Email marketing is the highest-ROI channel available to Shopify merchants, and the data makes the case clearly. Email marketing delivers the highest ROI for Shopify stores at 42:1, meaning every $1 invested returns $42 in revenue. Yet most store owners either skip it entirely, rely on sporadic blasts with no strategy, or leave their automation flows half-built. This guide covers exactly how to do email marketing on Shopify, from choosing the right tool to building automations that generate revenue around the clock.
Key Takeaways
87% of marketing leaders say email marketing is critical to the success of their company, making it the foundation of any serious Shopify growth strategy.
Every month, you can send up to 10,000 emails for free using Shopify's built-in tool, and after that, the cost is just $1 per 1,000 additional emails.
In 2024, automated emails accounted for 37% of all email-generated sales despite comprising only 2% of email volume. Automation, not volume, drives the results.
The average cart abandonment rate for Shopify stores is just above 70%, making abandoned cart emails one of the most profitable automations you can set up.
Segmentation and personalization compound your results significantly. Campaigns that use audience segmentation see an average revenue increase of 760%.
Your Two Options: Shopify's Native Tool vs. Third-Party Apps
Before building your first campaign, you need to pick a platform. Shopify gives you a built-in option, and the app store offers more powerful alternatives.
Shopify Messaging (Built-In)
Shopify Messaging, formerly known as Shopify Email, helps you grow your business, drive sales, and stay connected with customers. You can create and send email and SMS marketing campaigns directly from your Shopify admin to share new products, promotions, and updates with subscribers.
Your logo, products, and store colors are automatically applied to email templates. You can start from existing templates, add dynamic product sections to display best sellers and recently added products, and use Shopify's AI tool Sidekick to generate on-brand copy.
Shopify Email is affordable, easy to use, and great for sending regular campaigns without high costs. It is the right starting point for most new or early-stage stores.
Email marketing is the highest-ROI channel available to Shopify merchants, and the data makes the case clearly. Email marketing delivers the highest ROI for Shopify stores at 42:1, meaning every $1 invested returns $42 in revenue. Yet most store owners either skip it entirely, rely on sporadic blasts with no strategy, or leave their automation flows half-built. This guide covers exactly how to do email marketing on Shopify, from choosing the right tool to building automations that generate revenue around the clock.
Key Takeaways
87% of marketing leaders say email marketing is critical to the success of their company, making it the foundation of any serious Shopify growth strategy.
Every month, you can send up to 10,000 emails for free using Shopify's built-in tool, and after that, the cost is just $1 per 1,000 additional emails.
In 2024, automated emails accounted for 37% of all email-generated sales despite comprising only 2% of email volume. Automation, not volume, drives the results.
The average cart abandonment rate for Shopify stores is just above 70%, making abandoned cart emails one of the most profitable automations you can set up.
Segmentation and personalization compound your results significantly. Campaigns that use audience segmentation see an average revenue increase of 760%.
Your Two Options: Shopify's Native Tool vs. Third-Party Apps
Before building your first campaign, you need to pick a platform. Shopify gives you a built-in option, and the app store offers more powerful alternatives.
Shopify Messaging (Built-In)
Shopify Messaging, formerly known as Shopify Email, helps you grow your business, drive sales, and stay connected with customers. You can create and send email and SMS marketing campaigns directly from your Shopify admin to share new products, promotions, and updates with subscribers.
Your logo, products, and store colors are automatically applied to email templates. You can start from existing templates, add dynamic product sections to display best sellers and recently added products, and use Shopify's AI tool Sidekick to generate on-brand copy.
Shopify Email is affordable, easy to use, and great for sending regular campaigns without high costs. It is the right starting point for most new or early-stage stores.
Third-Party Apps: Klaviyo and Omnisend
For stores that are scaling and need deeper segmentation, predictive analytics, or multi-channel flows, third-party tools become worth the investment.
Klaviyo is the most widely used email marketing app for serious Shopify stores. It unifies data from 350+ integrations and over 117,000 brands use Klaviyo and Shopify together to grow faster with personalized emails, SMS, WhatsApp messages, and AI-powered customer service tools. Klaviyo's Shopify integration is particularly well-developed. Shopify holds an 11% ownership stake in the company and recommends it as the email marketing platform for Shopify Plus merchants.
Omnisend is a strong alternative, especially for stores that want email and SMS in one platform without a steep learning curve. Omnisend works for ecommerce stores of all sizes that want email and SMS marketing without the learning curve. Set up campaigns quickly, pay less monthly, and still reach customers via email and text.
The decision is straightforward: Shopify Email is affordable and easy to use for sending regular campaigns. Klaviyo is more expensive but offers advanced tools like deep segmentation, automation, and detailed analytics. If you want enterprise-level personalization and can afford it, Klaviyo is the stronger choice.
Step 1: Build Your Email List
No platform matters without subscribers. Your list is the asset.
The most effective list-building tactics for Shopify stores include:
Pop-ups with a lead magnet: Most people will expect something in return for providing their email address. There should always be some kind of offer for signing up for your email list. A 10% discount, free shipping on the first order, or early access to new drops all work well.
Checkout opt-in: Make the email signup checkbox visible during checkout. Shopify includes this by default.
Embedded forms: Place signup forms on your homepage, footer, and product pages.
Double opt-in: Use double opt-in to filter out fake emails and protect your deliverability.
22 to 30% of email lists churn annually through unsubscribes and bounces, which means you need to capture 2 to 3% new subscribers per month just to maintain net list growth. Treat list building as an ongoing activity, not a one-time setup.
Step 2: Create Your First Campaign in Shopify Messaging
Here is how to create a campaign using Shopify's built-in tool:
Third-Party Apps: Klaviyo and Omnisend
For stores that are scaling and need deeper segmentation, predictive analytics, or multi-channel flows, third-party tools become worth the investment.
Klaviyo is the most widely used email marketing app for serious Shopify stores. It unifies data from 350+ integrations and over 117,000 brands use Klaviyo and Shopify together to grow faster with personalized emails, SMS, WhatsApp messages, and AI-powered customer service tools. Klaviyo's Shopify integration is particularly well-developed. Shopify holds an 11% ownership stake in the company and recommends it as the email marketing platform for Shopify Plus merchants.
Omnisend is a strong alternative, especially for stores that want email and SMS in one platform without a steep learning curve. Omnisend works for ecommerce stores of all sizes that want email and SMS marketing without the learning curve. Set up campaigns quickly, pay less monthly, and still reach customers via email and text.
The decision is straightforward: Shopify Email is affordable and easy to use for sending regular campaigns. Klaviyo is more expensive but offers advanced tools like deep segmentation, automation, and detailed analytics. If you want enterprise-level personalization and can afford it, Klaviyo is the stronger choice.
Step 1: Build Your Email List
No platform matters without subscribers. Your list is the asset.
The most effective list-building tactics for Shopify stores include:
Pop-ups with a lead magnet: Most people will expect something in return for providing their email address. There should always be some kind of offer for signing up for your email list. A 10% discount, free shipping on the first order, or early access to new drops all work well.
Checkout opt-in: Make the email signup checkbox visible during checkout. Shopify includes this by default.
Embedded forms: Place signup forms on your homepage, footer, and product pages.
Double opt-in: Use double opt-in to filter out fake emails and protect your deliverability.
22 to 30% of email lists churn annually through unsubscribes and bounces, which means you need to capture 2 to 3% new subscribers per month just to maintain net list growth. Treat list building as an ongoing activity, not a one-time setup.
Step 2: Create Your First Campaign in Shopify Messaging
Here is how to create a campaign using Shopify's built-in tool:
From your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Messaging.
Click Create campaign.
Select from a variety of branded templates. Some templates automatically include assets from your store, such as your logo, products, and colors.
Add your subject line. When you set up an email marketing campaign, you need to add a subject line. You can include international characters and emojis in subject lines.
Send your email marketing campaign to all of your email subscribers or to specific customer segments.
When you choose to send or schedule your email, a suggested future time displays with a Suggested badge beside it. The suggested time is based on Shopify's data and optimized for the best click-through rate.
Send a test email first to review how it appears in the inbox before sending to your full list.
For subject line guidance, our post on email subject line best practices that boost open rates by 27% covers the exact patterns that drive clicks.
Step 3: Set Up Your Core Automation Flows
Automations are where Shopify email marketing generates the most revenue per send. Automated email flows are the engine of email ROI. They run 24/7 without manual effort and consistently outperform campaign broadcasts. Automated email revenue accounts for 29 to 38% of total email revenue from just 2 to 5% of sends.
These are the four flows every Shopify store should have active:
Welcome Series
Welcome series emails generate the highest revenue per recipient at $2.65 per email sent. Send the first email immediately after signup. The second email (sent 1 to 2 days later) should introduce your best sellers. The third should build brand story or social proof.
Back-in-stock and welcome emails convert the most subscribers, at 5.84% and 2.84%, respectively.
For a proven welcome sequence structure, see welcome email sequence best practices: 7 proven strategies.
Abandoned Cart Recovery
The average cart abandonment rate for Shopify stores is just above 70%. In practical terms, roughly seven out of ten Shopify shoppers add items to their cart but leave before paying.
Abandoned cart emails are your fastest path to recovered revenue. This type of email marketing campaign has an open rate of more than 40%, a stark improvement over the benchmark of 21% for general retail emails. One in two cart abandonment email recipients will click it, and half will purchase something as a result.
An ideal Shopify abandoned cart email campaign should have 3 to 5 email reminders that can help recover at least 10 to 20% of lost sales. Send the first email within one hour of abandonment, the second at 24 hours, and the third at 48 to 72 hours.
Post-Purchase Flow
Only 34% of Shopify stores have post-purchase upsell flows active, which represents a significant missed opportunity. A post-purchase sequence should include: an order confirmation with social proof, a product usage or education email 3 to 5 days later, and a cross-sell or replenishment email 2 to 3 weeks after delivery.
Win-Back Flow
From your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Messaging.
Click Create campaign.
Select from a variety of branded templates. Some templates automatically include assets from your store, such as your logo, products, and colors.
Add your subject line. When you set up an email marketing campaign, you need to add a subject line. You can include international characters and emojis in subject lines.
Send your email marketing campaign to all of your email subscribers or to specific customer segments.
When you choose to send or schedule your email, a suggested future time displays with a Suggested badge beside it. The suggested time is based on Shopify's data and optimized for the best click-through rate.
Send a test email first to review how it appears in the inbox before sending to your full list.
For subject line guidance, our post on email subject line best practices that boost open rates by 27% covers the exact patterns that drive clicks.
Step 3: Set Up Your Core Automation Flows
Automations are where Shopify email marketing generates the most revenue per send. Automated email flows are the engine of email ROI. They run 24/7 without manual effort and consistently outperform campaign broadcasts. Automated email revenue accounts for 29 to 38% of total email revenue from just 2 to 5% of sends.
These are the four flows every Shopify store should have active:
Welcome Series
Welcome series emails generate the highest revenue per recipient at $2.65 per email sent. Send the first email immediately after signup. The second email (sent 1 to 2 days later) should introduce your best sellers. The third should build brand story or social proof.
Back-in-stock and welcome emails convert the most subscribers, at 5.84% and 2.84%, respectively.
For a proven welcome sequence structure, see welcome email sequence best practices: 7 proven strategies.
Abandoned Cart Recovery
The average cart abandonment rate for Shopify stores is just above 70%. In practical terms, roughly seven out of ten Shopify shoppers add items to their cart but leave before paying.
Abandoned cart emails are your fastest path to recovered revenue. This type of email marketing campaign has an open rate of more than 40%, a stark improvement over the benchmark of 21% for general retail emails. One in two cart abandonment email recipients will click it, and half will purchase something as a result.
An ideal Shopify abandoned cart email campaign should have 3 to 5 email reminders that can help recover at least 10 to 20% of lost sales. Send the first email within one hour of abandonment, the second at 24 hours, and the third at 48 to 72 hours.
Post-Purchase Flow
Only 34% of Shopify stores have post-purchase upsell flows active, which represents a significant missed opportunity. A post-purchase sequence should include: an order confirmation with social proof, a product usage or education email 3 to 5 days later, and a cross-sell or replenishment email 2 to 3 weeks after delivery.
Win-Back Flow
Win-back flows reactivate 3 to 8% of churned customers. Target customers who have not purchased in 90 to 180 days with a compelling offer. If they do not engage after 2 to 3 attempts, suppress them from your active list to protect deliverability.
Step 4: Segment Your List
Sending the same email to your entire list is the single most common mistake Shopify merchants make. Segmentation directly determines how much revenue your emails generate.
Campaigns that use audience segmentation see an average revenue increase of 760%.
With Shopify email segmentation, you can target specific customer groups based on their behavior, purchase history, or location.
Useful segments to build immediately:
First-time buyers (encourage a second purchase)
VIP customers (top 20% by spend, reward with exclusives)
Lapsed customers (no purchase in 90+ days)
Browse abandoners (viewed products but did not add to cart)
Product category buyers (purchased in a specific category)
You can create customer segments to target a specific audience of your customers based on language as well, which is useful for international stores.
A well-designed email that lands in spam is worth nothing. Deliverability determines whether your campaigns reach the inbox.
Key deliverability practices for Shopify stores:
Authenticate your domain. Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records through your DNS provider. This confirms to inbox providers that you are a legitimate sender.
Avoid spam trigger words. Phrases like "FREE!!!" or "URGENT" increase spam filter catches. Avoid spammy phrases and keep your image-to-text ratio balanced, as too many images can trigger spam filters.
Clean your list regularly. Remove unengaged subscribers to improve deliverability. Most email platforms let you suppress contacts who have not opened in 90 to 180 days.
Maintain a consistent sending volume. Sudden spikes in send volume (like sending to a cold list after months of silence) trigger spam filters.
Monitor your bounce rate. The average ecommerce unsubscribe rate is 0.19%, so aim for less than that to stay ahead of competitors.
Step 6: Track the Right Metrics
Win-back flows reactivate 3 to 8% of churned customers. Target customers who have not purchased in 90 to 180 days with a compelling offer. If they do not engage after 2 to 3 attempts, suppress them from your active list to protect deliverability.
Step 4: Segment Your List
Sending the same email to your entire list is the single most common mistake Shopify merchants make. Segmentation directly determines how much revenue your emails generate.
Campaigns that use audience segmentation see an average revenue increase of 760%.
With Shopify email segmentation, you can target specific customer groups based on their behavior, purchase history, or location.
Useful segments to build immediately:
First-time buyers (encourage a second purchase)
VIP customers (top 20% by spend, reward with exclusives)
Lapsed customers (no purchase in 90+ days)
Browse abandoners (viewed products but did not add to cart)
Product category buyers (purchased in a specific category)
You can create customer segments to target a specific audience of your customers based on language as well, which is useful for international stores.
A well-designed email that lands in spam is worth nothing. Deliverability determines whether your campaigns reach the inbox.
Key deliverability practices for Shopify stores:
Authenticate your domain. Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records through your DNS provider. This confirms to inbox providers that you are a legitimate sender.
Avoid spam trigger words. Phrases like "FREE!!!" or "URGENT" increase spam filter catches. Avoid spammy phrases and keep your image-to-text ratio balanced, as too many images can trigger spam filters.
Clean your list regularly. Remove unengaged subscribers to improve deliverability. Most email platforms let you suppress contacts who have not opened in 90 to 180 days.
Maintain a consistent sending volume. Sudden spikes in send volume (like sending to a cold list after months of silence) trigger spam filters.
Monitor your bounce rate. The average ecommerce unsubscribe rate is 0.19%, so aim for less than that to stay ahead of competitors.
Step 6: Track the Right Metrics
Measuring email marketing campaigns is an important part of any brand's marketing strategy. Email marketing metrics tell you which subject lines perform best, who is clicking on what, and whether your emails are being read by their intended recipients.
The metrics that matter most for Shopify email marketing:
Metric
What to Watch
Open rate
Ecommerce average is around 30.7% (note Apple MPP inflation)
Click-through rate
In 2024, the average marketing email click-through rate was 2.62%
Conversion rate
Automated messages have conversion rates of around 1% to 6%
Revenue per email
Benchmark against your automation type
Unsubscribe rate
Keep below 0.19%
Shopify combines your store analytics with email metrics, providing an ecommerce-focused dashboard with real-time data. Use this to track total orders and revenue attributed directly to each campaign or automation.
Sending to your full list every time. Use segments. Relevance drives clicks.
Neglecting mobile design. Ensure your email marketing service offers responsive templates. Mobile-friendly practices include writing short email subject lines of nine words or less and using limited, appropriately-sized images.
Over-sending. Sending too many emails in a short span can annoy your subscribers and lead to higher unsubscribe rates. Over-communication makes your emails feel spammy and can damage your brand's reputation.
Ignoring automation in favor of broadcast campaigns. 2% of total email volume accounted for 30% of all email-driven sales in 2025, and that 2% was email automations.
Not testing subject lines. A/B testing subject lines is one of the fastest ways to lift open rates without changing anything else.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does email marketing cost on Shopify?
Measuring email marketing campaigns is an important part of any brand's marketing strategy. Email marketing metrics tell you which subject lines perform best, who is clicking on what, and whether your emails are being read by their intended recipients.
The metrics that matter most for Shopify email marketing:
Metric
What to Watch
Open rate
Ecommerce average is around 30.7% (note Apple MPP inflation)
Click-through rate
In 2024, the average marketing email click-through rate was 2.62%
Conversion rate
Automated messages have conversion rates of around 1% to 6%
Revenue per email
Benchmark against your automation type
Unsubscribe rate
Keep below 0.19%
Shopify combines your store analytics with email metrics, providing an ecommerce-focused dashboard with real-time data. Use this to track total orders and revenue attributed directly to each campaign or automation.
Sending to your full list every time. Use segments. Relevance drives clicks.
Neglecting mobile design. Ensure your email marketing service offers responsive templates. Mobile-friendly practices include writing short email subject lines of nine words or less and using limited, appropriately-sized images.
Over-sending. Sending too many emails in a short span can annoy your subscribers and lead to higher unsubscribe rates. Over-communication makes your emails feel spammy and can damage your brand's reputation.
Ignoring automation in favor of broadcast campaigns. 2% of total email volume accounted for 30% of all email-driven sales in 2025, and that 2% was email automations.
Not testing subject lines. A/B testing subject lines is one of the fastest ways to lift open rates without changing anything else.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does email marketing cost on Shopify?
Every month, you can send up to 10,000 manual or automated emails for free. After that, the cost is $1 per 1,000 additional emails, or $0.001 per email. All merchants with Basic, Grow, Advanced, and Shopify Plus plans can use Shopify Messaging. Third-party tools like Klaviyo and Omnisend have their own pricing based on contact list size.
Can I do email marketing on Shopify without a third-party app?
Yes. Shopify Messaging can help you grow your business, drive sales, and stay connected with customers. You can create and send email and SMS marketing campaigns directly from your Shopify admin, and also create email marketing automations. For most stores with under 10,000 contacts and straightforward automation needs, the native tool is sufficient.
What types of emails should I send as a Shopify store?
The highest-priority emails are welcome sequences, abandoned cart recovery, post-purchase follow-ups, and win-back campaigns. Beyond those core automations, promotional campaigns (product launches, seasonal sales, and subscriber-exclusive offers) should complement your automated flows. The most popular objectives for email marketing strategies are product awareness and product promotions, with 16% of email marketing professionals naming each one as their top priority.
How do I improve my email open rates on Shopify?
Three factors have the biggest impact: subject line quality, sender name recognition, and send timing. Email campaigns see the highest open rates shortly after marketers send them, with 21.2% of all email opens happening within the first hour. Segment your list so emails are relevant to each recipient, use a recognizable sender name (your brand name, not "noreply"), and test send times based on your audience's behavior. Shopify Messaging's suggested send time feature uses platform data to recommend the time most likely to drive clicks.
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Every month, you can send up to 10,000 manual or automated emails for free. After that, the cost is $1 per 1,000 additional emails, or $0.001 per email. All merchants with Basic, Grow, Advanced, and Shopify Plus plans can use Shopify Messaging. Third-party tools like Klaviyo and Omnisend have their own pricing based on contact list size.
Can I do email marketing on Shopify without a third-party app?
Yes. Shopify Messaging can help you grow your business, drive sales, and stay connected with customers. You can create and send email and SMS marketing campaigns directly from your Shopify admin, and also create email marketing automations. For most stores with under 10,000 contacts and straightforward automation needs, the native tool is sufficient.
What types of emails should I send as a Shopify store?
The highest-priority emails are welcome sequences, abandoned cart recovery, post-purchase follow-ups, and win-back campaigns. Beyond those core automations, promotional campaigns (product launches, seasonal sales, and subscriber-exclusive offers) should complement your automated flows. The most popular objectives for email marketing strategies are product awareness and product promotions, with 16% of email marketing professionals naming each one as their top priority.
How do I improve my email open rates on Shopify?
Three factors have the biggest impact: subject line quality, sender name recognition, and send timing. Email campaigns see the highest open rates shortly after marketers send them, with 21.2% of all email opens happening within the first hour. Segment your list so emails are relevant to each recipient, use a recognizable sender name (your brand name, not "noreply"), and test send times based on your audience's behavior. Shopify Messaging's suggested send time feature uses platform data to recommend the time most likely to drive clicks.
