Email marketing has become one of the most popular marketing channels for eCommerce businesses to advertise their products and services in the busy digital age. Approximately 89% of marketers use email as their primary method for lead generation.
At the same time, over 47% of advertisers would even go so far as to say that email is their most effective marketing channel compared to social media (39%), SEO (33%), and content marketing (33%).
But when it comes to the best email marketing for Shopify, which apps should you be using as a small business? And what are the practices you should follow to increase your email subscribers, website click-throughs, and get more product sales?
Shopify Email Marketing: Explained
What is Shopify email marketing? Well, it’s the process of sending out emails to your Shopify online store’s subscriber list and building relationships with potential customers.
Regular emails containing helpful information for your target audience can effectively keep them “warm” and push them down your sales funnel until they’re ready to convert.
How Does Email Marketing for Shopify Work?
Shopify has an integrated own email marketing service called Shopify Email. To use it, your store needs to have a paid Shopify subscription plan.
Is your account on the trial plan? In this case, you’ll be able to create emails and send them to yourself, but not to your subscribers.
Unfortunately, the Shopify store doesn’t automatically come with free email marketing for Shopify. Instead, you have to download a Shopify email marketing app, such as Shopify Email.
How to Add Shopify Email Marketing Apps
If you’re already using a third-party email marketing provider, you may be able to integrate this with your Shopify store by using the associated app.
Before you can do this, you have to install the “Online Store” sales channel. Then head to the Shopify App Store and follow these steps:
- Search for an email marketing Shopify app you want to install.
- Go into the app listing page and click “Add app.”
- Authorize the use of the app by going to your Shopify admin and clicking “Install app.”
- Your customer and order data should then be available once you log into your third-party email marketing service.
The Best Email Marketing Service for Shopify
If you haven’t already set up email marketing for your online store, allow us to introduce the best Shopify email marketing apps.
Shopify Email
As we mentioned earlier, the best free email marketing app for Shopify doesn’t exist. That said, the next best thing is Shopify Email, which is considered one of the top Mailchimp alternatives for Shopify users.
Those with a paid Shopify plan can send 2,500 emails per month. But what if you have over 2,500 subscribers? In this instance, each additional email will cost US$0.001.
The beauty of Shopify Email is that it allows you to create, edit and send emails directly from your Shopify dashboard.
Some other benefits include:
- Your campaigns are easy to manage, given everything is in one place
- You can customize pre-made templates or build your own branded templates
- You can access actionable reports and your data from Shopify admin to assess how your emails are performing
- The downside of using this app as one of the Shopify Mailchimp alternatives is that you can only send a maximum of five email campaigns per week.
Klaviyo
Klaviyo email marketing for Shopify is a keen favorite among small business owners. Their website claims that “Shopify stores make $85 for every dollar they spend on Klaviyo.”
But how much is it going to cost for this best email marketing app for Shopify? The pricing is as follows:
- $30 per month for up to 1,000 subscribers
- $100 per month for up to 5,000 subscribers
- $175 per month for up to 10,000 subscribers
Even though Klaviyo is pricey, it has many pros, such as:
- Everything is quick and easy to set up, including their advanced segmentation and automation workflows.
- There’s A/B testing available.
- The ‘Profiles’ section is where you can collect extensive customer data on how they’ve behaved and how much they’ve spent.
Plus, it’s known as having the best email automation for Shopify. Even so, it would be best if you decided whether Klaviyo is worth the expense for your business.
Omnisend
Omnisend is considered one of the best email marketing platforms for Shopify because of its strong focus on eCommerce. It has several features that go beyond a conventional Shopify app for email marketing.
For example:
- It offers a variety of automation for different stages of the customer journey, such as browse and cart abandonment
- You can implement incentives into your emails, like scratch cards, gift boxes, and ‘wheels of fortune’.
- You can send SMS, push notifications, and Facebook and WhatsApp messages.
Omisend is also super easy to integrate with Shopify. You can add products from your store straight into your emails or add products directly with some of the slicker features, such as the Product Recommender and gift boxes.
Pricing-wise, expect to pay $30 per month for up to 2,000 subscribers and 24,000 emails per month. The next tier is $60 per month for up to 5,000 subscribers and 60,000 emails per month. Then the most expensive tier is $102 per month for up to 10,000 subscribers and 120,000 emails per month.
Privy
Privy is rated as one of the best Shopify email marketing apps in the Shopify App Store. It has 4.6 stars and over 18,000 positive reviews for the following reasons:
- All plans come with unlimited email sends
- It has an eCommerce focus with features such as pop-ups, coupons, and automated abandoned cart emails
- The templates are clean and modern, and effortless to customize
Privy is free for up to 100 subscribers. Then there are five pricing tiers:
- $15 per month for up to 250 subscribers
- $30 per month for up to 2,000 subscribers
- $45 per month for up to 3,000 subscribers
- $60 per month for up to 4,000 subscribers
- $75 per month for up to 5,000 subscribers
That said, the Privy free plan is limited not just in terms of marketable contacts, but you’re also unable to send campaigns.
Another big con of Privy is that it isn’t possible to set up more complex, multi-step automation workflows. You could always test the free plan and see how you go.
Email Marketing by CM Commerce (Campaign Monitor)
CM Commerce is the best email marketing software for Shopify for its’ ease of use. Its features aim to get you emailing quickly, even if you’ve never worked with Shopify marketing apps before.
Some of the benefits of CM Commerce include:
- Its email templates are well-designed and versatile
- The drag-and-drop tool makes the design process a breeze
- Its insights and analytics go in-depth, so you know what’s working well and what needs to be improved
High-value plans are available for those with more than 500 subscribers.
Tips for Choosing From the Email Marketing Apps on Shopify
When you’re deciding on the best email platform for Shopify for your business, consider the following factors:
- The Size of Your Business: How big is your eCommerce business? This will determine your email marketing needs and which features are non-negotiable.
- The Number of Existing Subscribers You Have or Are Likely to Have: This will affect the pricing of the email marketing platform and whether it feels affordable to you.
- Your Budget: You may have to go with a less expensive provider as a startup with limited marketing funds.
- Your Software Skill Level: You may be better suited to an email marketing service that offers ready-to-go templates and has a straightforward interface.
- How Easy It is to Contact Customer Support: If you class yourself as an email marketing beginner, you may want to opt for a provider that delivers a high level of customer service.
Keep in mind that you can switch from one email marketing tool to another later if you need to. This involves exporting and importing data which can be a complicated and time-consuming process.
The Takeaway
Like any online marketing method, you get out of email marketing what you choose to put in.
The best Shopify app for email marketing will be the most suitable for your business. Any of the ones mentioned on this list will help you produce fashionable yet functional emails that will keep your customers engaged and generating sales.
