In this episode of Talk Commerce, host Brent Peterson sits down with Rytis Lauris, CEO and co-founder of Omnisend, to discuss the power of marketing automation for online retailers. The conversation covers why automated messaging generates 37% of email orders while accounting for just 2% of sends, how AI is changing the role of marketers, and what the future holds for e-commerce in an agent-driven world. Rytis shares insights from 11 years of building specialized marketing tools for online stores and explains why retention marketing has become the difference between profit and loss for most e-commerce businesses.
Key Takeaways
- First purchases lose money: Most online stores pay more in advertising costs to acquire customers than they earn from initial transactions, making retention marketing essential for profitability.
- Automated messages deliver 1,480% better ROI: Automated emails generate $2.96 per message compared to just $0.10 for generic bulk campaigns in the United States.
- Timing beats volume: Sending fewer messages at the right moments based on customer behavior converts better than blasting entire lists with the same content.
- 15-20 automated flows outperform 2-3: Businesses should create automated sequences for every customer journey touchpoint, not just abandoned carts and welcome emails.
- AI changes marketer roles: Marketers need to evolve from content creators to managers of AI agents and assistants rather than fear replacement.
- Omnichannel wins: Combining email, SMS, and web push notifications in single automations allows customers to choose their preferred communication channels.
- Web push remains underutilized: Push notifications prove highly effective for users who enable them, yet most businesses don’t take advantage of this channel.
- AI tools help non-technical marketers: Natural language segment creation removes the barrier of complex logical operators for creative marketers.
About Rytis Lauris
Rytis brings over a decade of e-commerce marketing experience to his role at Omnisend. Before founding the company 11 years ago, he ran a digital marketing agency serving online retailers, where he identified gaps in how generic email service providers handled e-commerce customer journeys. That observation led him to spin off Omnisend as a specialized marketing automation platform built specifically for businesses selling online. Beyond his work in e-commerce technology, Rytis serves in non-governmental organizations focused on secondary education, believing foundational learning in early years proves critical for success later in life. He’s also an avid reader who enjoys both business books and novels, and he plays squash to stay active.
Episode Summary
The conversation begins with Rytis explaining the fundamental economics that make retention marketing non-negotiable for e-commerce businesses. He points out that online stores typically lose money on first transactions because acquisition costs through Google and Meta exceed initial purchase values. Email marketing provides the most cost-effective channel for inviting customers back for repeat purchases, which is where businesses actually generate profit.
Rytis shares that Omnisend started as a spin-off from his digital marketing agency 11 years ago. Running the agency taught him two things: first, that e-commerce customers leave more behavioral traces than other business types because their entire journey happens online, and second, that e-commerce would experience sustained growth for many years. Both assumptions proved correct over the following decade.
“Automated messages drive 37% of conversions while representing only 2% of sends,” Rytis explains. This happens because trigger-based messages respond to specific customer actions rather than broadcasting to everyone. When someone abandons a shopping cart or browses specific products, automated sequences send highly relevant messages about those exact items instead of generic promotions.
Brent asks about the dollar value difference between automated and bulk campaigns. Rytis confirms that automated emails generate $2.96 per message on average in the United States, compared to just 10 cents for traditional campaigns. The massive difference stems from better timing, better context, and fewer but more targeted messages creating higher engagement and conversion rates.
The discussion shifts to helping businesses identify automation opportunities. Rytis notes that Omnisend includes presets for all major customer journey touchpoints, allowing users to enable flows with a single click and then customize from there. He’s currently working on an AI assistant that will analyze usage patterns and identify revenue losses from underutilized capabilities or missed touchpoints.
When asked about AI’s impact on marketing tools, Rytis identifies two important vectors. First, marketers now expect more guidance about what to do next, so tools provide recommendations when they detect suboptimal forms or campaigns. Second, AI helps marketers execute recommendations through features like subject line writers, copy assistants, and segment creators. The segment creator has become the most popular AI feature in Omnisend because it lets creative marketers build complex audience segments using plain language instead of struggling with logical operators.
Rytis emphasizes that businesses need 15 to 20 automated flows, not just the two or three that most companies implement. Every customer journey touchpoint should trigger an automated sequence. Welcome series, abandoned browse, post-purchase emails, VIP status changes, and at-risk customer sequences all deserve their own automation.
The conversation turns to how consumers use AI to make purchases. Rytis believes buying will remain an emotional decision rather than becoming fully automated by AI agents. While agents might handle recurring purchases and restocking necessities, consumers will still want to make emotional choices themselves. However, he acknowledges that ChatGPT’s recent integration with Shopify and Etsy checkouts represents a fundamental shift, allowing purchases without leaving the conversation window.
Brent brings up a discussion from ShopTalk about websites potentially declining in importance as marketplaces and AI purchasing tools grow. Rytis agrees that online stores will need to maintain two interfaces: one for humans to browse and choose products emotionally, and another for AI assistants to navigate and make purchases programmatically.
Addressing concerns about AI replacing human marketers, Rytis draws a parallel to the industrial revolution. Steam engines and electricity replaced human labor in factories, but humans still played essential roles operating machines and designing production processes. He believes AI represents a similar transformation rather than elimination of human work.
“AI will take your job as it is today,” Rytis states frankly. “You’ll have to become managers of AI agents and assistants.” He argues that when everyone uses ChatGPT to generate marketing copy, all content starts looking the same—like mixing all colors together to create brown. Someone has to stand out, and differentiation will require human creativity and brand voice.
Rytis prefers LinkedIn for professional connections and encourages e-commerce businesses to try Omnisend, particularly if they’re either not using specialized e-commerce automation tools or if they’re overpaying for the market leader when they could achieve the same results at lower cost. Throughout the conversation, Rytis demonstrates both technical knowledge of marketing automation mechanics and strategic understanding of how online retail economics drive the need for sophisticated retention programs.
Final Thoughts
The shift from bulk campaigns to automated, behavior-triggered messaging represents more than incremental improvement. When the right message reaches the right customer at exactly the right moment, conversion rates don’t just increase—they multiply. Rytis makes clear that this isn’t about sending more emails but about sending smarter ones. As AI tools become ubiquitous, the businesses that win won’t be those that simply adopt the technology but those that maintain distinctive brand voices while leveraging automation to deliver value at scale. The question isn’t whether to automate your marketing—it’s how many touchpoints you’re leaving unattended and how much revenue you’re leaving on the table. Are you managing your marketing, or are you letting opportunities slip through the cracks?
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