e-commerce

How email personalisation can increase your e-commerce revenue?

2025-05-09 przez Michał Wójcik

Transactional emails: an untapped asset that can transform your sales performance

Before diving into specific strategies, let’s take a look at some key data that sheds light on this opportunity:

Average open rate for marketing emails: 15–25%.
Average open rate for transactional emails: 40–65%.

This data clearly shows that transactional emails outperform traditional marketing emails in terms of engagement – by an average of 25-40%.

Why? Customers anticipate these messages because they contain critical information about their purchases, such as order status and delivery times. This natural expectation creates a unique opportunity for businesses.

Instead of treating transactional emails as mere notifications, companies should recognize their potential for personalisation and additional sales opportunities, which can significantly impact revenue growth.

However, most businesses view transactional emails as a necessity rather than an opportunity. They are often impersonal, lack branding, and fail to leverage their sales potential. Yet, with a few strategic improvements, these emails can be transformed into a powerful revenue-generating tool. Research shows that personalised transactional emails can achieve an open rate up to 70% higher than standard marketing emails. Additionally, businesses that optimise their transactional email strategy can increase their annual revenue by up to 20%.

Beyond increasing email open rates, personalisation plays a crucial role in strengthening customer relationships. Let’s explore how it can drive long-term loyalty and boost customer lifetime value (CLV).

Building long-term customer loyalty with personalisation

Personalised email communication is also one of the most effective ways to enhance Customer Lifetime Value (CLV). When customers receive relevant offers and tailored rewards, they feel valued and are more likely to make repeat purchases.

Studies show that businesses using advanced personalisation in loyalty programs experience a 15–20% increase in customer retention. Additionally, repeat customers tend to spend 67% more than new ones.

To maximize CLV, brands can use email personalisation to:

Encourage repeat purchases – By reminding customers about replenishable items or offering discounts for frequent orders.
Provide VIP treatment – Rewarding high-value customers with exclusive deals and early access to new products.
Send milestone-based rewards – Offering special discounts when a customer reaches a purchase milestone (e.g., 5th order).

Personalisation: the key to increased revenue

Modern technology enables businesses to tailor email content to customers’ individual preferences and behaviours effectively. Personalisation goes beyond simply addressing the recipient by name, it involves leveraging data on purchase history, browsing activity, and product preferences.

Personalised transactional emails can boost open rates by more than 20% and increase click-through rates by up to 139% compared to standard marketing emails. Moreover, studies indicate that personalised email campaigns generate 5.7 times higher revenue than non-personalised messages.

1. Dynamic product recommendations

Transactional emails serve as an excellent platform for cross-selling and upselling, helping to increase order value and improve conversion rates. By analysing past purchases and customer preferences, businesses can incorporate tailored product suggestions into their transactional emails.

These recommendations can include:

Complementary products (e.g., a phone case or wireless earbuds for a purchased smartphone).
Premium versions of purchased items (e.g., suggesting a smartwatch with additional features).
Subscription or replenishment reminders (e.g., refills for cosmetics, coffee filters, or pet food).

Such strategies can increase average order value by 20–30% and enhance customer retention by 15–20%.

2. Automated abandoned cart reminders

Transactional emails are powerful reminders for abandoned carts. A simple incentive – discount, free shipping, or customer reviews – can double or triple conversions. Research indicates that well-designed abandoned cart reminders can double or even triple the cart recovery rate, helping businesses reclaim lost sales.

3. Birthday and anniversary offers

Sending personalised emails for birthdays or purchase anniversaries is an effective way to foster customer loyalty. Customers are more likely to engage with offers tailored to special occasions, and exclusive discounts or gifts can encourage repeat purchases. While personalised emails like birthday offers enhance engagement, their effectiveness depends on how well you understand your audience. That’s where segmentation comes in.

4. The power of audience segmentation

Not all customers are the same, and a one-size-fits-all email strategy is no longer effective. Segmentation allows businesses to categorize customers based on factors like:

Purchase history – repeat customers should receive loyalty-based offers, while first-time buyers need welcome incentives.
Browsing behaviour – customers who frequently view a product but haven’t purchased should receive personalised discount reminders or urgency-driven messaging.
Demographics – age, location, and preferences shape how customers respond to different offers, so emails should be tailored accordingly.
Engagement level – dormant subscribers may need a re-engagement campaign, while active buyers should be rewarded with exclusive perks.

Now that we understand the importance of personalisation, let’s explore how transactional emails can be directly monetized in e-commerce.

How to monetize transactional emails in e-commerce?

Transactional emails are much more than just order status updates – they can become a powerful revenue stream when designed strategically. Personalisation, intelligent product recommendations, and dynamic discounts are just some of the approaches that allow businesses to increase order value and build long-term customer relationships.

Upselling and cross-selling opportunities

Upselling and cross-selling are among the most effective strategies for increasing order value. Transactional emails provide the perfect moment to implement these techniques, as customers are already engaged with the brand and are more likely to make an additional purchase.

Upselling involves offering a higher-tier or enhanced version of a purchased product (e.g., suggesting a premium smartwatch model after a customer buys a standard version).
Cross-selling recommends complementary products (e.g., promoting a protective laptop sleeve or wireless mouse after a laptop purchase).

A great way to implement these techniques is by adding a “You May Also Like” or “Complete Your Purchase” section to order confirmation emails. Research shows that well-executed recommendations can increase cart value by 20–30% while enhancing the overall customer experience.

Loyalty programs: an underutilized revenue driver

Transactional emails are an excellent tool for promoting loyalty programs and encouraging repeat purchases.

For example, order confirmation emails can inform customers about:

Reward points earned – e.g., “You have earned 200 points on this purchase. Redeem them for discounts on your next order.”
Exclusive membership perks – e.g., “As a loyalty program member, you’ll receive early access to new collections and special promotions.”
Activity-based rewards – e.g., “Make another purchase within 30 days and enjoy free shipping on your next order.”

Businesses that implement personalised loyalty programs report a 15–20% increase in customer retention, translating into a stable and predictable revenue stream.

Exclusive offers and time-sensitive discounts

Personalised promotions and time-sensitive discounts are some of the most effective tactics for driving repeat purchases. Customers who have just completed a transaction are highly likely to act on an exclusive deal if presented with a compelling offer.

Transactional emails can include:

Dynamic discount codes – personalised, limited-time offers (e.g., “Get 10% off your next order within the next 7 days”).
Related product promotions – upsell opportunities like “You ordered shoes! Get 15% off socks and accessories for the next 48 hours.”
VIP early access offers – exclusive perks for loyal customers, e.g., “As a valued customer, you get early access to our new collection before anyone else.”

Such initiatives not only boost revenue but also strengthen customer relationships, encouraging long-term engagement.

Unlock the full potential of personalised transactional emails with Alsendo Business Pro

Personalised transactional emails present a powerful opportunity for e-commerce growth, but their effectiveness depends on a well-executed strategy. The key question is: how can you implement personalisation in a way that truly impacts your business results?

If you want to maximize the potential of personalised transactional emails and transform them into a revenue-driving tool, leveraging advanced solutions is essential.

Alsendo Business Pro offers:

Automated, branded transactional emails tailored to your business.
Dynamic product recommendations integrated directly into email content.
Advanced analytics tools to optimise conversions.
Seamless integration with major e-commerce platforms for effortless deployment.

Don’t let the potential of transactional emails go untapped. Start increasing your revenue today!

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European e-commerce in 2025: key trends, challenges, and growth directions

2025-02-28 przez Alsendo

The Rise of Digital Marketplaces: A Tale of Market Dominance

The dominance of major digital marketplaces has become more pronounced than ever before. These platforms have essentially become the modern equivalent of traditional shopping malls, offering consumers an unprecedented variety of products and services under one digital roof. Their success stems not merely from their size but from their ability to leverage advanced technologies and data analytics to create increasingly personalized shopping experiences.

What sets these marketplace giants apart is their relentless focus on innovation and customer experience. They’ve mastered the art of predictive analytics, using artificial intelligence to anticipate consumer needs before they even arise. This technological edge has created a widening gap between market leaders and smaller competitors, fundamentally altering the competitive landscape of European e-commerce.

The Sustainability Revolution: A New Competitive Advantage

Perhaps the most significant shift in European e-commerce has been the elevation of sustainability from a marketing buzzword to an important business imperative. Consumers across the continent, particularly in Northern and Western European markets, are increasingly making purchasing decisions based on environmental impact. This shift has created a new breed of winners in the e-commerce space: companies that have successfully integrated sustainability into their core business model.

These sustainability-focused enterprises have discovered that environmental responsibility can be a powerful differentiator in a crowded market. They’re not just offering eco-friendly products; they’re reimagining entire supply chains, from sourcing to last-mile delivery. The most successful among them have managed to strike the delicate balance between environmental responsibility and economic viability, proving that profitability and sustainability are not mutually exclusive.

The Digital Transformation of Traditional Retail

The story of traditional retailers in recent years has been one of stark contrasts. Some established brands have successfully navigated the digital transformation, emerging stronger and more resilient. Others have struggled to adapt, finding themselves increasingly marginalized in an increasingly digital marketplace.

The winners in this category share several common characteristics: they’ve invested heavily in digital infrastructure, reimagined their physical stores as complementary assets rather than competing channels, and embraced data-driven decision-making. These successful transformations haven’t been cheap or easy, but they’ve proven essential for survival in the modern retail landscape.

Regional Disparities: The North-South Digital Divide

One of the most fascinating aspects of European e-commerce recently is the persistent regional variation in digital adoption and market maturity. Northern and Western European markets continue to lead in terms of digital penetration and consumer sophistication, while Southern and Eastern European markets present a more complex picture of rapid growth mixed with significant challenges.

This digital divide has created unique opportunities and challenges. In more mature markets, competition has intensified around customer experience and service innovation. In emerging markets, the focus remains on building basic digital infrastructure and establishing consumer trust in online shopping.

The Mobile Commerce Revolution

Last year smartphones have been the primary shopping device for many European consumers and it’s still actual. This shift has had far-reaching implications for how e-commerce businesses design their user experiences and structure their operations.

Successful players in this space have gone beyond merely optimizing their websites for mobile devices. They’ve created comprehensive mobile-first experiences that leverage device capabilities like location services, biometric authentication, and augmented reality. This has led to the emergence of new shopping paradigms that blur the lines between physical and digital retail.

The Logistics Challenge: Last-Mile Innovation

Logistics has emerged as a critical battleground in European e-commerce. The ability to deliver products quickly, efficiently, and sustainably has become a key differentiator for successful online retailers. This has led to significant innovation in last-mile delivery solutions, from automated delivery vehicles to urban micro-fulfillment centers.

However, the logistics challenge has also created a clear divide between winners and losers. Companies with the resources to invest in sophisticated logistics networks have gained a significant competitive advantage, while smaller players struggle to meet rising consumer expectations for rapid delivery.

The Payment Revolution: New Financial Technologies

The evolution of payment technologies continues to shape e-commerce success. The rise of buy-now-pay-later services, mobile wallets, and cryptocurrency payments has created new opportunities for innovation and market differentiation.

This financial technology revolution has particularly benefited companies that have managed to integrate multiple payment options seamlessly into their platforms while maintaining high levels of security and user convenience. It has also contributed to the growth of cross-border e-commerce within Europe, as payment friction between countries continues to decrease.

The Social Commerce Phenomenon

82% of consumers use social media for product discovery and research. It is no Wonder then that social commerce has emerged as a significant force in European e-commerce, with social media platforms increasingly functioning as direct sales channels. No matter whether it’s TikTok, Instagram or Facebook, the buyers are open to making purchases directly from stores in social media rather than having to click another link to move to a website and proceed to the checkout. This trend has created new opportunities for brands to connect with consumers, particularly younger demographics who are more likely to make purchases through social media.

Successful companies in this space have mastered the art of creating engaging content that seamlessly integrates with commerce functionality. They’ve learned to leverage user-generated content and influencer partnerships effectively while maintaining authentic connections with their audience.

The Data Privacy Challenge

As e-commerce has grown more sophisticated in its use of consumer data, privacy concerns have become increasingly prominent. The most successful companies have managed to balance personalization with privacy, creating trusted relationships with their customers while complying with stringent European data protection regulations.

This has created a particular challenge for smaller e-commerce players, who must invest significantly in data protection while competing with larger platforms that can spread these costs across a larger customer base.

The Future of European E-commerce

Looking ahead, several trends seem likely to shape the future of European e-commerce. The continued integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning will likely create even more personalized shopping experiences. Sustainability will become increasingly central to e-commerce operations, driven by both consumer demand and regulatory pressure.

We’re also likely to see greater consolidation in the market, as smaller players struggle to compete with the technological and logistical advantages of larger platforms. However, opportunities will remain for innovative companies that can identify and serve specific market niches or leverage new technologies effectively.

The ongoing story of European e-commerce is ultimately one of transformation and adaptation. As the market continues to evolve, the ability to embrace change while maintaining a clear focus on customer needs will remain the key to success in this dynamic and challenging environment.

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Ethics and digital awareness in online shopping: how do consumers respond to privacy and data security issues?

2023-11-13 przez Alsendo

The growing popularity of online shopping

According to the E-commerce in Poland 2024 report published by IAB Polska, 78% of Polish internet users shop online, maintaining a stable trend over recent years. Notably, 36% of respondents purchase from international e-commerce platforms, an increase of 6 percentage points compared to the previous year. Moreover, 61% of users now engage in second-hand online shopping, reflecting a shift toward sustainable e-commerce. As digital transactions continue to expand, so do opportunities for enhancing security, trust, and convenience in online shopping. Innovations in cybersecurity, improved data protection policies, and secure payment systems contribute to a more seamless and confident shopping experience for consumers worldwide.

The rising threat of cyberattacks in e-commerce

As e-commerce continues to expand, the importance of cybersecurity has become more evident. In 2024, Poland recorded over 110,000 cyber incidents, highlighting the growing need for robust security measures. While the public sector and critical infrastructure have faced particular challenges, businesses and institutions are increasingly prioritizing proactive security strategies.

Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski noted that cyber threats have doubled year over year, emphasizing the evolving digital landscape. As security practices advance, the focus remains on strengthening protections, increasing awareness, and enhancing resilience to ensure a safer online environment for consumers and organizations alike.

Most common cyber threats in e-commerce

Among the most significant cyber threats affecting online shoppers are:

Phishing attacks – deceptive emails and websites designed to steal login credentials and payment information.
Skimming – the use of malicious software to capture credit card data during transactions.
Ransomware attacks – where hackers encrypt data and demand ransom payments for its release.
Account takeovers – where cybercriminals gain unauthorized access to user accounts, often through credential stuffing or weak password security.

Consumer awareness of cybersecurity risks

While cyber threats are becoming more prevalent, there is still room to improve consumer awareness of key security risks. According to the Digital Security in Poland 2024 report, 53.7% of respondents have received suspicious messages, though not all feel confident in recognizing or responding to them effectively.

Similarly, the “Poles’ Attitudes Toward Cybersecurity” survey, conducted by the Warsaw Institute of Banking in June 2024, indicates that cybersecurity education could be strengthened to better equip consumers against potential online threats. As awareness grows and digital safety practices become more accessible, individuals and businesses alike can take steps to enhance protection and build a more secure online experience.

How do consumers protect their data?

Despite limited awareness, some security-conscious consumers actively implement protective measures, including:

Avoiding suspicious links and attachments – 78%
Using antivirus software – 63%
Being cautious when sharing personal information – 58%
Using strong, unique passwords – 54%
Avoiding public Wi-Fi networks – 48%

These actions indicate that while many shoppers engage in basic security practices, there is still room for improvement in awareness, resilience, and incident response.

Improving security in the e-commerce landscape

To combat growing security risks, both public institutions and private sector organizations are intensifying their efforts to strengthen cybersecurity and protect consumers.

Government and institutional initiatives

The “Cyber-Secure Municipality” program aims to enhance local governments’ security capabilities by conducting security audits, training programs, and network upgrades.

Security measures implemented by e-commerce companies

Leading e-commerce platforms and financial institutions are adopting advanced security operations, including:

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) to strengthen user verification.
AI-powered fraud detection for real-time transaction monitoring.
End-to-end encryption to protect customer data and payments.
Biometric authentication as an alternative to passwords.

The role of AI in cybersecurity

The integration of generative AI is transforming both cyberattacks and defense mechanisms. While cybercriminals leverage AI to develop sophisticated phishing attacks, businesses use AI to:

Detect and prevent fraudulent transactions in milliseconds.
Monitor security threats in real time and automate rapid response.
Analyze attack patterns to predict future risks.

Experts predict that deepfake technology will become a major tool for social engineering attacks in 2025, necessitating greater investment in AI-powered cybersecurity solutions.

The future of secure online shopping

As e-commerce continues to expand, cybersecurity remains a critical challenge. Ensuring secure online transactions requires a collaborative effort between consumers, businesses, and government institutions. By combining awareness programs, AI-driven security solutions, and stronger regulatory frameworks, the future of online shopping can be more secure, resilient, and efficient. Only through proactive cybersecurity policies, consumer education, and technological advancements can we create a safer digital shopping experience in this new era of e-commerce.

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Value of the global e-commerce logistics services market 2022-2027

2023-09-01 przez Alsendo

Close to EUR 700 billion in 2027

According to estimates by the research agency Transport Intelligence, the global market was worth more than EUR 418 billion in 2022, while the current year should close with a figure of over EUR 451 billion.

The projected growth in the sector’s value up to 2027 is impressive. Worldwide customers are then expected to pay more than EUR 683 billion for e-commerce logistics services. This means that the market would have grown by as much as 63%.

Significant share of cross-border commerce logistics

Retailers from different countries are looking for new markets abroad. Many online trading giants are now operating globally. In 2022, cross-border logistics services for the e-commerce industry totalled more than EUR 66 billion, which represented a share of almost 16%. In 2027, the figures are expected to look similar. The value of cross-border logistics services in this sector is to exceed EUR 114 billion, with a share of almost 17%.

Logistics for e-commerce in Europe

E-commerce is also the driving force of the European CEP sector. In 2022, the value of e-commerce logistics services in Europe reached EUR 81.638 billion. Interestingly, the share of cross-border operations in the region was lower than the global average, at just over 14%.

The markets with the highest value are the UK (EUR 23.9 billion), Germany (EUR 16.49 billion) and France (EUR 12.14 billion), followed by Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Poland, Sweden and Turkey.

Signs are that the booming e-commerce market will favour the logistics industry in the coming years.

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