Automation is follow-up, not spam
A good automated sequence sends the message a helpful salesperson would send anyway — just reliably and on time.
Start with the welcome sequence
New subscribers are at their most interested. Three to five emails introducing who you are, what you do, and what to expect will outperform most campaigns you send later.
Then abandoned cart
For stores, cart recovery is typically the highest-return flow to build. A short reminder plus an objection-handling email covers most of the value.
Keep the list clean
Remove unengaged contacts regularly. Deliverability depends on sending to people who actually open, and a smaller engaged list beats a large dormant one.