What is email automation?

Email automation sends messages triggered by subscriber actions, dates, or conditions rather than manual campaign sends. The email goes out automatically when criteria are met.

Trigger-based examples:

Welcome email when someone subscribes
Abandoned cart email when items are left unpurchased
Birthday email on the subscriber's birthday
Re-engagement email after 30 days of inactivity

Why automation matters:

Timeliness: Messages arrive when relevant. An abandoned cart email sent an hour after abandonment beats one sent manually next week.

Personalization at scale: Each subscriber gets messages relevant to their behavior without manual effort.

Consistency: Every new subscriber gets the same welcome experience. Every cart abandoner gets the same recovery attempt.

Efficiency: Set up once, runs forever (with monitoring and optimization).

Common automated workflows:

Welcome series (onboarding new subscribers)
Post-purchase series (order confirmation, shipping, follow-up)
Re-engagement campaigns (win back inactive subscribers)
Lead nurturing (B2B education sequences)

Automation is like setting the sails so the wind does the work. You still need to plot the course and adjust for conditions, but the vessel moves without constant rowing.