Cortex Stages Guide: what do they mean and what emails should be in there?

WHO WOULD RECEIVE THIS EMAIL: New users who have not purchased from you. Think of this as a friendly exchange between your business and a new user. How can you encourage these new users to engage with your business and potentially make a purchase?

SUGGESTED EMAIL CONTENT:● Welcome them to your brand and business.● Speak about your brand, company vision and values. ● Spotlight a successful and happy customer or someone from your team● Include educational videos or blogs.● What are the perks involved with getting emails from you?● Tell them a story about how you’re the place to be and be seen.● Create goodwill between your business and your new user by offering them a first purchase discount. ● Include a clear call to action

SUGGESTED EMAIL SUBJECT LINES:● Get to know us!● Welcome to XXX brand ● You’ve got good taste ● You’ve come to the right place● Are you ready for hot styles and great savings?

New to your brand

* Single send to user.* Sent 48 hours after user’s signup time. * Getting started: 1 email, 2 subject lines.

New to your brand [inspiration]

WHO WOULD RECEIVE THIS EMAIL: New users a few days after they receive New to Your Brand and still have not converted. However, due to their activity, these users are identified as having a high likelihood to purchase. These users will not receive the New + Low Intent in their lifecycle.

SUGGESTED EMAIL CONTENT:● Tell them more info about your brand and business.● Incentives or offers are not necessary in this stage since this cohort is most likely to convert without one.● Include a clear call to action.

SUGGESTED EMAIL SUBJECT LINES:● Hooray! Welcome to the family.● 7 must have fall trends ● Your new look is calling● A few words, from those in the know

New + High Intent

* Single send to user.* Sent a few days after New to Your Brand. * Getting started: 1 email, 2 subject lines.

New + High Intent [inspiration]

WHO WOULD RECEIVE THIS EMAIL: New users a few days after they receive New to Your Brand and still have not converted. Due to their activity, these users are identified as having a low likelihood to purchase.

SUGGESTED EMAIL CONTENT:● Tell them more information about your brand and business. ● Include an offer or incentive for their first purchase. ● Include a clear call to action.

SUGGESTED EMAIL SUBJECT LINES:● Shipping is on us!● You deserve free shipping● See what we are up to● Customer raves about their faves

New + Low Intent

* Single send to user.* Sent a few days after New to Your Brand. * Getting started: 1 email, 2 subject lines.

New + Low Intent [inspiration]

WHO WOULD RECEIVE THIS EMAIL: Users that are not engaged with your brand. Think of these recipients as inactive users - what would it take for them to actually do something after they receive an email from you?

SUGGESTED EMAIL CONTENT:● Get these users engaged in your brand and content, direct them to read more on your website - get them to DO

something! ● Present them with blog articles, sending them to your website where they can read more, watch videos or read product

reviews. ● Testimonials showcasing people your users can relate to and be inspired to engage and read more.● You can include predictive product recommendations in some of these emails that will get them to click and visit your

website. ● You can include dynamic incentives that will get them to purchase from you.● Try not to be too pushy with promotional content and lean more towards presenting them enticing blog articles and

reviews /testimonials. SUGGESTED EMAIL SUBJECT LINES:

● Connect with us!● We think you’ll like these● Check out these awesome styles● Get to know us a little better!● How’ve you been?!

Needs nurturing

* This is the highest volume and repeated stage so lots of email templates & subject lines are recommended.* Multiple sends to user, no expiration.* Getting started: 2 emails, 2 subject lines each.

Needs nurturing [inspiration]

WHO WOULD RECEIVE THIS EMAIL: Users that are most engaged and are on the cusp of purchasing. Get them over their commitment issues and give them a direct call to action to entice a purchase.

SUGGESTED EMAIL CONTENT:● Clear call to action on what they need to do next.● Include predictive product recommendations in these emails that will get them to click and visit your website. ● Include dynamic incentives that will get them to purchase from you - don’t be afraid to PROMOTE, PROMOTE,

PROMOTE in this stage! ● Connect with the user like a friend - make them feel wanted and that they are invited to be part of a

community. SUGGESTED EMAIL SUBJECT LINES:

● We think you’ll like these styles!● Hand-picked styles just for you● Who knows when these styles will run out?● You’ll look great in these!

Ready to buy

* Multiple sends to user, no expiration.* Getting started: 2 emails, 2 subject lines each.

Ready to buy [inspiration]

WHO WOULD RECEIVE THIS EMAIL: Users who leave products in their shopping cart without purchasing. Remind them what they are missing out on by not completing the purchase. Did you know that about 67% of online shopping cart are abandoned before the user completes a sale (and about half open cart abandonment emails and over a third are clicked to purchase)?

SUGGESTED EMAIL CONTENT:● Remind them what they abandoned. ● Include predictive product recommendations - show them what they left in their shopping cart and suggest

other products to entice purchase. ● DON’T include an incentive - we don’t want to train them to wait for discounts.

SUGGESTED EMAIL SUBJECT LINES:● You might regret leaving this behind!● Forgetting something?● Get it before we run out!● We regret the things we didn’t do most!

Cart abandon

* Multiple sends to user, expiration.* Sent 3 hours after the instance and repeats at user’s interval over the next 14 days.* Getting started: 1 email, 2 subject lines.

Cart abandon [inspiration]

WHO WOULD RECEIVE THIS EMAIL: Users who leave a product page without adding to cart. Bring that user back to finish what they started!

SUGGESTED EMAIL CONTENT:● Include predictive product recommendations - what were they viewing and what are additional items they

may be drawn to and potentially purchase?● Make sure the emails are easily recognizable and light - users are not expecting an email from you at this

point so these emails need to clearly identify the your brand, purpose of the email and the product viewed.● Remember that the user must “GET” the purpose of the email in two seconds.● Have a strong and clear call to action like linking directly to the checkout page or product category page to

continue shopping. SUGGESTED EMAIL SUBJECT LINES:

● Need a second look? We saved your latest item at [business name]. ● You have great taste, go ahead and give it a try!● We think you might like these!● Checking me out?

Browse abandon

* Multiple sends to user, expiration.* Sent 3 hours after the instance and repeats at user’s interval over the next 14 days.* Getting started: 1 email, 2 subject lines.

Browse abandon [inspiration]

WHO WOULD RECEIVE THIS EMAIL: This message triggers when an item a customer is interested in has dropped 1% or greater in price. The items are determined by our predictive recommendations, so all items will have a high affinity to that particular customer.

SUGGESTED EMAIL CONTENT:● Keep it simple and create a sense of urgency because the product won’t last long with that lower price point. ● Use targeted messaging like “just for you” and personalized. ● Include predictive product recommendations, maybe those will trigger engagement along with the

excitement of the price drop. SUGGESTED EMAIL SUBJECT LINES:

● Something you might like is on sale!● Price drop alert!● Hand-picked styles for you are now on sale!

Price drop

* Single send to user.* Not ideal for businesses that are constantly updating prices of items: this stage is reliant on the data files that come in once a day - so, it will look at the price of item one day, then look at it the next day to see if the price is the same - if it drops by 1% or more this stage will be triggered.* Getting started: 1 email, 1 subject line.

Price drop [inspiration]

WHO WOULD RECEIVE THIS EMAIL: Users that have a birthday date will receive an email on their birthday (once per year).

SUGGESTED EMAIL CONTENT:● Use celebratory and thankful messaging to make users feel special on their birthday! ● Offer an incentive that should be used within a given timeframe.● Include predictive product recommendations to push them to your site so they are more inclined to utilize

their birthday discount. ● Offer a free gift that will entice them to go to your site and maybe buy more than they were expecting to - it’s

their birthday after all! SUGGESTED EMAIL SUBJECT LINES:

● Treat yo self!● It’s your birthday! Live a little :)● What’s better than birthday cake? A new outfit!

Birthday

* Single send to user.* Sent on birthday date.* Getting started: 1 email, 2 subject lines.

Birthday [inspiration]

WHO WOULD RECEIVE THIS EMAIL: Users that have a sign-up date will receive an email on their anniversary date (once per year).

SUGGESTED EMAIL CONTENT:● Flatter your users on their special day, further strengthening your relationship. ● Memories are typically fun to look back on - think of what Facebook did with their “on this day” feature. ● Thank them for being so loyal.● What’s an anniversary without a gift? Perfect place for a predictive incentive or offering a free gift.

SUGGESTED EMAIL SUBJECT LINES:● Happy anniversary to us!● It was one year ago…● We’re so happy we made it!● Anniversaries should be celebrated!

Anniversary

* Single send to user.* Sent on anniversary date.* Getting started: 1 email, 2 subject lines.

Anniversary [inspiration]

WHO WOULD RECEIVE THIS EMAIL: Users who show signs of attraction toward a particular product that has just come back in stock.

SUGGESTED EMAIL CONTENT:● Feature product image, name, and link.● Utilize other product recommendations to expose wider selection of products.● Clear call to action to purchase the product before it goes out of stock again.● Keep it simple and create a sense of urgency because it may go out of stock again.

SUGGESTED EMAIL SUBJECT LINES:● Back in stock...for now!● You might like this!● Just your luck. This style for you is back in stock!● Do you believe in miracles?

Item back in stock

* Single send to user.* Sent same day as product goes from 0 availability to 1 or more. * Getting started: 1 email, 2 subject lines.

Item back in stock [inspiration]

WHO WOULD RECEIVE THIS EMAIL: Users that bought an item which is about to expire and needs to be replaced or replenished.

SUGGESTED EMAIL CONTENT:● Feature product image, name, and link of item that needs to be reordered. ● Utilize other product recommendations to expose wider selection of products to entice purchase. ● Offer an incentive - repeat purchases are the biggest driver for retention. ● Clear call to action to purchase the product easily and seamlessly. ● Link to product page for them to leave a review and receive a discount on their next order.

SUGGESTED EMAIL SUBJECT LINES:● Time to restock [first name]!● Running low, we got you!● Action required: time to reorder● Restock before you run out again● Wanna keep a good thing going?

Replenishment

* Single send to user.* Sends at the number of days specified per item in your items feed* Send will not go out if item is out of stock, inactive, or was already purchased again* Getting started: 1 email, 2 subject lines

Replenishment [inspiration]

WHO WOULD RECEIVE THIS EMAIL: Users that recently purchased. This is your opportunity to upsell them or show them how to complete their original purchase.

SUGGESTED EMAIL CONTENT:● Thank them again for purchasing and for being a customer. ● Include “how would you rate your product” - getting them back on your site to continue their shopping

experience. ● Invite them to follow you on social media. ● To complete their original purchase, use predictive product recommendations to show them what else they

need to purchase. ● Send them more product information● Entice them with a repeat purchase by including an incentive.

SUGGESTED EMAIL SUBJECT LINES:● Tell us what you think!● How’d we do?● Thank you! Thank you!

Follow up

* Single send to user.* Sent 3 days after purchase* Getting started: 1 email, 2 subject lines.

Follow up [inspiration]

WHO WOULD RECEIVE THIS EMAIL: Users that are giving signals that they might churn soon. They are critical to engage!

SUGGESTED EMAIL CONTENT:● Make sure to speak broader in this messaging so they don’t catch on that you know they are at risk. ● Try saying “thanks for being a valuable customer” or provide unique & interesting content along with an

incentive. ● Include predictive product recommendations, getting them interested again in your brand. ● Remember that these users are critical to engage QUICKLY before they fully churn - as soon as they hit this

stage, engagement need to occur ASAP in order for them to get out of the “danger zone”! SUGGESTED EMAIL SUBJECT LINES:

● It’s been a while● Where have you been?● You are so awesome!● Come take a look at these hand picked styles

At risk of leaving

* Multiple sends to user, expiration.* Sent immediately at time of instance and repeats at user’s interval over the next 14 days.* Getting started: 2 emails, 2 subject lines each.

At risk of leaving [inspiration]

WHO WOULD RECEIVE THIS EMAIL: Users identified as having churned from your business. About 95% of these previous customers will never buy from you again - how can your email messaging improve those chances?

SUGGESTED EMAIL CONTENT:● Include content like “see what you missed” or “we miss you” or “come back”.● Entice them with an incentive and predictive product recommendations to get them clicking and back on your

site to buy. SUGGESTED EMAIL SUBJECT LINES:

● Come back and enjoy this special offer● Come take a look at these hand picked styles● We really really really miss you!● Our best offer!

Churned from your business

* Multiple sends to user, expiration. * Sent at time of the instance and repeats at user's interval over the next 14 days. * Ensure this stage is coupled with abandons and follow up to provide a great experience and hopefully earn some repeat purchases and customer loyalty.*Getting started: 2 emails, 2 subject lines each.

Churned from your business [inspiration]

WHO WOULD RECEIVE THIS EMAIL: This message triggers when items a customer is interested were just introduced to the inventory in the past 2 days. The items are determined by our predictive product recommendations, so all items will have a high affinity to that particular customer. If there are not enough new items to fill all available product slots, we will backfill with items introduced in the last 30 days.

SUGGESTED EMAIL CONTENT:● Focus on the products! Give these ReSci’s dynamic product recommendation tags premium placement on this

message.● Let the customer know these are new and exciting products they are getting the first alerts for.● Incentives work well with this stage to help push customers over the finish line.

SUGGESTED EMAIL SUBJECT LINES:● Hot off the rack!● A harvest of new items has arrived.● See what’s new this summer● Get them before they are gone● We wanted YOU to see it first…● It’s HERE!

New arrivals

*Email sent each time the above criteria is met. * Getting started: 1 email, 2 subject lines.

New arrivals [inspiration]

WHO WOULD RECEIVE THIS EMAIL: This message is triggered when a customer does a search on your e-commerce site, but doesn’t add anything to their cart. This signals that a user didn’t find what they were searching for, even if they browsed a few products. Our AI will then algorithmically return related items that are available in your product feed.

SUGGESTED EMAIL CONTENT:● Best to use wording like: “Based on your last visit, here are some items you might be interested in”.● Include our predictive product recommendation dynamic tags, and we will automatically show them items

that might match their search, also suggest algorithmically similar products to entice a purchase.● DON’T include an incentive - we don’t want to train them to wait for discounts.

SUGGESTED EMAIL SUBJECT LINES:● Take another peak● Check out these styles● Saw you peakin’● Find what you were looking for?

Search abandon

*Multiple sends to user, expiration.* Sent 3 hours after the instance and repeats at user’s interval over the next 14 days.* Getting started: 1 email, 2 subject lines.

Search abandon [inspiration]

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