A Pragmatic Email-Frequency Playbook for E-commerce Brands
You already know email drives profit—but too many blasts burn your list while too few leave money on the table. Use the checklist below to decide, today, whether to crank up volume, hold steady, or pump the brakes.
1. Track the only five numbers that matter
| KPI (30-day average) | Healthy range | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Placed-order rate | ≥ 0.08 % for campaigns, ≥ 1 % for flows | –10 % vs. last 30 days |
| Revenue per recipient (RPR) | ≥ $0.10 per campaign | Any steady slide |
| Click rate | ≥ 1 % | < 0.8 % |
| Unsubscribe rate | < 0.3 % | ≥ 0.3 % |
| Spam complaints | < 0.01 % | ≥ 0.01 % |
Ignore inflated open rates; they’re noisy after Apple iOS 15.
2. The Send-ometer—decide in 60 seconds
A. Campaign cadence
- Pull the five KPIs above for all campaigns sent in the last 30 days.
- Compare to the prior 30-day period.
| KPI trend | Decision |
|---|---|
| Order rate ↑ or flat and RPR ↑/flat and Unsub & Spam below limits | Accelerate (add one extra segmented send per week) |
| All KPIs within healthy ranges, no big swings | Maintain (keep current volume) |
| Order rate ↓ > 10 % or RPR sliding or Unsub/Spam at red flag | Throttle (cut one send, fix content or targeting) |
B. Automated flows
For the last email in each flow:
| KPI result | Action |
|---|---|
| Click ≥ 3 % or Order ≥ 0.5 %, with clean Unsub/Spam | Add another email to that flow |
| Mid-range numbers | Leave as-is |
| Click ≤ 0.5 % or Order < 0.1 % or Unsub ≥ 0.4 % | Remove or rewrite the email |
Missing any of the “core four” flows (Welcome, Cart/Checkout abandonment, Browse abandonment, Post-purchase)?
Spin it up now—flows average up to 30× the RPR of campaigns.
3. Proven cadence guardrails
| List size | Baseline | Top performers do |
|---|---|---|
| < 20 k profiles | 1 campaign/week | Push to 2/week once metrics stable |
| 20 k–100 k | 2 campaigns/week | 8–10 segmented sends/month, plus SMS |
| > 100 k | 2–3 campaigns/week | Daily, but only by rotating tight segments (see below) |
70 / 20 / 10 rotation
- 70 % of campaigns → 30- or 60-day engaged segment
- 20 % → 90- to 180-day engaged
- 10 % → full list “hero” drops
This maximizes reach and revenue while protecting deliverability.
4. Quick fixes when you hit the brakes
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fast remedy |
|---|---|---|
| RPR down but clicks OK | Too many discounts; margin erosion | Mix in content (“snackable” tips, UGC) |
| Unsub jump | Frequency shock to cold segment | Pause full-list sends, warm back with value-first email |
| Spam spike | Boring subject lines trigger spam filters | Split-test curiosity-based subjects; trim exclamation marks |
5. Put it into action
- Run the Send-ometer today.
- Apply the decision (Accelerate / Maintain / Throttle).
- Re-run in 30 days—your list will tell you what’s next.
Stick to the data, respect the guardrails, and you’ll hit the growth sweet spot where revenue climbs without torching engagement. Happy sending!
P.S. Short on time to run this playbook yourself? Hand it off to the Email Crew and we’ll tune your sending cadence for you. Click here to make it happen.