior triggers, not just time-based automation
Write emails in your founder's voice, not corporate speak
For your Ecommerce store
For e-commerce stores automating product ratings:
Implement cart abandonment emails that solve problems first
Create separate sequences for different customer behaviors
Use newsletter-style templates instead of typical promotional emails
Always include troubleshooting help in automated messages