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How to Improve Revenue With Email and SMS Automation

Set up the right automated flows once, and they’ll keep driving sales while you focus on the rest of your business.

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The power of automated marketing for revenue growth

Marketing automation isn’t just a time-saver — it’s an always-on system that delivers the right message to the right person based on what they’ve actually done. Instead of relying on manual sends, automated flows let you scale personalized interactions across your entire customer base.

Here's how that drives revenue over time:

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Engagement happens on autopilot:

No lead gets forgotten when your flows are doing the work. Email marketing automation triggers messages based on specific customer actions — like signing up, browsing a product, or making a purchase — so every interaction moves someone closer to a conversion.

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Consistency builds customer lifetime value:

Regular, automated touchpoints keep your brand top-of-mind without requiring you to hit "send" every time. That ongoing presence builds trust and repeat purchases over months.

Mailchimp is the #1 email marketing and automation platform*

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Most important email automations to drive sales

The most profitable automations are the ones built around intent. When someone signals interest, your flows should respond immediately with relevant content. Here are the email automations with the biggest impact on revenue:

  • Three friends relaxing on a beige sectional sofa with orange pillows, drinking from yellow mugs around a wooden coffee table

    The welcome series sets the tone:

    A welcome flow builds the relationship from the first interaction, delivering relevant messages and shopping opportunities right after someone subscribes.

  • Glass jars with black lids lined up on shelf, showing yellow and black labels for oat-based products

    Abandoned cart reminders capture lost intent:

    Automated cart reminders bring back shoppers who leave without buying, and Mailchimp customers see a significant increase in click rates from these sends.

  • Person working at wooden desk with laptop, orange coffee mug, and black notebook in modern office setting

    Post-purchase flows encourage loyalty:

    Use "Create Repeat Customer" flows to keep shoppers engaged with post-sale promotions that encourage them to come back.

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Mailchimp customers generated up to 8.5x more orders on average with automation flows.*

High-impact SMS automations for immediate action

Most texts are read within minutes, which makes email and SMS marketing automation a strong combination — email for the longer nurture, SMS for moments that demand a quick response. Here's where SMS automations drive the most revenue:

  • Flash sales and limited-time offers:

    The urgency of SMS within a flow is perfect for driving quick revenue spikes during time-sensitive promotions.

  • Order updates with a promotional twist:

    Every automated order confirmation text is a chance to keep a customer engaged and suggest their next purchase.

  • SMS for VIP early access:

    Use flow rules to trigger exclusive texts for customers tagged as VIPs, driving immediate sales from your most loyal audience.

Mailchimp SMS e-commerce users saw up to 20x ROI in the first 3 months after launching their first SMS marketing campaign.*

The synergy of email and SMS marketing automation

Email and SMS shouldn't live in separate silos. Marketing automation flows let you visually map out a customer journey that moves between channels so your message gets seen regardless of where someone is most active. Here’s how to make this happen:

  • Creating a unified flow map:

    Build an automation flow that uses rules and actions to determine a contact's path. For example, if someone doesn't open an email within 24 hours, the flow triggers an SMS follow-up instead.

  • Reducing channel fatigue:

    Visualizing the full map helps you avoid over-messaging. This is one of the most common marketing automation challenges to avoid.

  • Centralized data for better targeting:

    Use integrations to bring all your customer data into one flow so every message reflects the most recent purchase behavior.

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Mailchimp users saw up to a 97% higher click rate when they used both email and SMS.*

Why Mailchimp is the best platform for marketing automation

Whether you're running B2B marketing automation or building flows for an e-commerce store, the goal is the same: set the rules and let the system work. Here's what sets Mailchimp apart:

  • Pre-built flow templates jumpstart your success:

    Mailchimp offers a library of customizable flow templates based on proven marketing automations, customer behaviors, and data analytics.

  • Optimization through split testing:

    Test different subject lines, content, and send times within your flows to see exactly what drives the most revenue.

  • AI-driven send time optimization:

    Mailchimp's AI tools analyze historical data to predict the best times to send, so your automations land when people are most likely to act.

Mailchimp customers saw up to 294% higher click rates on average with marketing automation flows.*

Try our Standard plan for free!

Find out why customers see up to 24x ROI* using the Standard plan with a 14-day trial†. Cancel or downgrade to our Essentials or basic Free plans at any time.

Find out why customers see up to 24x ROI* using the Standard plan with a 14-day trial†. Cancel or downgrade to our Essentials or basic Free plans at any time.

Get 15% off our Standard plan

Businesses with 10,000+ contacts can save 15% on their first 12 months.† Keep your discount if you change to Premium or Essentials. Cancel or downgrade to our basic Free plan at any time.

Businesses with 10,000+ contacts can save 15% on their first 12 months.† Keep your discount if you change to Premium or Essentials. Cancel or downgrade to our basic Free plan at any time.

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  • Actionable insights into audience growth and conversion funnels

  • Enhanced automations

  • Custom-coded email templates

  • Customizable Popup forms

  • Personalized onboarding

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FAQs

  • Marketing automation flows are visually mapped, automated sequences that trigger specific actions and messages based on customer behavior. They let businesses deliver personalized messages across email and SMS without manual intervention.

  • Businesses improve revenue by using intent-based triggers — like abandoned cart reminders and welcome series — to capture interest and nurture leads automatically. Mailchimp customers generated up to 8.5x more orders on average with automation flows.*

  • Results vary by industry, but abandoned cart and browse abandonment flows are typically the highest revenue drivers. They target users who have already shown purchase intent, which means higher conversion rates per send.

  • Yes. Unified platforms like Mailchimp let you create multi-channel flows where a customer might receive an email first, followed by an SMS nudge if they don't engage — all within the same automation.

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*Disclaimers

  1. #1 email marketing and automation platform: Based on May 2025 publicly available data on competitors' number of customers.
  2. 8.5x more orders: Based on orders generated from bulk emails of paid plan users across all available geographics from January 2023 - January 2025. Marketing Automation Flows functionality varies by plan type.
  3. Up to 20x ROI: Based on e-commerce revenue attributable to Mailchimp users’ SMS Marketing campaigns and Mailchimp SMS spend (not including plan cost) within 90 days of launch of first SMS campaign from 10/01/24 to 10/17/25. ROI calculation requires an e-commerce store that is connected to a Mailchimp account. Excludes Short Code SMS. Results may vary.
  4. 97% Higher Click Rate: Based on US users who sent both email and SMS campaigns compared to users who sent only email campaigns from 8/1/23 to 1/05/25.
  5. 294% higher click rates on average: Based on all click rates of paid plan users’ Mailchimp campaigns from January 2023 - January 2025. Features and functionality vary by plan type. For details, view Mailchimp’s various plans and pricing.