So you’re running an e-commerce store on Shopify, and now it’s time to broaden your reach and improve sales. Here’s a tip for you: 50% of people buy from marketing emails at least once per month.
This is great news because email marketing is a cost-effective tool (if you pick the provider that suits your needs), customizable, and, when done right, can create long-lasting customer relationships.
But with so many options out there, how do you know what the best email marketing for Shopify is? It all comes down to understanding what are your exact needs and matching them with the right platform for you. In this article, we’ll walk you through some of the main aspects to consider.
Best email marketing platform for e-commerce: How do you choose?
Whether you’re a seasoned Shopify entrepreneur or just starting, you need email marketing to stay connected with your customers and ensure consistent sales. You’d be surprised what the right email marketing platform could do for you — from automated email campaigns to personalized communication and performance analytics — all of which could contribute to your business success.
Now, here’s what you should consider when choosing an email marketing platform for your Shopify store:
1. Define your goals
Before diving into the sea of email marketing platforms, sit down, think, and plan. What do you imagine your email marketing will look like? Maybe you’ll send just regular email campaigns, or maybe you plan to automate every aspect of your email marketing for Shopify strategy.
Mapping out your goals will help you narrow down your options and choose a platform that aligns with your business objectives.
2. Integration with Shopify
Not all email marketing platforms integrate seamlessly with Shopify, so look for ones with that integration — it’ll save you a headache.
When you integrate your Shopify store with a chosen email marketing platform, all your customer data, product information, and order details become synced. To take things further, look for platforms offering deep integration, with features like automated abandoned cart emails, product recommendation emails, and sales tracking.
3. Ease-of-use
If you’re not tech-savvy, user-friendliness should be at the top of your priorities when choosing an email marketing platform. The best ones offer drag-and-drop editors, pre-designed templates, easy-to-navigate dashboards, and even pre-built automation. This way, you will save time and reduce the learning curve, allowing you to focus on creating great email campaigns rather than figuring out how to use the software.
4. Automation capabilities
Automation is a game-changer in email marketing for Shopify — those who use it are 46% more likely to report having an effective marketing strategy.
Automated emails are triggered by a specific event in your customer’s journey. Once the rules you’ve set up match the contact, the platform automatically sends a corresponding email, making your communication that much more relevant.
Some of the most common automation are:
- Welcome series: Automatically greet new subscribers and introduce your brand
- Abandoned cart emails: Remind customers of items left in their carts
- Post-purchase follow-ups: Engage customers after they’ve made a purchase
- Win-back campaigns: Re-engage inactive subscribers
5. Segmentation and personalization
Your customers are not all the same, so why should they receive the same emails? With segmentation capabilities, you can divide your contact list into smaller groups based on various criteria, such as purchase history, browsing behavior, and demographics.
Personalization takes it a step further by tailoring content to each individual recipient. You can add the recipient’s first name or go more advanced and include product recommendations specifically for them.
With a platform that offers advanced segmentation and personalization features, you can send relevant and targeted emails that resonate with your audience.
6. Design and customization options
A visually appealing email shows your professionalism and makes it more engaging. Look for a platform that offers a wide range of customizable templates, so you’ll be prepared for any occasion quickly.
The ability to customize layouts, fonts, and images ensures that your emails are not only professional-looking but also visually aligned with your store’s branding.
7. Analytics and reporting
Sometimes, we make marketing decisions based on intuition, and that’s normal. But it’s best when you have data to support your ideas.
Opt for an email marketing platform that provides detailed analytics and reporting. Email marketers’ main metrics are open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and ROI. Also, see if the platform offers A/B testing capabilities — this eliminates the guesswork and allows you to make data-driven decisions.
8. Scalability
An email marketing platform shouldn’t hold you back once your business grows, so you must look for a scalable one. Research the subscriber and email send limits and the advanced features available once you upgrade your plan.
Scalability ensures that your email marketing platform will remain viable as your store expands, saving you the trouble of migrating to a new ESP.
9. Customer support
Good customer support can be an extension of your marketing team. Ideally, the platform should offer multiple support channels like live chat, email, and phone support. Also, review the reviews to see how other users evaluate platforms’ customer support.
Additionally, check if they have a comprehensive knowledge base, tutorials, and community forums.
10. Pricing
Finally, let’s not forget the pricing. Email marketing platforms offer various pricing models. Most common ones are monthly subscriptions, pay-as-you-go, and tiered plans based on the number of subscribers or the amount of emails you’d want to send.
Many platforms also offer free trials or plans, but they may be limited.
We recommend opening a new Excel sheet, entering all the pricing and feature information from different providers, and simply comparing. It’s important to realize that the cheapest option (just like the most expensive one) is not always the best—look for a platform that offers the features you need at a price that fits your budget.
Wrap up
Choosing the best email marketing platform for your Shopify store requires careful planning and consideration.
Start by defining your goals and ensure the platform integrates seamlessly with Shopify. Look for user-friendly options with strong automation capabilities and prioritize segmentation and personalization.
Finally, compare pricing models to find a solution that fits your budget and meets your needs. By following these steps, you’ll hopefully reap the benefits of effective email marketing quickly!
