How to Market E-commerce SaaS: Marketing Playbook

The Lemlist Story: From Zero to 10,000 Customers

In 2018, Guillaume Moubeche launched Lemlist, an e-commerce email automation platform. Instead of trying to compete head-on with major players, he focused on serving a specific need: helping e-commerce businesses create highly personalized cold emails at scale. Starting with just 10 beta customers, Lemlist grew to 10,000 paying customers in three years by focusing on customer success stories and building in public.

Marketing Your E-commerce SaaS Platform

Marketing an e-commerce SaaS platform requires a different approach than marketing traditional software. Your potential customers are store owners and e-commerce managers who need reliable, scalable solutions to grow their businesses.

Start With Your Ideal Customer Profile

Before launching marketing campaigns, identify who truly needs your platform. Are you serving small Shopify store owners or enterprise-level retailers? This clarity helps target your marketing efforts effectively.

Build Trust Through Social Proof

E-commerce platform buyers need confidence in your reliability. Share specific metrics and results from your existing customers. Instead of vague testimonials, use detailed case studies showing actual revenue impact.

Content Marketing That Converts

Create content that solves real problems. Focus on topics like:

• Detailed guides on increasing average order value
• Strategies for reducing cart abandonment
• Tips for optimizing checkout processes
• Analytics interpretation for e-commerce growth

Choose the Right Marketing Channels

While building your marketing strategy, consider focusing on channels where your target audience already exists. E-commerce store owners often frequent:

• E-commerce focused subreddits
• Shopify community forums
• LinkedIn groups for online retailers
• Twitter communities focused on e-commerce

Implement a Tiered Pricing Strategy

Your pricing structure needs to align with your target market's needs and budget. Consider implementing tiered pricing with feature controls to serve different segments of the market.

Focus on Customer Success

Taking inspiration from the technical founder's guide to high-touch customer success, provide exceptional support to early customers. Their success stories will fuel your growth.

Build a Strong Product Demo

Create a compelling product demonstration that shows your platform's value in action. Focus on solving specific pain points rather than listing features.

Leverage Integration Partnerships

Partner with complementary tools and platforms. Integration partnerships can open new marketing channels and add value to your platform.

Growth Tactics That Work

1. Create Educational Content

Develop resources that help store owners succeed. This builds trust and positions your platform as an authority in the e-commerce space.

2. Implement Usage Analytics

Use product usage analytics to understand how customers use your platform and identify opportunities for improvement.

3. Build a Community

Create a space where your users can connect and share experiences. This can be through a Slack channel, forum, or regular virtual meetups.

4. Optimize Your Trial Period

Design your trial period to showcase value quickly. Focus on getting users to experience key features that demonstrate your platform's benefits.

Measuring Success

Track these key metrics to gauge your marketing effectiveness:

• Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
• Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)
• Trial to Paid Conversion Rate
• Feature Adoption Rates
• Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

Extra Tip: The Power of Micro-Commitments

Instead of pushing for immediate sign-ups, create smaller engagement opportunities. Offer free tools, templates, or resources that provide immediate value. This builds trust and makes the eventual platform adoption decision easier for potential customers.