SoloRiff

How to sell to Heads of Marketing at E-commerce companies in United States

Heads of Marketing in E-commerce are primarily measured on customer acquisition cost (CAC) and return on ad spend (ROAS). They respond to outreach that demonstrates a clear understanding of their unique challenges, such as high cart abandonment rates or the need for effective multi-channel marketing strategies. Showing familiarity with their specific brand and recent campaigns can trigger a positive response.

Written and maintained by the SoloRiff team, who build outbound software and run outbound with it. The figures below are our own: we measured 578 e-commerce company domains over public DNS on 2026-09-03. Last updated 2026-09-03.

What actually hurts

  • high cart abandonment rates
  • ineffective multi-channel strategies
  • challenges in measuring ROI
  • limited customer retention

The playbook

  1. 01

    Identify recent funding rounds

    Filter for e-commerce companies that have recently secured funding, as this often indicates growth and a willingness to invest in marketing. Use platforms like Crunchbase or PitchBook to find this information. Target companies that have raised funds within the last six months.

  2. 02

    Research their current marketing initiatives

    Visit the websites and social media profiles of the identified companies to understand their ongoing marketing campaigns. Look for details on their latest product launches or promotions, as this can provide context for your outreach. Tailor your messaging to align with their current strategies.

  3. 03

    Craft a message around cart abandonment solutions

    Develop your outreach email focusing on solutions to cart abandonment, which is a common pain point in e-commerce. Mention specific tactics or case studies that demonstrate how similar brands have successfully reduced abandonment rates. Highlight the potential impact on their CAC and ROAS.

  4. 04

    Use relevant industry benchmarks

    In your follow-up, include relevant benchmarks for e-commerce marketing performance, particularly around conversion rates or customer retention. This can help frame your offering as a solution to industry-specific challenges. Make sure to reference benchmarks from credible sources to add authority.

  5. 05

    Follow up with insights on seasonal trends

    After your initial outreach, follow up by sharing insights on upcoming seasonal trends in e-commerce that could impact their marketing strategies. This shows you are invested in their success and aware of the industry's dynamics, increasing the likelihood of securing a meeting.

Can e-commerce companies even receive your mail?

We measured the DNS of 578 e-commerce companies, sampled evenly across company sizes, to see how many authenticate their own email. It matters in both directions: a domain that does not authenticate is a domain whose team is used to mail going missing — and if your own domain is in the gap, yours is the mail going missing.

1–10 employees
19.6%
11–50
31.4%
51–200
51.3%
201–1,000
65%
1,000+
67.5%

Publishes a DMARC policy of quarantine or reject — the domain actually asks receivers to act on failures.

The gap is the finding: 19.6% of 1–10-person companies against 67.5% of the largest — 48 points apart. Small companies are where the unauthenticated domains are, and small companies are who most cold outreach is aimed at.

Where does your domain sit?

Same three lookups, run live against your domain. Nothing is stored and nothing is emailed to you.

How this was measured

Company domains were sampled within employee-count bands, then queried over public DNS for SPF (TXT at the apex), DMARC (TXT at _dmarc.) and MX. One domain per company, deduplicated. Anyone can reproduce any single row of this with dig.

DKIM is deliberately absent. A DKIM key lives under a selector that cannot be enumerated from outside the domain, so a company with flawless DKIM under a name we did not guess would be counted as having none. That would measure our guess list, not the industry.

Domains with no MX record are excluded rather than counted as failures — parked and redirect-only domains would otherwise drag every figure down and make the result an artefact of the sample.

Sampled within bands, so this describes the population of companies, not of employees: a 10-person company counts once, as does a 10,000-person one. Each band is at least 60 domains; bands below that are not published. Figures are percentages of the sample, not of the whole industry, and we publish no company names — only counts.

Measured 2026-09-03. Re-measured monthly.

The full census across every industry — sortable, with sample sizes, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.

Subject lines that fit

  • Tackling cart abandonment
  • Boosting your ROAS
  • Insights for your next campaign

Questions

Why do Heads of Marketing in e-commerce ignore outreach about general marketing tools?
Heads of Marketing often receive numerous outreach messages that lack specificity to their industry. They prioritize solutions that address their unique challenges, such as cart abandonment or customer retention, over generic marketing tools. Tailored messages that demonstrate an understanding of their specific context are more likely to capture their attention.
What types of content do Heads of Marketing in e-commerce engage with?
Heads of Marketing in e-commerce tend to engage with content that offers practical insights and case studies relevant to their industry. They appreciate data-driven articles, whitepapers on emerging trends, and success stories from similar brands. This content helps them stay informed and can influence their decision-making.
How can I effectively demonstrate value to a Head of Marketing?
To effectively demonstrate value, focus on presenting case studies or examples of how your solution has helped similar e-commerce brands achieve measurable results. Highlight specific metrics, such as improved conversion rates or reduced customer acquisition costs, to make your case compelling and relevant.
What are common objections from Heads of Marketing regarding new marketing solutions?
Common objections include concerns about budget constraints, the effectiveness of new solutions compared to existing ones, and the potential disruption to current marketing efforts. Addressing these objections requires demonstrating clear ROI and providing reassurances about a smooth integration process.

Or have it run itself

SoloRiff does every step above on its own — finds the companies, finds the people, writes each of them individually, and handles the replies. Drop your URL and watch it work before you sign up for anything.

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