“When the customer comes first, the customer will last.”—Robert Half
Although this quote was originally intended for customer service, it is also applicable to email marketing. And yet, reality punches hard in the face. Merely 3% of brands are customer-obsessed and place buyers front and center.
That’s why the majority of shoppers still receive emails with “buy-or-die” urgent subject lines, spiced up with FOMO or other psychological hacks, but zero customer centricity.
So, if you want to put your customers first in emails, keep reading this guide. It will help you develop a customer-first email strategy with the best tactics that work. Plus, we’ve collected several examples of companies that are already sending buyer-oriented emails. And those do sometimes read like handwritten, heartfelt notes. You’ll see.
Customer-centric email marketing strategy is a set of methods, tools, and activities used for emails to focus on shoppers or shoppers-to-be with their unique:
Needs
Values
Aspirations
Pain points
Likes/dislikes
Feelings, etc.
When you start implementing customer centricity as a strategic approach in your email campaigns, the buyer is reading this between the lines: “You are the most important person for us, not your wallet with money.”
As a result, they cheer up with satisfaction, thinking: “Finally, I’ve got an email from the brand that actually cares and understands what I need and doesn’t trick me into buying what I don’t.”
Let’s review these core email marketing strategies one by one.
Here’s a well-known but mind-blowing fact: Segmented emails have a 30% higher open rate (OR) and a 50% higher click-through rate (CTR), compared to non-segmented campaigns.
That’s why email segmentation lays the first brick of customer centricity. Alongside customers’ needs, as the key factor, it takes into account others, such as these:
Demographic: Age, cultural/ethnic background, gender, migration/immigration status, etc.
Geographic: Country, language, landmark proximity, climate, etc.
Psychographics: Personality, hobby, religion, morality, etc.
Behavioral: Buying habits, customer loyalty, engagement levels, etc.
Plus, these two are obligatory for B2B:
Technographic: Device, app, tech adoption level, etc.
Firmographic: Business niche, job role, company’s size, annual revenue, etc.
This way, segmentation helps brands target emails at the right group (segment).
For example:
The Care.com team categorizes email subscribers by location (geographic segmentation): “Caregivers in your area.”
Or—
Look at this email from Ninja Transfers targeting designers and art makers (segmentation by occupation) with AI tools for blank T-shirt designs.
You can also send different emails to age-diverse customer groups (demographic segmentation) and try different email marketing tactics for Gen Z, Millennials, or older generations.
Even more benefits await companies once they start personalizing emails. They see 29% and 41% jumps in ORs and CTRs, respectively, compared to non-personalized messages.
But how can you personalize your email campaigns?
You may walk the same path as AliExpress and launch triggered emails based on customer behavior.
For example:
Here’s the one after the website visitor searched for a “cat paw pillow” on AliExpress.
In case you have a newsletter, offer your subscribers the opportunity to personalize their inbox content themselves. You can do that with a CTA button like this one from BDC, one of the Canadian banks: “Personalize my content.”
No more impersonal “Hellos” or phrases like “To Whom It May Concern” and no more “Kind” or “Best regards” in your email greetings and closings (sign-offs).
Take inspiration from email examples below.
Hey Mary! Your personalized Polywork invite link is ready!—Polywork
You + these styles are the perfect match—TOMS
Unwrap Your Personalized Product Insights from Zeda!—Zeda.io
Bestie, your monthly edit is ready★—Princess Polly
Beauty, Your 50% OFF Expires Tomorrow!—Sigma Beauty
Here’s why they feel more human and customer-focused:
These email subject lines contain the customer’s name, the personal pronoun “you,” or words like “bestie” or “beauty” to convey a friendly tone that is inherent to humans.
Hiya Mary, Cheers for subscribing—Dave Harland (The Word Man)
Hey-hey! Welcome to the Chubbies Collective!—Chubbies
Hi Mary! Happy Saturday!—Sixty and Me
Hey there, you, the person who adjusted your wardrobe for warm weather and then... BAM... there is a cold day and now you’re chilly (definitely not a real-life situation for your dear author).—The Marketing Meetup
Here’s why they feel more human and customer-focused:
They use very informal and casual salutations, such as “Cheers” or “Hey-hey,” or even a mini-story like in the last example.
We hope you and Cash are making the most of the sun when you can—Butternut Box
Happy Friday, fellow fishing fanatic!—Anglers.com
Hope you had a fantastic Fourth of July weekend!—Preppy
The weather outside is frightful, but creative collaboration can be truly delightful.—Extensis
I can hardly believe another week has flown by! It feels like just yesterday I was writing to you, and here we are again.—WUKA
Here’s why they feel more human and customer-focused:
They mention a particular weekday, special occasion (or holiday), weather, or previous interaction with the email subscriber.
Have a wonderful day!—Loomly
Happy scraping—ScrapingBee
Talk soon, Hannah—The CX Lead
I’m excited to see you there!—Starter Story
Big hugs and cups of tea, Yours Natalie Jean— SlowlySlowly
Hope your weekend is a beautiful one!—The Marketing Meetup
Here’s why they feel more human and customer-focused:
They highlight a very human connection by the reference to talking, seeing, hugging, or wishing (in patterns like “Have a [quality] day” or “Happy [doing]”). Plus, emojis significantly humanize emails.
Let’s agree that cart abandonment is a dreadfully unpleasant experience, especially when the customer never returns to complete the purchase. In fact, seven out of ten customers abandon their online shopping bags. But how do you draw them back?
Try a customer-first email marketing strategy. Softly invite customers back to their carts and reduce psychological pressure.
For example:
Look at this cart-abandonment email from Homes Alive Pets, not pushing but gently reminding about the product left in the shopping bag with a pinch of humor: “You left something pawsome behind. Don’t worry, we won’t tell your pet!”
Pro tip: Write more empathetically. Whenever someone abandons the cart, it’s crucial to express understanding and use an empathetic tone, not psychologically forceful or salesy. Empathy creates a powerful emotional exchange, increases trust, and ultimately influences shopping decisions.
So, when you draft abandoned-cart emails, show more empathy:
Understanding: We understand. Maybe the hour wasn’t right for a purchase. Don’t worry, though! We’ve saved it for you.
Friendly and easygoing: The universe has distracted you? That happens. Your shopping bag is chilling here.
Supportive: If you’re still hesitating, that’s normal. Do you have any questions or concerns about [product/service]? We’re just one reply away.
For example:
Here’s an empathetic email after the customer left the cart at Tula Skincare: “Life may get busy, but ‘me’ time is non-negotiable. Don’t worry, your picks are right where you left them.”
What if we told you that social proof is an obligatory element of any customer-first email strategy?
What makes us think so?
Well, let’s put it this way. Social proof is the glue that unites customers into a cohort of like-minded people via email, evoking a sense of belonging to your brand and others who use its products or services.
This can be:
Text-only narrative
Video testimonial
Case study
Customer journey in the year-in-review format
Brand ambassador/influencer endorsement
User-generated content (UGC) like product photos or unboxing videos
For example:
As a SaaS brand, Keyhole sends regular emails with case studies like this Semrush vs. Ahrefs comparison.
Pro tip: Mark it at the beginning of your subject line with square brackets to boost its visibility in the customer’s inbox: e.g., [Case Study] or [Customer Testimonial].
Another example:
Bose shares what people are saying about their newly released products on the market with the email subject line, “[Product Name] customer reviews are in!”
Don’t let any customer feel forgotten or abandoned: send re-engaging win-back emails with customer centricity in mind.
Show that you think and care about every customer in your emails. Customer-oriented subject lines, such as“We’ve been thinking about you” or “We’ve missed you,” can make all the difference in customer-first email marketing strategies.
Actually, the latter is the exact subject line from New Balance’s email trying to re-engage the customer with 15% off.
But then, there are other re-engagement tactics with interactive elements to complement your customer-first email marketing strategy. Consider the following:
Personal questions
Before/after image sliders
Hover effects
Mini-games
Polls/quizzes
One-click activities: scratch off, spin the wheel, tap to reveal, etc.
For example:
Here’s the “Are you still there?” re-engaging email from Joybird, a furniture retailer.
Or—
Catch an animated glimpse at this peel-to-reveal activity from New Look.
Do you often listen to the voice of the customer (if ever)? What do your customers (or users) like/dislike about your emails? And what about your product/service? What are they expecting from you?
You should do that continuously in your customer-centric emails. Customers’ voices should actually navigate your business to the right decisions in email marketing and overall.
Embed the customer/user feedback collection elements into your emails:
Poll
Fill-in form
Yes/No reply (e.g., “Let us know: Yes or No”)
Star rating
Sentiment slider
Reaction with smileys, thumbs up/down, or other emojis
For example:
Look at this newsletter from Search Engine Journal with the smiley faces to react: “How did this email make you feel today?”
Pro tip: If you collect customer feedback from your website, custom or white-label support system, social media, and other channels, this is fantastic—bravo! And yet, this may not be enough for your customer-first strategy. You should also ask for reviews via email to capture even more opinions about your products or services.
For example:
See how ByteBrief is asking the customer to review their service with five, three, or two stars: “ByteBrief serving you well? Help us understand you better.”
Wait, before you switch tabs and jump to strategizing your email campaigns for ultimate customer centricity—
We can’t let you go to do it bare-handedly without the proper tool. Put your customers at the heart of all subject lines and emails with SendX, an advanced email automation platform. It offers a wide range of features:
Email capturing forms
Tagging + segmentation
Drag-and-drop editing
A/B testing (to see what works for each customer individually)
Advanced reporting
And more!
Start for free today or book a 1-on-1 demo of SendX with a personalized walkthrough. In any case, you’re literally one link away from a customer-first email strategy with SendX.
