Unbiased Shopify Email review 2024: Features, pricing, & more

It’s a myth that effective email marketing has to be expensive. Many email marketing solutions offer great value, with Shopify Email being a prime example.

Shopify Email offers direct campaign management from the Shopify admin interface, eliminating the need to juggle multiple tools.

Although the platform might lack the intricacy of certain advanced email automation functions, it certainly provides cost-effective convenience.

It has customizable templates, segmentation, and personalization for tailored communication. There are also automated workflows to handle tasks like cart recovery and analytics that provide insights for optimization.

With a 3.8/5 rating on the Shopify App Store, Shopify Email has received positive and negative user feedback. Whether the tool suits your needs will hinge on your specific requirements.

This Shopify Email review will help you make an informed decision.

Let’s get started.

Is the tool right for me?

Shopify Email is an ideal solution for many users in the ecommerce landscape, designed to simplify email marketing for Shopify merchants. However, it may not be the best choice for those seeking advanced email automation features. 

Let’s explore which businesses can benefit most from this tool and who might prefer exploring alternatives.

In the next section, we’ll discuss the platform’s essiantial features and their potential to enhance online store sales.

Shopify Email screenshots

Shopify Email features: An in-depth review

In this section, we’ll explore the primary features of Shopify Email, so you have a better idea of how it can benefit your business.

However, before we dive into the specifics, here’s a glimpse at how the tool compares with its main competitors.

With a general sense of the tool’s capabilities, let’s move on to an in-depth Shopify Email review.

Ease of getting started ★★★★★

Shopify Email operates as an integrated app within the Shopify ecosystem, serving as an add-on rather than a separate entity. This unique integration eliminates the need for a distinct signup process or newcomer surveys.

It’s pretty easy to get started with the tool. Shopify Email’s settings are designed to be exceptionally clear and user-friendly.

Moreover, because the functionalities offered by the tool are limited, they’re easy to locate.

Shopify Email is a beginner-friendly platform with an intuitive interface similar to Flodesk. However, Shopify Email’s distinct advantage lies in its tailored focus on ecommerce.

That said, the tool has limited accessibility — it exclusively caters to Shopify merchants.

Building an email campaign ★★★★☆

Shopify Email comes with a basic yet intuitive email builder. It’s an excellent tool for ecommerce business owners who want to create striking email campaigns to target various goals.

Users can choose from 33 Shopify email templates under the following categories:

• Announcements
• Holidays and occasions
• Newsletters
• Product highlights
• Promotions

The tool’s simple drag-and-drop editor lets you customize the chosen templates quickly. You can easily add your brand colors and logo to the email for personalization. In addition, you can customize subject lines, preheaders, and email content to your preferences.

Shopify Email’s email builder is designed for ecommerce businesses. You’ll find components such as product elements, gift cards, and discount codes here. 

Sadly, the platform doesn’t provide any distinctive features beyond this scope. 

The tool doesn’t offer an image library, a part frequently included in other email platforms. It also doesn’t offer features like image carousels, social media embedding, or surveys.

Using Shopify Email, you can send both regular email campaigns and email automations. However, it doesn’t support A/B testing or RSS campaigns.

In summary, while the email builder’s simplicity is commendable, it might not be suitable for expanding ecommerce businesses.

Marketing automation ★★★☆☆

Much like the email builder, Shopify Email automation is intuitive and user-friendly. There are several pre-built workflows to choose from. These include but aren’t limited to:

• Shopify abandoned cart emails
• Back-in-stock emails
• Post-purchase upsell emails or SMS
• Customer win-back emails
• Special product releases

We liked that all templates within Shopify Email come with suggested copy, allowing you to initiate workflows promptly, often within minutes.

The platform also provides several ecommerce-related triggers. However, we found it challenging to locate specific triggers, particularly related to certain on-site behaviors and customer data. Additionally, the conditions segment proved less straightforward compared to platforms like Getresponse or Omnisend.

That said, if you can’t find a trigger you need, you can always explore the broader Shopify ecosystem.

What’s more, you can integrate SMS and push notifications into your communication. The only catch is that this requires the installation of supplementary apps, which come with an additional cost.

Signup forms and landing pages ★☆☆☆☆

Email list building and management fall beyond the scope of Shopify Email. You’ll have to look to other tools to create signup forms and landing pages.

Many Shopify apps can be used alongside Shopify Email for your email marketing needs, as they work smoothly with your store and collect data that can be used in your campaigns.

Segmentation ★★★★★

Praising Shopify Email’s segmentation is justified because it utilizes the native segmentation feature of the Shopify ecommerce platform. You can filter audiences using a variety of criteria, following under categories such as:

• Shopping activity
• Countries or regions
• Customer details like the amount spent, anniversary, and more

What’re more, segments crafted within the Shopify platform can be re-used in Shopify Email, saving you time.

Shopify also provides several pre-built segments, including:

• Email subscribers
• Customers with at least one purchase
• Abandoned checkouts within the last 30 days
• Repeat purchasers or non-purchasers

We found Shopify Email to be very comprehensive as far as segmentation is concerned.

Analytics ★★☆☆☆

The Shopify Email app provides basic reports to help you gauge the performance of your email campaigns.

The tool’s dashboard presents metrics such as open rates, sales, clicks, and conversions.

You can also assess subscriber engagement trends by monitoring which recipients have:

• Opened the email
• Performed a specific action
• Had the email bounce

Next, there’s the option for you to track revenue generated from your email campaigns, as well as marketing funnel behavior.

Unfortunately, Shopify Email analytics lacks detailed insights like location, device information, and heatmaps.

Customer support ★★☆☆☆

Shopify Email’s customer support aligns with the general support framework of the Shopify platform.

However, there’s no phone support. And although the platform claims to have live chat support, we couldn’t find a widget for it.

The process of searching for assistance when encountering challenges can be frustrating. Several customers have echoed this point in their reviews.

Furthermore, there’ve been some grievances regarding the support team’s lack of comprehensive knowledge, resulting in delays in receiving accurate responses.

It seems like the platform prefers to direct users to its online Help Center. You’ll find articles about various topics, such as starting a store, store management, payments, marketing, etc.

While these online resources can assist, they may fail to address specific queries online businesses may have regarding email marketing.

Integrations ★★★★★

Shopify Email is a unique email tool that doesn’t require any third-party integrations. It’s an integral part of Shopify, using its infrastructure and seamlessly integrating with tools listed on the Shopify App Store. This authenticity opens up numerous opportunities for merchants to grow their online businesses.

Compatibility with other marketing channels ★★☆☆☆

Before delving into the pricing aspect of this Shopify Email review, let’s examine the tool’s compatibility with other marketing channels.

Shopify Email lacks integrations with other channels besides email marketing, such as SMS and push notifications. You can’t directly include these channels in your regular and automated email campaigns.

To extend your marketing efforts beyond email, you can explore third-party apps available on the Shopify App Store. These apps can seamlessly connect with your Shopify store, allowing you to create coordinated campaigns across different channels. 

The only drawback of this kind of integration can be an extra cost.

Shopify Email pricing plans ★★★★★

One of Shopify Email’s strengths is that it’s incredibly affordable. This makes the tool accessible to small businesses and those just starting.

Merchants can use Shopify Email for free, and paid plans start at as low as $1 a month. However, the platform’s pricing is a bit more complicated than it seems.

What can you get for free?

Businesses under the Basic, Shopify, Advanced Shopify, or Shopify Plus plans get 10,000 free monthly emails.

Additional charges will apply if you want to send more than 10,000 emails. The pricing structure varies according to the number of emails you wish to send.

This is something we’ll discuss shortly.

There are no limitations on abandoned checkout automation, though. They’re always provided free of charge. Shopify grants users on the free plan access to its email templates.

However, it’s important to note that unused email quotas don’t roll over to the next month.

Paid plans offering

Once you cross the 10,000 free monthly email limit, you’ll be charged a fixed rate for every 1,000 additional emails. Here’s how much you can expect to pay:

• $1 per 1,000 emails above 10,000 emails
• $0.65 per 1,000 emails above 300,000 emails
• $0.55 per 1,000 emails above 750,000 emails

Let’s take a look at an example:

If you send an email reaching 15,000 recipients, you’re exceeding the 10,000 free monthly email allowance by 5,000 emails. The additional 5,000 emails cost $1 per 1,000 delivered emails, resulting in a total charge of $5.

Unlike many other email marketing tools, Shopify Email’s pricing is independent of the size of your subscriber list.

Here’s how Shopify Email’s pricing compares to its top competitors.

Comparing Shopify Email’s pricing to its competitors is challenging due to its distinct structure. Shopify Email doesn’t tie its pricing to subscriber counts, but Omnisend and MailerLite do.

Moreover, MailerLite’s and Omnisend’s Pro plans offer an unlimited email-sending limit.

Flodesk, on the other hand, employs a flat-tiered pricing model. This means the cost remains consistent regardless of the number of emails or subscribers.

So if you possess a sizable subscriber list and require basic email features for ecommerce, Shopify Email is a good choice. As you can see, tools like Omnisend and MailerLite get pretty expensive as your contact list grows.

That said, most of Shopify’s features are very basic. If advanced ecommerce capabilities are a priority, Omnisend is a good choice, despite the possibly higher price. 

On the other hand, for non-ecommerce organizations, Flodesk is a tool worth considering. And MailerLite is a perfect choice if you want various features at a reasonable price.

Shopify Email competitors

Now that you’re familiar with its features and pricing framework, you might be curious to explore what its competitors bring.

This exploration is particularly relevant if you’re seeking more advanced email marketing functionalities or your business doesn’t revolve around ecommerce.

Here are three Shopify Email competitors worth considering based on your specific needs.

1. Flodesk

If you want a similar user-friendly tool like Shopify Email, but for non-ecommerce businesses, Flodesk is a great option to explore.

Flodesk is a visually-oriented email marketing platform. Shopify Email is designed to help businesses create beautiful emails that stand out in subscribers’ inboxes.

The platform emphasizes personalization and particularly appeals to creative entrepreneurs, bloggers, and businesses prioritizing branding. The only downside is that its pricing begins at $38 per month, notably higher than Shopify Email. Nevertheless, this higher cost comes with a broader array of features.

2. MailerLite

MailerLite is a great alternative to Shopify Email if you’re a solopreneur, small business, or novice marketer.

With a focus on simplicity, the platform offers a variety of features that make it easy to create professional-looking emails. Like Shopify Email, MailerLite presents appealing email templates yet distinguishes itself with a broader selection of choices.

Furthermore, the tool’s pricing structure is competitive, making it an attractive option for cost-effective solutions. It also provides a comprehensive free plan, enhancing its appeal further.

3. Omnisend

Like Shopify Email, Omnisend is also tailored to ecommerce businesses. It’s a particularly great option for small and medium-sized enterprises.

A significant difference between the two tools is that Omnisend’s functionalities are much more advanced. It offers advanced analytics and automation, gamification features, and more. Its award-winning customer support is available via live chat and email 24/7.

Omnisend’s standout feature is its generous free plan. It grants users access to many advanced features typically found in higher-tier plans.

Shopify Email review: Wrap up

In conclusion, Shopify Email emerges as a valuable tool within the Shopify ecosystem. It seamlessly integrates with the platform to offer merchants a straightforward solution for their email marketing needs.

Hopefully, this Shopify Email review helps you decide if it’s the best choice for your needs. In case it’s not, there are always alternatives to consider. Our top three picks are Flodesk, MailerLite, and Omnisend.

For creative professionals, Flodesk presents an excellent choice, while MailerLite offers a broader range of features at an affordable price. On the other hand, Omnisend appeals to those seeking a powerful platform to grow business rapidly.

Ultimately, the tool you select should depend on the nature and needs of your business.

FAQs

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Our team strives to be accurate and unbiased in reviewing email tools. However, we recognize that mistakes can happen, and it’s essential for us to stay up to date. If you come across any errors or things that need to be reviewed again, please let us know.