Want to try email marketing for Shopify? Email marketing is one of the most effective marketing strategies, and we have looked at the best email marketing apps for Shopify. Read more!
Introduction
Despite the rise and dominance of social media marketing, email marketing still holds the title of the most effective strategy to nurture leads. It allows targeted messaging to your customers in real-time, and measuring its effectiveness is easy.
Most importantly, email marketing gives a higher ROI, a metric critical to marketers. According to a McKinsey & Company study, email marketing is 40x more effective than social media marketing because it results in 3x more sales.
Think of it this way, having 2,000 Facebook or Twitter followers is not the same as having 2,000 email subscribers. Emails have an average open rate of 21.73%, while Facebook and Twitter have an organic reach of about 6% and 2%, respectively.
Therefore, with 2,000 subscribers and followers, 434 people will open your email, 120 Facebook followers will see your post, and 40 followers will interact with your tweet. The response rate usually goes hand in hand with the open rate but might be lower.
Considering email marketing’s high ROI, you can effectively harness the power of the strategy for your Shopify store using the right apps. We have reviewed the 19 best email marketing apps that will boost your sales to achieve the full potential of your business. Take a look!
How Does Email Marketing Work?
Before explaining how email marketing works, we will define the strategy. Email marketing is a direct type of marketing that involves sending personalized emails to your email subscriber list.
These personalized emails inform and educate your subscribers about your products or services. You can also use the emails to persuade your subscribers to take specific actions, such as signing up for a service, purchasing items, registering for events, etc.
How Email Marketing Works
The strategy might seem complex, but it only requires two parts.
A Subscriber List
This list gives you the email addresses to send out email marketing campaigns. However, it should have the right people for the strategy to work. Therefore, you should try capturing leads that include your target audience in the email list.
An Email Service Provider
With the target audience in your list, you need an email service provider to organize the emails, segment your audience, and distribute the email campaigns to the subscribers. The provider should also:
Remember to use a business email instead of a regular one to make the marketing strategy more professional and increase deliverability.
Best Email Marketing Apps and Platforms for Shopify
There are tons of email marketing services in the market, but these are the best for your Shopify store.
1. Active Campaign
Active Campaign has several email options to use for your business. These include:
Regardless of the type, you can choose from over 250 expertly-made email templates that are both B2B and B2C friendly.
All these email templates work with HTML and are responsive to mobile screens.
Besides that, the app connects your email marketing and sales engagement strategies to deliver a connected customer experience. This link assists in determining the best time to connect personalized sales messaging with other marketing strategies to increase the ROI.
The app also gives you several tools to make your email marketing strategy successful for your eCommerce business. These include:
Another vital feature the app brings onboard is the CRM for managing customer databases and sales funnels on different channels.
Pricing
Active Campaign has four pricing tiers, and each caps the lowest subscriber number to 500.
The annual billing is cheaper than the monthly one, and the prices vary depending on the number of contacts.
2. Aweber
If you recall how email marketing works, the process requires a subscriber list first. Aweber features customizable pop-ups with sign-up forms that enable you to add visitors to your subscriber list.
In addition to the form data, the app stores the relevant customer data, such as the amount they spent and the number of orders, for better segmentation.
Once integrated into your Shopify store, Aweber can help you recover lost sales by sending automated emails to potential customers who left products in the cart.
It uses tags, as well, to identify customers who have shown interest in your products but haven’t bought yet. Also, you can email incentives to new customers (like lead magnets) after applying a new tag.
Pricing
Aweber is one of the best Shopify email marketing apps for beginners because you can get started for free, then grow into the paid package as your business grows.
The free package supports a list of 500 subscribers, one landing page and email automation, email templates, a drag-and-drop builder, etc.
But the Aweber Pro package can handle up to 25,000 subscribers and features advanced & unlimited email automation.
3. Campaign Monitor
Campaign Monitor takes email marketing to the next level by combining it with SMS. This pairing results in a stronger connection with your audience and higher conversions to maximize the ROI.
This marketing app for Shopify has another trick up its sleeve. It enables you to build hyper-targeted segments using customer data.
These smart segments can then give you highly personalized data to craft personal emails that increase conversions and build long-term relationships.
A crucial part that helps in the conversion process is including the correct links. Campaign Monitor features a link review tool that alerts you of any missing or broken links before sending out emails.
If you copy emails from previous campaigns, the tool also notifies you if links require updating.
Pricing
Unfortunately, Campaign Monitor has no free subscription. The cheapest option is the Basic plan, which goes for $9 monthly and affords you 2,500 emails per month.
However, you must contact the sales team to get the SMS feature, which is only available to contracted store owners sending SMS to the USA.
4. Constant Contact
Whether a pro or novice digital marketer, Constant Content enables you to achieve successful results in an easy-to-use platform.
But first, you need an email list, and CC has a list growth tool consisting of SMS, landing pages, and more to get more subscribers fast.
As for the marketing, Constant Contact features hundreds of branded templates that take care of the design part, enabling you to concentrate on content creation. CC designed these templates to drive sales faster and help you create deeper connections with your audience.
Besides email marketing, the app has a social media marketing feature for:
Pricing
This app has no free subscription plan, but you can get a free month to try out the features. The Core plan starts at $9.99 per month for 0-500 contacts and goes up to over $300 for over 50,000 subscribers.
The Plus plan is pricier because it starts at $45 monthly for 0-500 contacts, going to over $410 for 50,000+ subscribers. But you get automated emails, more list growth tools, auto-generated segments, and more for the extra amount.
5. ConvertKit
Launched in 2015, ConvertKit is a relatively new company. But don’t underestimate their email marketing platform because it has an extremely high delivery rate (98%) and average open rate (30%).
These figures are impressive for startups and small businesses because they help increase their ROI drastically. Considering the app has a free subscription, you can get a sweet deal before upgrading to the paid plans.
In addition to having email templates, this app features an email designer you can use to add instant images, clickable CTAs, or code using HTML. All the designs and templates are responsive to any device.
Pricing
Like Aweber, ConvertKit has a free plan that gives you room to grow if you have 1,000 subscribers or less. Although it has limited features, the subscription still affords you unlimited landing pages, audience tagging & segmentation, and community support.
However, the Creator Pro plan unlocks all features, and you can use it to market to as many subscribers as you want. But the minimum subscription for both Creator and Creator Pro is 300, and these get billed at $108 and $290 annually, respectively.
6. Drip
These include pre-built email workflows for the welcome series, birthdays, abandoned cart, win back, and post-purchase stages.
But even before getting to the workflows, Drip enables you to place pop-ups and on-brand forms to convert pass-by traffic into loyal, repeat customers.
After dynamic segmentation and personalization, the app presents a dashboard with analytics to show the actionable segment insights that push sales consistently.
With all these features, Drip does the heavy lifting in the background to enable you to send emails that stand out in a crowded inbox.
Pricing
Drip has a simple pricing mechanism that does not divide features into different tiers. You can begin with a 14-day trial period by signing up without providing credit card details. After that, pricing starts at $39 for up to 2,500 email contacts.
The cost begins to vary from the 180,000 contact mark. If your business has a longer subscriber list, you will have to talk to an expert to determine the monthly payment, which will be over $2,000.
7. GetResponse
Even though Shopify gives you a website builder for your eCommerce business, GetResponse comes with another free builder with several templates to get you started.
Either use the templates or design the website from scratch using the code-free, AI-driven tool to use this feature.
On top of that, the builder comes with a free domain. You can buy a new one, as well, via the platform with SSL certificates to complete the setup process.
Once set up, this app splits its functions into three parts: build a list, communicate, promote & sell.
Building a list involves:
With the customer info, GetResponse gives you tools for market automation, email marketing, web push notifications, and SMS marketing to communicate with the customers.
Lastly, the promote & sell aspect of the app involves using webinars, conversion funnels, pop-ups, forms, and the website builder we looked at earlier.
Pricing
This app has a lot to offer, and the best part is that it has a free plan for up to 500 contacts. The other three higher-tier packages give you more features to work with, and the best deal you can get is the 2-year subscription plan (30% off).
However, these plans have a limit of 100,000 contacts max. If your email list exceeds this value, GetResponse considers your business a medium or large company that qualifies for a Max or Max2 plan.
8. Klaviyo
Klaviyo is one of the leading Shopify email marketing apps for one reason. It is a unified customer platform that gives your eCommerce business complete ownership of the customer data and interactions.
The platform unifies all your audience data with the tech stack to give you a complete story of each one, including what makes them click, bounce, and buy.
Klaviyo also features a proven SMS and email template suite for sending automated messages about new recommendations, price drop alerts, cart reminders, etc.
The app uniquely sends these messages to make the customers feel seen, not targeted, so no more blasting or batching.
Pricing
Klaviyo has three pricing tiers. The first is a free plan with a 250 contact list limit, 500 monthly emails (two per contact), and 150 free MMS/SMS credits.
The pricing for Email and Email & SMS plans varies depending on the subscriber list, which can go up to 150,000. You have to contact Klaviyo representatives if your list has over 150,000 emails.
You can adjust the MMS/SMS credits in the highest tier, but they alter the plan’s price. Also, the SMS and MMS costs use varying credits depending on the customer’s country.
9. Mad Mimi
If you are looking for simple but stylish email designs for newsletters, Mad Mimi is the best email marketing app to consider. The platform has an exquisite, ultra-clean interface that enables you to create uncluttered emails with a creative concept that will lead to high conversions.
The app also gives you a customizable web form for signing up subscribers, and you can customize the welcome messages to make them feel at home.
Once the data comes in, Mad Mimi can add the subscribers to multiple lists and segment them for optimized targeting.
Reports & tracking are vital, and the app offers real-time tracking, giving you information like:
Additionally, it tracks the people who unsubscribe and bounced emails, then reorganizes your list appropriately.
If these features are not enough for your business, you can extend Mad Mimi using integrations, autoresponders, and additional features, such as:
Pricing
Although Mad Mimi does not have a free plan, the Basic one is affordable, costing $10 monthly for 500 contacts.
There are three other plans (Pro, Silver, and Gold), and prices generally vary depending on the number of contacts. You can also go for the customized plan if the options in the four preset ones don’t suit your email marketing objectives.
10. Mailchimp
Mailchimp was unavailable to Shopify users a few years back because of failure to agree on the terms of use. However, they solved the issue, and the app is currently compatible with Shopify.
The app features a CRM for more intelligent marketing with new subscriber welcome emails, pre-built or custom segments, rewards for repeat buyers, etc.
Mailchimp also combines marketing and sales data in one place, enabling you to identify what’s working and things that require improvement. This analysis amplifies your email marketing efforts to help you to get the most out of your marketing budget and time.
Another vital feature is the pre-built email automation, which re-engages lost customers, reminds shoppers of abandoned carts, or cross-sells products. This automation brings an average of 4x more orders than using bulk emails.
Pricing
Mailchimp has a free plan for up to 1,500 subscribers, which includes the marketing CRM. However, it has several restrictions, such as a daily email sending limit of 2,000 (10,000 monthly).
11. Mailercloud
Sometimes even the best email design tool cannot help you send the most effective email. Mailercloud has an A/B testing feature that lets you perform controlled experiments on your emails to determine what works best for your brand and audience.
The A/B campaign testing reports show the number of opens, hard bounces, spam complaints, clicks, unsubscribes, conversions, and abuses. This comprehensive data enables you to tweak the results until you get a winning email.
On top of that, the app has autoresponders to ensure high open rates and email automation for precise targeting.
Lastly, Mailercloud has three features that keep your emails out of the spam box to maximize the open rates. These include:
Pricing
You can try some of the features above for free because Mailercloud has a free plan with a limit of 1,000 contacts. You don’t need to provide credit card details for this option.
The premium plan can handle up to 600,000 subscribers. If you have more numbers in your email list, reach out to their sales team to get a custom plan.
12. MailerLite
Like Mailercloud, MailerLite has an A/B testing tool for tracking campaign performance and how your marketing evolves. Subscriber and automation reports are part of the feedback you receive from the A/B testing process.
Additionally, you can connect to payment methods like stripe to enable you to sell digital products on your websites and landing pages. This connection lets you track email campaigns more effectively by finding the best conversion metric on the MailerLite dashboard.
Besides that, the app features a drag-n-drop editor for crafting the emails in the shortest time possible. Newsletter templates and a free image library further simplify the email creation process.
If you want further customization, the app features rich text and custom HTML editors to get the job done.
Pricing
Billing begins from 1,000 subscribers, and there is a free plan option at this level. Growing Business and Advanced Plans are suitable for 1,001 to 500,000 subscribers. You can also check out the Enterprise option to get a customized plan.
A tip that can save you money is making annual payments because it gives you 15% off.
13. Moosend
Moosend is a powerful email marketing platform with top features like a drag-n-drop email editor, A/B testing, list segmentation, and data analytics.
Segmentation groups user data into different categories, such as the:
This high level of segmentation gives countless combinations that enable you to craft highly personalized emails.
After establishing communication with your subscriber list, the A/B testing feature measures engagement from the subject lines to videos. The goal is to test it till you make it.
Design is also vital when crafting emails. Moosend features over 40 responsive templates that set up backgrounds for sending beautifully branded newsletters with dynamic elements designed to increase conversions.
Pricing
Instead of giving you a free plan with limited features, Moosend has a free 30-day trial period that unlocks all the features. It does not require credit card details, so you can cancel after trying the app for a month.
With the Pro and Enterprise plans, you can buy additional email credits to meet your business requirements.
14. Omnisend
This all-in-one eCommerce marketing app provides seamless one-click integration with Shopify. Omnisend also offers seamless data migration into the platform and several email templates/workflows to get you started as quickly as possible.
The platform expands your newsletter’s capacity to boost sales by adding SMS campaigns. These two are powerful alone but unbeatable together because they deliver an impressive conversion rate of 47.7%.
Another feature that makes Omnisend rank among the best Shopify email marketing apps is its segmentation. User data and interests change dynamically, and this platform’s built-in segments update in real-time.
This up-to-date information makes it easy to send the correct information to the right person at the right time.
Pricing
For up to 250 contacts, you can get an Omnisend account for free.
Although free subscriptions have limited options, Omnisend is generous enough to give you 60 SMS, 500 web push max, and A/B testing. Extra SMS and MMS cost a little bit more and vary depending on the country.
15. Privy
Privy features several innovative tools to grow your SMS and email list. These include a welcome discount play, fly-outs, spin-to-wins, and exit intent campaigns.
After acquiring new subscribers, Privy gives you the tools to send welcome emails, broadcast texts, or newsletters. These help to maintain communication, which is key to retaining customers.
The app also features cart saver campaigns to trigger gentle reminders before customers ditch their carts. Additionally, it includes abandoned cart text and email features that help recover up to 20% of abandoned carts.
And it doesn’t stop there. Privy can place cross-sell campaigns and a free shipping bar (if you offer free shipping) on the emails. Customer win-back and purchase follow-up emails round up the app’s tools that attempt to increase sales at every stage of the customer’s journey.
Pricing
Privy’s pricing starts at $0 but for a limited 100 mailable contacts.
However, the Free and Starter plans do not include SMS. You can add text to your account for as low as $10 for 100 contacts.
Want to grow your subscriber list only? Privy has a package for that as well.
16. Seguno
If you are conversant with graphics design, you must have heard of the free design software called Canva. Seguno integrates with Canva to let you design emails professionally inside the app.
The software might be complex for some people, so Seguno included a short email-building tutorial on their website to help you get started. On top of that, the app gives you over 150 templates if you don’t want to design from scratch.
Seguno integrates with several other platforms like Instagram, Facebook, pop-ups, and banners to give a complete solution for your marketing needs.
If you are a beginner, the platform offers free guidance on email marketing via webinars and training videos on their YouTube channel. These include email design and subscriber list growth guides.
Pricing
Seguno is free for up to 250 subscribers, giving you unlimited emails, automation, and newsletters.
But you can only unlock the premium features in the paid version. This plan comes with a 10-day free trial period to give you a taste of the full capabilities of Seguno.
17. Sendinblue
Sendinblue is an all-in-one email marketing tool that lets you be everywhere your customers are, turn visitors into customers, and give life to your customer’s journey.
On the first point, the app has an email marketing tool for designing your emails, personalizing the message, and picking recipients intelligently after segmentation.
Also, it has an SMS marketing feature for connecting more directly with customers when informing them about time-sensitive offers or urgent messages. Live chat & inbox features complete this section to enable constant communication.
Lastly, the app gives life to your customer’s journey by building stronger relationships using email automation, a CRM, segmentation, and transactional emails.
Pricing
Like Seguno, Sendinblue has a free plan, albeit with limited features. It might work well for beginners, but if you have an established eCommerce business, the Premium plan is better.
You can get more flexible pay-as-yo-go options for email and SMS. Pre-paid email credit costs vary depending on the number of emails.
18. SendX
High open rates are vital to the success of email marketing, and SendX tries to maximize this value using several strategies. These include a 1-click resend to subscribers with unopened emails and sending emails to match the recipients’ time zones.
Additionally, the platform uses SPF & DKIM digital signatures to increase email deliverability, plus a mail tester, postmark spam check, and litmus spam filter test to avoid emails going to the spam.
After sending the marketing emails, SendX gives you a powerful analytics panel for A/B testing, tracks link clicks (total open, click through, etc.), and shows heatmaps.
Pricing
SendX does not have a free plan. However, it has a 14-day free trial period, and you can sign up without providing credit card details to try the service.
Also, the app has a 60-day money-back guarantee, which assures you of ROI in only two months.
19. Rush
Rush is primarily a shipment tracking app that enhances a customer’s post-purchase experience to boost retention rates and increase sales.
The app tracks and sends shipping notifications via email or SMS to eliminate WISMO queries but adds another functionality.
It shows promotional and complimentary products on order tracking emails based on their shipping status to upsell and cross-sell. This addition multiplies the ROI per email sent to 10X, effectively making Rush an email marketing app.
What’s more, Rush integrates with Omnisend and Klaviyo to further boost its email marketing performance.
Pricing
This app has four pricing tiers with no free option, but each has a free 30-day trial period.
However, the Basic plan does not offer Omnisend and Klaviyo integration. There is a fifth plan named Enterprise that gives more custom features.
FAQs
If we missed something, here are answers to some commonly asked questions.
Is Shopify Email Marketing Free?
Shopify email marketing costs $0 in some apps but with limits on the number of people on your subscriber list and the sendable emails per month.
Even Shopify launched their email marketing app called Shopify Email, but it has limits on the free plan.
Is Mailchimp Compatible With Shopify?
Yes. However, the two companies had a dispute in 2019 involving poor merchant experience and failure to respect their partner program agreement. This dispute resulted in the removal of Mailchimp from the Shopify app store.
However, the two solved the issue, re-launched their partnership, and placed Mailchimp back in the app store.
Wrap Up
In summary, there is a wide variety of email marketing apps for Shopify. While most have similar features, each has some uniqueness that suits the needs of particular eCommerce businesses.
Therefore, you should take some time to compare all the above options to pick the most suitable email marketing platform for your business.
That’s it for this article. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, leave a message, and we’ll be in touch asap.
