Most people associate the word marketing with paid advertising. But in a world where CPCs (cost-per-clicks) are at an all-time high and competition can be fierce, there is one marketing channel that can still provide great results without throwing thousands of dollars away to test ideas.
Email marketing is one of the best ways to communicate with your customers in the digital world. You can quickly sell your products or services, share your messages and build relationships without spending much more than labor costs.
When done right, email marketing can help you to turn leads into customers, transform first-time buyers into loyal, supportive fans, and of course, increase sales and boost your business.
E-commerce stores and email marketing go hand in hand. So, it’s no wonder that store owners are looking for ways to integrate email marketing with Shopify (one of the most popular and successful e-commerce platforms).
We’ve put together a list reviewing the TOP 7 email marketing tools that can help you integrate your email campaigns with your Shopify ecomm store!
But before we begin talking about the pros and cons let’s go through the basics of email marketing tools so you can understand which features will be the most important for your business.
Choosing an email marketing tool
Recent surveys show that as many as 60% of marketers see email marketing as an excellent ROI (return on investment).
With numbers like that you know there has to be some value in sending out emails.
But!
Successful email marketing is not just spamming your customers with promotional emails while crossing your fingers that those campaigns will bring in profits and conversions.
Killer marketing campaigns take a lot of prep, so you’ll need to do your research and understand your audience before you start sending out emails.
And after you’ve put in the time to research and understand your audience you will need to be able to deliver those messages. To do that, you’ll need email marketing software.
Before we discuss the options available, let’s check out the key features you should look for in an email marketing tool.
Ease of use
Simple is always better, so be sure you choose a marketing tool that makes your tasks easier rather than more complicated.
Find software with functions that are simple and easy to learn.
If you’re just starting out, try looking for an option with a template library that can help you with campaign creation, a great analytics tool to evaluate your results, and integrations with other platforms, so all your contacts could be in one place.
The tool you choose should also provide you with support services and tutorials, so it is easy to learn new features.
At the end of the day, you shouldn’t have to be a tech-pro to succeed at email marketing. Finding a tool that fits your ease-of-use needs will help you focus all your attention on your email campaigns rather than understanding how the software works.
Drag and drop builder and template library
Make sure that your chosen email marketing tool provides an easy way to design and create branded emails.
You may find a tool that has a template library with pre-built templates helpful. Easy-to-use drag and drop builders can increase the quality and speed at which you can create emails.
Segmentation
Segmentation is also a key feature if you really want to be successful with your email marketing.
Once you gather your email list, a good tool should help you separate your audience into groups based on the gathered information such as age, gender, location, behavior, etc.
Then, you can use the collected data to approach your subscribers with personalized campaigns and provide special offers or discounts to fit your clients’ interests.
Sign-up forms
Sign-up forms are another important part of email marketing. A tool that provides forms like this can be a game-changer if you find the right way to target that audience.
They can help you grow your audience list so you can target your audience with relevant emails. If your emails perform well, you can even turn those subscribers into long-term customers.
Sign-up forms can help you put together a list of people that are genuinely interested in your services or products.
A/B testing
Testing will be a vital part of your email marketing’s success. Make sure your chosen email marketing tool can be used for A/B testing.
A/B testing will allow you to test your images, messaging, subject lines, call-to-action (CTA) buttons, and send times! Getting all of these points right is critical if you want to get the most out of your email marketing campaigns.
Once you’ve done your testing and learned what kind of content your audience wants to receive and when they are most likely to engage with you, the sky is the limit.
Adaptable views
Most people check their emails on their phones. It is vital that your emails are optimized for mobile devices.
The email marketing tool you select should ideally have mobile-optimized templates so your content can be displayed correctly and clearly.
Otherwise, your emails probably won’t be that effective.
Recipients need to enjoy the whole experience regardless of what device they are using.
Analytics and reporting
Performance evaluation is at the heart of all marketing.
If you aren’t monitoring results, how can you know what works and what doesn’t?
Ideally, the email marketing tool you choose will be able to track things like open rates, click-through rates, and engagement.
Based on the results received from your insights, you will be able to develop better campaigns and ensure that they work well for your target audience (more personalized content, better timing, etc.).
Email deliverability
The emails you send must reach the recipients for all of your effort to be worthwhile.
So, you should select a marketing tool with great deliverability rates and practices to ensure that your emails are sent to the maximum number of people.
Some email marketing tools have detailed explanations of this feature. For example, Sender includes the bounce backtracker, SPF and DKIM authentications, as well as a high IP and domain reputation to ensure your email deliverability.
Customer support
Choose an email marketing tool that will be there to offer you a helping hand no matter the time or date.
24/7 support is crucial. You never know when you might need tech support or guidance to solve an urgent email marketing issue.
Best email marketing tools for Shopify
Now that you are aware of the features you’ll need in an email software, let’s start exploring what the Top 7 tools for integrating with Shopify have to offer!
1. Omnisend
Too many people still believe that in order to get a lot out of email marketing, they need to pay a lot. This is keeping a lot of great businesses from getting started with email marketing and seeing how it can transform their business — and it’s a myth that Omnisend is busting every single day.
Omnisend is an email and SMS marketing platform built specifically for ecommerce stores, with a suite of features designed to increase revenue.
Features
- Incredibly smooth integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, and BigCommerce
- Automatically import store items into your emails, complete with image, price, and descriptions
- A/B testing
- Global SMS
- Pre-built templates for emails and forms
- Ready-made automations
- Unlimited audience segmentation with up to 500 data points
Omnisend is a comprehensive platform with everything you need to start and scale your email marketing. In addition to email, Omnisend offers push notifications and SMS, which can be sent to every country around the world.
Customer support
Every plan includes 24/7 customer support, including the free tier. There is live chat and email support, and if you spend $400 per month you’ll qualify for a dedicated customer success manager.
Pricing
- Free plan with all features, send a maximum of 500 emails to 250 contacts per month
- Standard plan starts at $16/month with a monthly email send limit of 12x your list size
- Pro plan starts at $59 per month with unlimited email sends
2. Sender
Sender is an excellent marketing tool that is well suited for e-commerce marketers. With 1-click integrations, you will be able to connect to your Shopify platform in a matter of minutes!
Features:
- Huge template library
- Audience segmentation
- Sign-up forms
- API integrations
Sender has a huge template library where you can find mobile and desktop-friendly options. The tool also provides smart automation to ease your content creation and personalize messages by segmenting your audience into groups. Sign-up forms, pop-ups, push notifications, and a drag-and-drop builder are just a few of the additional features Sender provides.
Sender also ensures high email deliverability with their advanced infrastructure while providing detailed and innovative analytics for your performance evaluation. The tool also provides the ability to A/B test, CMS plugins, and API integrations that can help you boost your email marketing experience even further!
24/7 support is available at Sender, so you will always have the help required no matter the time of day.
The tool is very user-friendly and provides detailed tutorials to guide you through different email marketing processes.
And, last but not least, Sender offers a FREE FOREVER plan, where you can access all of the features and send up to 15,000 emails a month without paying a dime!
Pricing:
- Forever FREE plan with all features included
Customer Support:
- Available 24/7 via phone, email, and chat
3. SendinBlue
SendinBlue is another well-developed marketing tool that has direct integration with Shopify. The tool is excellent for syncing your contacts, information, and email data from Shopify stores so you can personalize emails easier and more conveniently.
Features:
- Email automation
- Audience segmentation
- Sign-up forms
- Unlimited contact storage
SendinBlue and Shopify’s collaboration works very well. Combining customer and product information in Shopify enables you to send emails based on previous purchases, which can help you with customer loyalty and relationship development.
The tool also offers market automation, segmentation, sign-up forms, a template library, and unlimited contact storage. The platform is beginner-friendly; all of the features are easy to use, especially the drag-and-drop builder.
SendinBlue also offers a free plan with unlimited contacts and allows you to send up to 300 emails per day. However, with the free option, your emails will have the SendinBlue branding.
Although this plan has limited features, you still have access to transactional emails and some marketing automation features.
Pricing:
- Free plan with unlimited contacts. Up to 300 emails per day.
4. Klaviyo
Klaviyo is another leading marketing tool for e-commerce. It offers over 200 pre-built integrations, including Shopify, that can pull in unlimited data and produce fantastic emails.
Features:
- Full data sync
- A/B testing
- Pre-build forms
- Email automation
This tool offers full sync with data such as order information, catalog records, and transaction details. This data allows you to send personalized coupons to your customers and build long-lasting relationships.
Klaviyo also offers templates, pre-built forms, and automation so can easily bring your million-dollar ideas to life. Additionally, the tool provides the ability to A/B test and very detailed customer segmentation to help you guarantee success.
You can also track and measure your results with growth-focused reporting and evaluate your progress in dollars rather than open or click-through rates to understand how much you earn with your email marketing.
Although Klaviyo’s email plans are based on the number of contacts you have, the free option allows you to have up to 250 contacts and send 500 emails with email support also included.
Pricing:
- The free version allows 250 contacts and gives you 500 emails
5. ConvertKit
ConvertKit is a great email marketing platform, especially suitable for marketers, bloggers, and authors. Besides the ease of use, this tool also provides quick and straightforward integration with Shopify, so you can start selling online in just a few steps.
Features:
- Content upgrades through sign-up forms
- Audience segmentation
- A/B testing
- Smart workflows
The most significant advantage this platform offers is the ability to offer content upgrades and incentives by using email sign-up forms. The tool also provides great segmentation options to group your audience depending on whether they are customers or only interested in your products.
Like all other tools, ConvertKit provides a template library to help you create beautiful emails. It also has an A/B testing option, landing page builder, email automation, and smart workflows.
ConvertKit offers a free plan for up to 1,000 subscribers. You will have access to email support, landing pages, and forms. You can also use the free plan to send email broadcasts and sell digital subscriptions and products.
Pricing:
- Free plan for up to 1,000 subscribers
6. Mailchimp
Mailchimp is one of the oldest and most popular email marketing tools worldwide.
They offer a variety of features and abilities that can help you to accomplish anything you need for your emails to be successful. Like all other tools, Mailchimp has easy integration with e-commerce platforms, including Shopify.
Features:
- In-depth analytics
- Drag-and-drop builder
- Template library
- Audience segmentation
The tool features great analytics, a drag-and-drop email builder, a template library, and autoresponders. You can also go the extra mile with contact segmentation and set up email delivery times based on location and time zones.
Mailchimp provides a variety of support channels. You can contact them via live chat, email, or watch one of their well-prepared tutorials. The tool also offers many advanced settings; however, they are not available with the free option.
Although Mailchimp offers a free forever plan, their options are more limited. For example, you can send up to 12,000 emails to 2,000 subscribers. The free plan’s features are also minimal compared to Sender, which allows you to use all of their features with the free plan.
Pricing:
- Free plan with up to 12,000 emails and 2,000 subscribers
Customer Support:
- Available via live chat, emails, etc
7. Privy
Privy is another great email marketing tool that purposely focuses on e-commerce businesses with extra attention on Shopify. This tool also has integration with Shopify Plus, so you can easily set up your account in seconds.
Features:
- Mobile-friendly features
- A/B testing
- Contact sync
- Template library
Privy features mobile-friendly options such as pop-ups, banners, embedded forms, and announcement bars that are easily personalized. You can create campaigns based on abandoned carts reviews and values as well as website behavior.
The tool also provides A/B testing, autoresponders and reminder messages, email automation, and the ability to easily sync contacts from other email marketing tools such as Klaviyo or Mailchimp.
Privy also offers hundreds of templates that are fully customizable.
Unfortunately, there is no free version of Privy, but they do offer a 15-day trial to test out the tool.
Their cheapest option is a $13 per month plan. With this plan, you can send emails to up to 1,000 people. The plan includes Shopify integration, promotions, abandoned cart campaign help, newsletters, coupon reminders, automated email sequences, and order follow-ups.
Pricing:
- Free 15 day trial. $13 per month.
Conclusion
We have now covered the Top 7 email marketing tools and given you some guidance on what to look for in them.
If you are a small business with a limited budget Sender could be a great option since they offer full use of their tools via the free version.
If your needs are highly specific it may be worthwhile to look into the free plans at SendinBlue, Omnisend, Klaviyo, ConvertKit, and Mailchimp however, you will need to keep in mind these plans do have some limitations.
Businesses with a large subscriber base and decent budget may find Privy to be a good solution as it primarily focuses on Shopify integration and has some extra features which can be helpful for E-commerce businesses.
Overall, it is up to you to decide which email marketing tool you want to go ahead with. Don’t be afraid to try a few before deciding which one is right for you and your business!
