Why It Matters
Behavioral emails outperform batch-and-blast by a wide margin. They're relevant because they respond to something the recipient actually did. Cart abandonment emails see open rates around 40-45%, compared to 15-25% for regular promotional emails. That gap exists because the timing and content match the subscriber's intent.
How It Works
Your email platform or marketing automation tool tracks user behavior through website cookies, pixel tracking, and event data from your app. When a tracked event matches a predefined trigger, the system sends the corresponding email. Common triggers include product page views, cart additions, purchases, content downloads, feature usage in SaaS apps, and periods of inactivity.
The email content is usually personalized with details of the behavior — "You left these items in your cart" with product images, or "You haven't logged in for 2 weeks — here's what's new."
Quick Tips
- Don't be creepy. "We noticed you looked at this product 7 times" is unsettling. Keep your messaging helpful, not surveillance-y.
- Set frequency caps so users don't get hammered with behavioral emails. Two cart abandonment emails are helpful; five feels like stalking.
- Test the timing. Some behaviors (cart abandonment) need fast follow-up (1-2 hours). Others (re-engagement) work better with longer delays.