Everyone thinks they’re the main character. And your email marketing better treat them as such!

In today’s era of AI email personalization, every subscriber on your list expects offers and content that feel like they were written just for them. After all, with everything AI can do for us, why wouldn’t they expect such personalized email content?! 

Interestingly, while 85% of companies believe they provide personalized experiences, only 60% of customers say that they do. This noticeable expectation gap begs the questions: 

• Is your ecommerce email marketing really as personalized as it should be? 

• And if not, what can you do to enhance the findings in your customer segmentation to drive more revenue?

Whether main character energy is true or not, in each subscriber’s mind, they are the protagonist of their shopping journey. Whether they’re a decisive buyer, a moody browser or a seasonal shopper with main-character energy only around Black Friday, your emails need to make them feel seen, understood and catered to.

That’s where AI-driven customer segmentation marketing and smarter email personalization tools come in. By understanding the different “main character” archetypes lurking in your audience—and tailoring your ecommerce emails to each—you can boost your email conversion rates, delight subscribers and build loyalty.

Below, we’ve broken down five essential customer types and email targets for DTC brands. We detail where each is in their buyer’s journey and how to use AI-powered customer segmentation analysis, combined with ecommerce email templates to meet each one where they are in their lifecycle journey.

The 5 Main Characters of Ecommerce Email & How to Use Email Personalization Tools to Connect With Them

Email Target #1: “Buy Now” Barry

Who Are They? He’s ready to buy today. With the right offer in front of him, he’ll buy right now! Subscribers with “high-buy-intent” can be targeted by automated, behavior-driven content flows, and they’ll convert substantially more than overall email lists. 

In fact, they have almost certainly already browsed your site or carted an item. They just need a little nudge. Our latest product release will help you do just that . . .

How Backstroke Helps:

• Backstroke’s Hero Lab can generate a hero banner with a bold CTA. “Your cart misses you!” or “Complete your set today!” will add in a little urgency ✨for some extra spice.✨
  
  
  

• Use Predictive Templates to select layouts proven to convert high-intent buyers quickly.
  
  
  

• With access to 12k+ brands’ creative data and consumer interactions, Backstroke confidently clusters subscribers by their buying stages and intents. You’ll identify which customers are primed to buy, so you don’t miss their moment.

Creative Ways to Target Them:

• Use urgency-driven ecommerce email templates and subject lines with language like “Only 3 Left in Stock” or “Your Perfect Fit is Waiting.”
  
  

• Show AI-curated product recommendations based on their purchase history and behaviors.
  
  

• Make ordering as painless as possible. A one-click checkout option is ideal.

Email Target #2: Considering Carrie

Classically indecisive Carries. They’re interested, but always weighing their options. When it comes to how they fit into your lifecycle email marketing flows, they’re likely just hanging out, comparing products and waiting for the right deal.

How to End Their Indecisiveness:

• Backstroke’s AI Content Studio can generate editorial-level lifestyle shots that paint a picture of ownership & aspiration. Truly inspiring or FOMO-inducing? You decide.
  
  

  

• You can share glowing reviews, testimonials or even user-generated content in your emails. After all, simply displaying product reviews can boost conversions by 34%.
  
  

• Offer a time-limited discount to move them down the funnel.
  
  

• AI-driven customer segmentation analysis can detect signals of indecision—like repeated click thrus to a product page—and tailor messaging accordingly.

Email Target #3: Just Browsing Jordan

They’re browsing without the intent to purchase . . . yet. They’re casual, and low-intent shoppers who may have signed up on a whim or are simply window shopping.

How to Intrigue Them:

• Craft an inviting hero message (“Find your next obsession”) with exploratory CTAs. Our new Hero Lab product can do this in a snap!

• Curate discovery-focused email content. Feature a gallery of trending products or curated picks. This can include lifestyle-focused content that inspires them, such as seasonal lookbooks.

• Keep them engaged with regular but lightweight touchpoints.
  
  

• Backstroke’s AI can group these customers into segments that show low purchase intent and adjust lifecycle email marketing content to keep them warm without hard-selling.

Email Target #4: The Dormant Dani

They haven’t opened or clicked in months. However, they haven’t unsubscribed either. They’re your “zombies” lurking in your email list, hurting your deliverability and haunting your engagement rates. 

(Psst! We have a guide to help you segment content toward all the subsets of these zombie subscribers here, if you want to get really specific with them!)

How to Wake Them Up:

• Clean the dead-dead ones out of your subscriber list. This will both save you money and improve your engagement metrics.
  
  

• Use Backstroke’s Hero Lab to send a playful “We Miss You” reactivation campaign with an incentive to return.
  
  

• Reduce frequency and offer a preference center to let them customize how often they really want to hear from you.
  
  

• Use Backstroke’s Predictive Templates to send a reactivation-friendly layout with super-clear CTAs.

Email Target #5: The Ever-Loyal Leo

These folks are your repeat buyers who deserve recognition! They’ve purchased before, and while they do love you, they may occasionally need reminding where that love comes from.

How to Keep Them Hooked:

• Generate email heroes that feature loyalty perks like “You’re on our A-List”  or “Early Access to New Drops.” 

• Creates email content that celebrates their loyalty, like a milestone or sale that’s exclusive to subscribers who have been around for a while.

• Share sneak peeks or behind-the-scenes content that makes them feel like an insider.

Why Smarter Customer Segmentation Matters

For ecommerce marketers, customer segmentation marketing isn’t optional. It’s table stakes, considering 71% of consumers expect personalized email experiences. 

AI-powered email personalization tools offer ways for your sends to both look and sound personal, relevant and irresistible, no matter where in the buyer’s journey a subscriber may be.

When you combine advanced AI email personalization, with ecommerce email templates that are informed by fresh data from 12k+ brands, along with thoughtful customer segmentation, you can turn casual browsers into loyal buyers. 

Email personalization tools like Backstroke are built to help you:

• Automate lifecycle email marketing workflows

• Personalize and optimize email content per subscriber cluster

• Target segments based on real-time behavior

• And deliver stunning, on-brand emails with ease

If you’re ready to leave the spray-and-pray days behind, start sending smarter emails that hit your audience exactly where they are.

And if you want a little extra, AI-powered help, talk to us.