Shopify email marketing apps are a dime a dozen. While that leaves you plenty of choices, it also means you have to spend time testing each one to find what works!
Or you could seek out the best Shopify email marketing apps on your own, or better yet – search for a guide!
Without further ado, here they are: the best email marketing campaign services to elevate your eCommerce business dreams.
Why is Email Important in Shopify?
Email marketing is one of the best methods to win new customers and nurture repeat buyers back through the sales cycle. But for Shopify merchants, it’s not just a luxury – it’s a necessity.
With the right Shopify email marketing app, you can:
- Integrate your service start-to-finish with Shopify
- Trigger automated emails based on customer behaviors
- Simplify customer data gathering, tracking, and analyzing
- Boost your long-term revenue potential
In other words, the right email marketing services make running, promoting, and capitalizing on your business a breeze.
What to Look for in the Best Shopify Email Marketing Apps
Before diving in, let’s review what the best email marketing apps offer, regardless of price:
- eCommerce-specific features. Since you run an eCommerce business, naturally, your email client should make your job easier.
- Integrations. Ideally, your Shopify email marketing app should integrate with – you guessed it! – Shopify.
- Contact syncing. A crucial piece of the integration puzzle is your contact list. If your store’s contacts don’t move over automatically, that’s time out of your schedule.
- Segmenting. Good apps segment customers based on activity, purchase history, and personal preference. The best email marketing apps create segments upon import.
- Automatic email campaigns. An absolute must-have as a Shopify marketer is automated email campaigns, from abandoned cart campaigns to upselling promotions.
- A/B testing. Never stop improving. A/B tests can do wonders for your campaigns no matter how successful they are.
- Reporting and analytics. Even basic email marketing apps should provide detailed metrics and analytics to help improve your marketing operations.
- Ease of use. While email marketing apps often operate on a learning curve, beginner-friendly apps should be easy – even fun – to use.
Above all, your email marketing client should fit into your budget. While “affordability” varies based on business size and needs, most services offer tiered pricing to help clients scale in-house.
The Shopify Email Marketing App: Shopify Email
Shopify launched its in-house email marketing app in late 2019 to help eCommerce stores build their brands with:
- Ready-made email templates implanted with your logo, store colors, and product details
- Basic analytics
- Manual segmentation abilities
- Abandoned cart emails
- Imported customer lists
- 2,500 free emails monthly ($1 per every 1,000 above the limit)
While the Shopify email marketing app gets the job done, that’s about the extent of our praise.
The template library is minimal, as are your customization options.
For customers seeking automated segmentation, triggered email marketing campaigns, or advanced analytics, Shopify will recommend another email marketing app.
As such, Shopify’s in-house email campaign builder is best suited for small businesses or beginning marketers just breaking into the email game.
As you gain more experience, you may decide to graduate to an alternative email marketing platform.
Shopify Email Marketing App Alternatives
Picking the best email marketing software isn’t just about paying for the most features. Rather, it’s about finding the service that meets your needs, from marketing automation features to segmented contact lists.
1. GetResponse
GetResponse is a robust email marketing app that offers a bit more than the average service.
Features like webinars, landing pages, and a full-blown CRM make this service stand out. Plus, with its automated integration abilities, eCommerce stores can enjoy simple contact importation, segmentation, and tagging.
Unfortunately, some marketers find that the analytics aren’t in-depth enough for their needs.
Email Marketing App Main Features:
- Deep Data Shopify integrations
- Wide range of email templates
- Easy-to-build marketing automations
- Triggered email campaigns for abandoned carts, promotions, and post-purchase emails
- Easy-add personalized product recommendations
Pricing
- Free: Up to 500 subscribers with limited abilities
- Email Marketing: Starts at $15.58/month for up to 1,000 subscribers*
- Marketing Automation: Starts at $48.38/month
- eCommerce Marketing: Starts at $97.58/month
*Minimum pricing tier that offers Shopify integration
Who’s It Built For?
GetResponse is well-suited to larger eCommerce ventures that could benefit from advanced email marketing automation, added features like webinars, and the built-in CRM.
2. AWeber
AWeber is a well-known email marketing campaign manager that boasts the normal features like integrations, customizable email templates, analytics, and segmentation. They offer email marketing automation to simplify the process at almost every step of the way. Plus, you can track your performance anytime, anywhere with the mobile AWeber Stats app.
Email Marketing App Main Features:
- Over 700 customizable templates
- Triggered automatic marketing campaigns, including newsletters
- Customer tagging and segmentation based on opens, clicks, purchases, and location
- Landing page builder
- Built-in performance analyzer
- Over 1,000 software integrations
Pricing
- Free: Up to 500 subscribers with landing pages, web push notifications, and eCommerce abilities
- Pro: Starts at $19.99/month for up to 500 subscribers
Who’s It Built For?
AWeber offers some impressive tools at a low price, but it does lack advanced features. Small-time Shopify store owners and beginning email marketers might find this platform an ideal jumping-off point.
3. Omnisend
Omnisend is unusual in that it offers SMS marketing, social media integrations, and push notifications alongside email campaigns.
With a range of automated workflows and segmentations, you can target customers based on browsing, abandonment, and search behaviors. You can even examine your sales metrics and campaign reports in the same dashboard.
That said, while its email editor is quite intuitive, Omnisend’s template library leaves something to be desired.
Email Marketing App Main Features:
- Easy Shopify integrations and cross-sell features
- Conversion-focused email marketing tools like scratch cards and “spin to win”
- Detailed campaign and sales analytics
- Multi-channel marketing abilities
- Unlimited contact storage (though not unlimited sends)
Pricing
- Free: Up to 500 emails/month for 250 subscribers
- Standard: Starts at $16/month for up to 6,000 emails, 500 subscribers, and unlimited web pushes
- Pro: Starts at $59/month for up to 500 subscribers, unlimited emails, and advanced features
Who’s It Built For?
Omnisend is ideal for marketers who want to take their multi-channel marketing communications to the next level. Plus, its affordability and added eCommerce features make it ideal for small- to medium-sized Shopify stores.
king a free service. However, as your business scales, you may require a more advanced platform.
4. ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign is another solid email marketing app that offers CRM functionality and Shopify compatibility. The service comes with plenty of marketing automation, customizations, and subscriber personalization opportunities. Plus, you can use its eCommerce abilities to push product recommendations and offer embeddable discounts.
That said, ActiveCampaign is notable for its steeper learning curve and (occasional) code-writing requirements.
Email Marketing App Main Features:
- Over 600 pre-built automation workflows
- Deep Data platform integrations
- Drag-and-drop editor
- Dynamic segmenting and tagging
- Triggered email campaigns
- In-depth data gathering
- Paid SMS marketing
Pricing
- Lite: Starts at $29/month for up to 1,000 subscribers with limited abilities
- Plus: Starts at $49/month with additional features*
- Professional: Starts at $149/month with advanced features and personalization
*Minimum pricing tier that offers Shopify integration
Who’s It Built For?
Due to its pricing, steeper learning curve, and advanced abilities, ActiveCampaign works better for larger stores. The CRM also provides plenty of oomph for stores with more repeat customers.
5. Mailchimp
Mailchimp offers a robust free service with up to 10,000 monthly emails, making this a popular email marketing app for beginners. Paid plans offer no watermarks, a direct integration with Shopify, and increased customer data analytics and access. You can also automate email marketing campaigns like abandoned carts, reorder reminders, and transactional emails.
However, Mailchimp’s email template library is sparsely-populated. And for scaling purposes, this email client may get pricey quickly.
Email Marketing App Main Features:
- Customizable email templates
- Google Analytics integration
- Content optimizer to make content more engaging
- eCommerce features like pop-ups, scroll boxes, and ad retargeting
Pricing
- Free: Up to 2,000 emails daily/10,000 monthly for limited abilities
- Essentials: Starts at $11/month for additional features*
- Standard: Starts at $17/month for advanced features
- Premium: Starts at $299/month for full features
*Minimum pricing tier that offers Shopify integration
Who’s It Built For?
Mailchimp offers one of the best email marketing apps for store owners seeking a free service. However, as your business scales, you may require a more advanced platform.
6. Klaviyo
Klaviyo is a marketing software designed especially for eCommerce that boasts impressive returns for Shopify store owners on its website. Aside from advanced segmentation and marketing automation workflows, Klaviyo facilitates SMS marketing and A/B testing.
Overall, Klaviyo marks a solid email marketing service – though its prices can get steep for larger subscriber lists.
Email Marketing App Main Features:
- Easy Shopify store integrations
- Extensive pre-built workflow automations
- A/B testing
- Triggered email campaigns
- Modern email templates with dynamic blocks for personalization
Pricing
- Free: Up to 250 subscribers and 500 emails/month
- $30/month: Up to 1,000 subscribers and 10,000 emails
- $100/month: Up to 5,000 subscribers and 50,000 emails
- $150/month: Up to 10,000 subscribers and 100,000 emails
Who’s It Built For?
Because of its focus on eCommerce email marketing and built-in CRM, Klaviyo is a good email marketing app for small- to medium-sized businesses. However, beginners may find the interface challenging at first, and larger businesses may find the price schedule prohibitive.
7. Sendinblue
Sendinblue is a feature-rich email marketing service that aims to impress with marketing automation, landing pages, lead scoring, and even Facebook ads. It offers eCommerce marketing alongside email marketing, with features like conditional content, imported order data, and store product integrations.
These capabilities, alongside advanced features like SMS messaging, make Sendinblue one of the best Shopify email marketing apps available.
Email Marketing App Main Features:
- Customizable email templates
- A/B testing for data-driven campaigns
- Real-time reporting and analytics
- Targeted segmentation
- eCommerce marketing features to complete email campaigns
Pricing
- Free: Up to 300 emails/day
- Lite: $25/month for up to 20,000 emails and additional abilities*
- Premium: $65/month for up to 20,000 emails and advanced automation
*Minimum pricing tier that offers Shopify integration
Who’s It Built For?
Sendinblue is a well-rounded service that works well for small- to medium-sized Shopify store owners. While it’s an efficient email marketing software, it’s also not always beginner-friendly, as some features require snippets of code. That said, Sendinblue’s Lite plan is also budget-friendly.
8. Drip
Drip is an email marketing app for Shopify store owners who want to segment the heck out of their lists. You can divide emails based on the smallest actions, including products and brands viewed, browsing history, and more. And with its blended eCommerce-CRM abilities, Drip puts the emphasis on strong communication and customer guidance.
But watch out: if you exceed your subscriber capacity for your plan, Drip automatically bumps you up a notch. And unfortunately, Drip offers just a handful of pre-built email templates.
Email Marketing App Main Features:
- Strong behavior-based marketing automation
- Workflow split-testing and application
- Robust analytics, including engagement and revenue metrics
- Easy Shopify and Facebook Customer Audience integrations
Pricing
- $39/month for up to 2,500 subscribers and unlimited sends
- $89/month for up to 5,000 subscribers and unlimited sends
- $154/month for up to 10,000 subscribers and unlimited sends
Drip also offers a 14-day free trial with all features included.
Who’s It Built For?
Due to Drip’s more advanced automation and segmentation abilities, this email marketing service may best serve more established businesses. With its subscriber-based pricing model, it offers full features at every tier, making it powerful at every price.
5 Tips To Pick The Best Shopify Email Tool
Below are some tips that can help you choose the right email marketing tool for you!
Integration
Goes without saying that you need your email marketing platform to integrate with Shopify. In case you are using any other tools to manage your clients – check if they will also integrate easily.
Ease of use
You want the tool to feel natural. The main information should be right on the dashboard, and all the important features should be just a click away.
Automations & Segmentations
Run a testing campaign and see how various automation and segmentation work. Can you tag subscribers based on their behavior? Can you separate them into A/B test groups?
Team management
Chances are that you will not be working alone. What options are there to manage access to your team? What is the pricing like for several seats?
Imports & Exports
Some email marketing services have strict policies on email imports. Make sure that importing your leads from another service will be simple and won’t take too much time!
Key Takeaways
Email marketing is essential for a Shopify store owner. But before you can succeed in your marketing endeavors, you must determine your business needs and goals.
The email marketing app you choose should reflect your:
- Required subscriber count
- Desire for growth and expansion
- And your budget
Ideally, the best email marketing app has the email marketing tools and pricing tiers needed to scale with you. (And many offer a 14-day free trial, so you can be sure an email marketing service checks all your boxes.)
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