Email marketing is the highest-ROI channel available to Shopify store owners — returning an average of $36 for every $1 spent. Whether you use Shopify Email, Klaviyo, or Omnisend, setting up email marketing correctly from the start means you are capturing sales from every customer touchpoint automatically. This guide covers how to set up Shopify email marketing step by step, which tools to use, and the key automations every store should run.
What Is Shopify Email Marketing?
Shopify email marketing refers to sending automated and broadcast emails to your customers and subscribers directly connected to your Shopify store data. Unlike a generic email tool, Shopify-integrated email platforms can trigger emails based on store events — a purchase, an abandoned cart, a browse session that ended without buying, or a product back in stock.
Best Email Marketing Apps for Shopify
1. Shopify Email (Built-In)
Shopify Email is included with every Shopify plan. You can send up to 10,000 emails per month free, and beyond that it costs $1 per 1,000 emails sent. It pulls your store’s logo, colors, and product images automatically, so branded emails take minutes to build. Shopify Email supports basic automations — welcome series, abandoned cart, and order follow-up. For stores under $500,000 in annual revenue, Shopify Email covers most needs at low or zero cost.
2. Klaviyo
Klaviyo is the most powerful email platform built specifically for ecommerce. It syncs all Shopify customer and order data in real time, allowing you to segment by purchase history, product viewed, cart value, location, and dozens of other filters. Klaviyo’s flows (automations) are the most flexible in the industry — you can build complex if/then logic so customers only receive emails that are relevant to exactly where they are in their journey.
Klaviyo is free up to 250 contacts and 500 email sends. Paid plans start at $20/month. Most serious Shopify stores move to Klaviyo once their list exceeds 1,000 subscribers because of how much revenue the segmentation and flows generate compared to simpler tools.
3. Omnisend
Omnisend combines email, SMS, and push notifications in one platform. It is a strong choice for stores that want to run multi-channel automations — for example, sending an abandoned cart email first, then an SMS reminder two hours later if the email was not opened. Omnisend’s free plan allows 500 emails per month and includes pre-built automation templates for Shopify.
4. Mailchimp for Shopify
Mailchimp is familiar to most store owners and now has a direct Shopify integration that syncs contacts and orders. It is a good starting point for stores that already have a Mailchimp account, but its ecommerce features are not as deep as Klaviyo. Mailchimp works well for stores that send regular newsletters and simple automations.
5. Privy
Privy combines email marketing with pop-up forms — so your email capture and your email sending happen in one tool. It is particularly popular among stores in their first year because the pop-up builder and the email automations are simple to set up together. Privy’s free plan includes unlimited pop-ups and basic email automations.
How to Set Up Shopify Email Marketing: Step by Step
Step 1: Choose Your Email Tool
For stores just launching: start with Shopify Email — it is free, built-in, and needs no integration work. For stores with more than 500 subscribers or more than $10,000 in monthly revenue: move to Klaviyo. The segmentation and automation depth pays for itself quickly.
Step 2: Build Your Subscriber List
You need subscribers before you can send emails. The fastest ways to grow your list on Shopify:
- Pop-up with offer — “Get 10% off your first order” converts at 3 to 8% of visitors when timed correctly (show after 8 seconds or on exit intent)
- Checkout opt-in — Shopify has a built-in email consent checkbox at checkout; enable it in Settings > Checkout
- Footer sign-up form — Passive but captures intent-driven subscribers
- Post-purchase prompt — Ask buyers who are not yet subscribed to join after they complete their order
Step 3: Set Up Your Welcome Flow
A welcome flow is the most important automation you will build. It goes to every new subscriber and sets the tone for your brand. A solid three-email welcome flow looks like this:
- Email 1 (immediately) — Deliver the welcome discount if you offered one. Introduce your brand story in 2 to 3 sentences. Show your bestselling products.
- Email 2 (day 3) — Share social proof: reviews, user photos, or a customer story. Link to your most popular product category.
- Email 3 (day 7) — Address the most common objection in your niche (sizing, ingredients, shipping time). Create urgency around the welcome discount expiry if applicable.
Step 4: Set Up Abandoned Cart Flow
Abandoned cart emails recover 5 to 15% of carts that would otherwise be lost. Set up a three-email sequence:
- Email 1 (1 hour after abandonment) — Simple reminder with product image and cart link. No discount yet.
- Email 2 (24 hours) — Add social proof about the specific product left behind. Still no discount.
- Email 3 (72 hours) — Offer a small discount (5 to 10%) to convert fence-sitters. Include urgency — “Your cart expires soon.”
Shopify Email handles a basic one-email version. For the full three-email sequence, use Klaviyo or Omnisend. See our related guide on how to reduce cart abandonment on Shopify for additional recovery strategies.
Step 5: Set Up Post-Purchase Flow
Your post-purchase flow runs after a customer places an order. This is the most-opened email sequence you will send — customers are actively engaged after buying. Use it to:
- Thank the customer and set expectations for delivery
- Invite them to join your loyalty program (see our guide on how to add a loyalty program to Shopify)
- Ask for a product review 5 to 7 days after expected delivery
- Recommend related products (cross-sell) 10 to 14 days post-purchase
Step 6: Send Regular Campaigns
Automations run in the background, but campaigns are broadcast emails you send to your list on a schedule. A reliable email calendar for a Shopify store:
- 1 to 2 emails per week during active periods (new product launch, sale, seasonal)
- 1 email every 2 weeks during quiet periods
- Segment your list — your best customers should get exclusive early access; new subscribers should get educational content
Shopify Email Marketing Best Practices
- Use a branded sender domain — Emails from yourbrand.com perform better than gmail.com or shopifyemail addresses
- Keep subject lines under 50 characters — They display fully on mobile without being cut off
- Send at optimal times — Tuesday through Thursday, 10am to 12pm in your customer’s timezone, consistently outperform other times
- Clean your list every 90 days — Remove subscribers who have not opened any email in 6 months to protect your sender reputation
- A/B test subject lines — Most platforms let you test two subject lines on 20% of your list before sending the winner to the rest
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Shopify Email free?
Yes. Shopify Email is included with all Shopify plans and is free for up to 10,000 emails per month. Beyond 10,000 sends, the cost is $1 per 1,000 emails, which is very affordable compared to third-party platforms.
What is the best email app for Shopify?
Klaviyo is the most powerful for ecommerce segmentation and automation. Shopify Email is the easiest to start with. Omnisend is best for stores that want email and SMS combined. The right choice depends on your list size, budget, and how complex your automation needs are.
How do I get more email subscribers on Shopify?
The fastest method is a pop-up with a welcome discount (10% off) triggered after 8 to 10 seconds on your homepage. Also enable the email consent checkbox in Shopify checkout settings. These two alone can grow your list by 200 to 400 subscribers per month on a store doing moderate traffic.
How often should I email my Shopify customers?
One to two times per week is the standard for active ecommerce stores. Sending less than once a week means your brand stays top-of-mind less often. Sending more than three times per week increases unsubscribes unless you are running a time-limited sale. Automations like welcome and abandoned cart flows do not count toward this limit since they are triggered by behavior, not your schedule.
Can Klaviyo replace Shopify Email?
Yes. Most stores that move to Klaviyo disable Shopify Email entirely since Klaviyo handles all the same functions with more power. The two platforms can technically run side by side, but running both creates duplicate automations and confused sending logic — choose one and use it fully.
Final Thoughts
Email marketing is not optional for a Shopify store — it is the channel that keeps your revenue stable when ad costs spike and social algorithms change. Start with Shopify Email and the four core automations: welcome, abandoned cart, post-purchase, and win-back. Once your list hits 1,000 subscribers, move to Klaviyo and unlock segmentation that makes every email more relevant and more profitable.
