How to Use Email to Get More People Back Into Your Shop

I was sitting in a cafe in Paddington the other day, chatting with a bloke who runs a boutique hardware and garden shop. He was stressed. Really stressed.

He told me he was spending three hours a day on Instagram, trying to film “reels” because some guru told him he had to. He was exhausted, his back ached, and when I asked him how many bags of potting mix those videos actually sold, he just stared at his coffee.

"None," he admitted. "But everyone says you have to be on social media."

I told him what I’m telling you now: Social media is like shouting into a thunderstorm. Email is like walking up to a customer, tapping them on the shoulder, and saying, "G'day, remember that thing you liked? I’ve got it in stock now."

If you run a retail shop in Brisbane, or anywhere for that matter, your email list is the only thing you actually own. Mark Zuckerberg can change his mind tomorrow and hide your posts from everyone. But an email inbox? That’s direct. It’s personal. And it makes more money than any other marketing tool we’ve ever used for our clients.

Why Most Shop Owners Think Email is Dead

You probably think email is annoying because your own inbox is full of rubbish. You get fifty emails a day from big brands selling stuff you don't want.

But here’s the thing: you only hate the bad emails.

You don't hate the email from your local butcher saying they’ve got a fresh delivery of Wagyu for the weekend. You don't hate the email from the boutique down the road saying they’re having a VIP night with free wine.

Most small business owners think email is dead because they try to act like Harvey Norman. They send boring, ugly flyers that look like a bomb went off in a printer.

Don’t do that.

Your advantage as a local shop is that people actually know you. They’ve walked into your store. They’ve talked to you. When you send an email, it should sound like a human wrote it.

The “Golden Rule” of Your Email List

Before we get into the “how-to,” you need to understand one thing: Your email list is a list of people who have already given you permission to talk to them.

They’ve already crossed the hardest hurdle in business—they know who you are and they (hopefully) like you. It is ten times cheaper to get an old customer to come back than it is to find a brand-new one.

If things are a bit quiet, sending an email is the fastest way of keeping the till ringing without spending a cent on ads.

Step 1: Collecting the Right Info (Without Being Creepy)

You can’t send emails if you don’t have addresses. But please, for the love of god, don't just put a clipboard on the counter and expect people to sign up for a "newsletter."

Nobody wants a newsletter. I don't even know what a newsletter is anymore. It sounds like something a local council sends out to tell you they’re changing the bin day.

Instead, give them a reason to join. - "Join our VIP list for first dibs on new stock." - "Get $10 off your next purchase when you join our locals club." - "We send out a weekly tip on how to keep your indoor plants alive."

If you have a point-of-sale system like Square or Shopify, this is easy. You just ask if they want their receipt emailed. Most people say yes. Boom—you’ve got their contact info.

But don't just stop at the email. If you can, get their first name. Sending an email that starts with "Hi John" works way better than "Dear Valued Customer."

Step 2: What the Heck Do You Actually Say?

This is where most people get stuck. They sit down at the computer, stare at a blank screen, and give up.

Stop trying to be a professional writer. Just tell them what’s happening in the shop.

Here are three types of emails that actually work for retail:

1. The "New Stuff" Email

"Hey, just wanted to let you know we just got these RM Williams in. We’ve only got 10 pairs. Come in and grab some before they're gone."

That’s it. It’s helpful, it’s not pushy, and it reminds people you exist.

2. The "Helpful Expert" Email

When you help people, they trust you. When they trust you, they spend money with you. This is also a great way to beat online stores because Amazon doesn't know what the weather is like in Brisbane today, but you do.

3. The "We Miss You" Email

It works like a charm.

"Stop worrying about fancy templates and professional photography. A grainy photo of new stock taken on your iPhone often feels more 'real' and gets more people through the door than a polished corporate ad ever will."

— Michael Torres, PPC Specialist

Step 3: Don't Send Too Much (But Don't Send Too Little)

I get asked this all the time: "How often should I email?"

If you email every day, people will unsubscribe faster than you can say "spam." If you email once every six months, they’ll forget who you are and delete your email anyway.

For most local shops, once a week is the sweet spot. Twice a month is the bare minimum.

Consistency is the key here. If you only email when you’re desperate for sales, people will smell the desperation. If you email regularly with helpful stuff, they’ll look forward to it.

Step 4: Pick a Tool That Doesn't Give You a Headache

You cannot send bulk emails from your personal Gmail or Outlook account. You’ll get flagged as a spammer and your account will get shut down. Plus, it looks bush-league.

You need an actual platform.

If you’re just starting, use something like MailerLite or Mailchimp. They’re usually free for the first few hundred customers. If you use Shopify, just use Shopify Email—it’s built-in and dead simple.

Don't get bogged down in the fancy features. You don't need "automation sequences" or "complex segmentation" yet. You just need a way to hit 'send' to a list of names.

Step 5: Make Sure Your Website is Ready

There’s no point sending a great email if your website is a mess. If you’re telling people to "click here to see our new range," and they click through on their phone and the page takes ten minutes to load or the text is too small to read, you’ve wasted your time.

We see this a lot—people do great marketing but their website isn't putting people in the shop because it’s a pain to use. Make sure your site works on phones and shows your address and opening hours clearly.

The Reality Check: What Will This Cost?

Honestly? Not much.

If you do it yourself, it’ll cost you maybe $20-$50 a month for the software and a few hours of your time.

If you hire an agency like us to do it for you, you’re looking at more, but we usually pay for ourselves pretty quickly by actually getting the emails sent (because let's be honest, you're probably going to forget to do it when the shop gets busy).

You should start seeing results—meaning people walking in and saying "I saw your email"—almost immediately. Within 24 hours of hitting send, you should see a bump in foot traffic or online orders.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

I’ve seen a lot of people mess this up over the years. Here’s what to avoid:

1. Buying a list: Never, ever buy a list of email addresses. It’s illegal, it’s dodgy, and it doesn’t work. You’ll just end up in the spam folder. 2. Being too "Salesy": If every single email is "BUY THIS NOW," people will tune out. Mix it up with some helpful advice or a story about what’s happening in the shop. 3. Writing bad subject lines: If the subject line is "Newsletter #42," nobody is opening it. Try "Check out what just arrived" or "A quick tip for your garden." 4. Forgetting the call to action: Every email needs a purpose. Do you want them to visit the shop? Book a service? Reply to the email? Tell them exactly what to do.

How to Get Started This Week

You don't need a massive plan. You just need to start.

First, go to your POS system or your old receipts and see how many email addresses you already have. Even if it’s only fifty, that’s fifty people who care about your business.

Second, sign up for a simple email tool.

Third, write one short email. Talk about one product you love or one thing that happened in the shop this week. Add a photo.

Fourth, hit send.

Don't overthink it. Your customers don't want a masterpiece; they just want to hear from their favorite local shop.

If you’re too busy running the business to worry about subject lines and templates, that’s where we come in. At Local Marketing Group, we help Brisbane businesses get their digital act together so the phone rings and the till stays busy.

If you want to chat about how we can take this off your plate, give us a yell at https://lmgroup.au/contact. We’ll grab a coffee (or a beer) and sort it out.