The problem
Business customers forget to order Christmas cards, calendars and event leaflets until it's too late, then buy from whichever online printer can deliver. A print shop with hundreds of past business customers rarely tells them what's coming up. If timely emails brought 4 extra orders a month at $200£150€179A$288C$282 each, that's $798£600€714A$1,152C$1,128 of work a month going elsewhere.
What the AI does
Brevo is an email marketing platform with a drag-and-drop editor, contact segments and an AI tool for drafting email copy. You import business customers who have agreed to hear from you, tag them by what they've ordered before, and send a short email a few weeks before each season: Christmas cards in September, calendars in October, event print before the summer. Each email has a clear order-by date and a link to your quote form.
A worked example
A print shop in Lincoln has about 450 business customers who opted in to updates over the years. The owner sends 2 short emails a month from Brevo, each aimed at customers who bought that kind of product before.
Before
No emails to the 450 past customers; seasonal orders arrive late or not at all
After
2 emails a month to 450 opted-in customers, bringing about 4 extra orders a month at $200£150€179A$288C$282 each
What it's worth
About $319£240€286A$461C$451 a month in profit, at an assumed 40% margin on $798£600€714A$1,152C$1,128 of extra orders (4 a month at $200£150€179A$288C$282). Brevo's Starter plan is $8£6€7A$12C$11 a month for 5,000 emails, with a 500-contact limit at that volume, and emails carry Brevo's logo unless you add logo removal at $11£8€10A$15C$15 a month, making $19£14€17A$27C$26.
How to set it up
- Check which business customers agreed to receive marketing emails, and only import those.
- Tag customers by what they've ordered: cards, calendars, leaflets, signage.
- Plan the year's emails backwards from each season's last order date.
- Draft each email with Brevo's AI tool, then rewrite it in your own words with a clear order-by date.
- Send to the matching segment and check replies and orders the following week.
What goes wrong
- Emailing business contacts who never agreed is a PECR risk for sole traders and partnerships. Keep consent records and an easy unsubscribe.
- Starter's 500-contact limit at 5,000 emails covers 450 customers; a bigger list needs a bigger plan.
- Emails that only shout discounts train customers to wait for one. Lead with deadlines and ideas.
- Don't send to everyone every time; untargeted emails drive unsubscribes.