Triggered emails, i.e. those sent when a specified occurrence occurs, are one of the mainstays of email marketing. Circumstances have changed due to the current pandemic response and we should consider extending the number of triggers in order to ensure we pick up every sale that is going.
A classic example of a triggered email is the one we send out immediately after a subscriber joins our email marketing list, the function being to confirm their subscription and, importantly, to show that we value them by our cheery welcome. You could even offer them a bargain. It probably needs to be valuable, not necessarily in the monetary sense but certainly it should be something that will be useful to them. Perhaps a PDF that they can use to improve performance.
Automation makes triggered emails cost-effective. There is little input of time and hence none of money, yet we know that the responses we want to a specific action or occasion have been completed. One I’ve received recently is a notification of a soon to end subscription. The fact that lockdown had reduced its value was recognised by the company and they, with great drama, reduced the price by a 
miniscule amount. It was subtle pressure to pay.
With lockdown and the procedures to limit infection, the behaviour of our subscribers has, in all probability, changed in a number of ways. Their own personal circumstances may have altered. Their income might have dropped, their working conditions changed, and, from some reports, a considerable number have ended up with more disposable income due to the drop in ticket spend for commuting, as well as reduced fuel costs and other circumstances.
Such changes will give rise to differences in behaviour. On an individual basis it might mean little, but for those of a similar demographic in your email marketing lists, it could give rise to an opportunity for targeting. You should obviously continue with your current automated responses. However, inactivity might increase for any of the reasons mentioned above, or indeed others, and the normal automated emails might well be ineffectual.
If one of your high-value customers is inactive for a short period, you sending a normal reengagement response, perhaps, a time specific offer to them, might give rise to resentment if they were just settling in to new working practices. There are some who work from home who are now relocating to an office, newly set up taking social distancing into account. This is bound to be disruptive.
In other words, it might be better to extend the trigger time for your automated response to those who have been inactive to ensure you are not pushing against a door that isn’t closing. A high value customer deserves consideration.
What about loyal customers? Is now the time to reward consistent positive behaviour such as regular purchases or even just regular opening of emails? There are any number of email marketing companies out there after your subscribers and showing reward for their loyalty is a step towards ensuring it continues.
