Setting up Shopify email marketing and automation enables store owners to engage customers, recover abandoned carts, and drive repeat sales through targeted, automated campaigns. The process involves configuring Shopify Email (or third-party apps like Klaviyo or Omnisend), creating workflows for key customer actions, and designing branded templates that align with your store’s messaging. Email automation can contribute 35-40% of total revenue for e-commerce stores by leveraging triggers like sign-ups, purchases, or cart abandonment ^[3][6]. Shopify’s native tools integrate directly with your store data, while advanced apps offer deeper segmentation and personalization features.

Key steps to get started:

• Install and authenticate Shopify Email (or a third-party app) and verify your sender domain to improve deliverability ^[7].
• Create automated workflows for critical moments like welcome series, abandoned carts, and post-purchase follow-ups using pre-built templates or custom triggers ^[1][5].
• Segment your audience to send hyper-personalized emails, which perform significantly better than generic campaigns ^[4].
• Monitor performance metrics such as open rates, conversion rates, and sales attributed to each automation to refine your strategy ^[1].

Setting Up Shopify Email Marketing and Automation

Configuring Shopify Email and Domain Authentication

Before sending campaigns or automations, you must set up Shopify Email and authenticate your domain to ensure emails reach customers’ inboxes. Shopify Email is pre-installed on all stores, but you’ll need an active paid Shopify plan (Basic or higher) and the Online Store sales channel enabled ^[7]. If the app isn’t visible, install it from the Shopify App Store and confirm your sender email address.

Domain authentication is critical to prevent emails from being flagged as spam. Without it, your campaigns may land in promotions tabs or junk folders, reducing open rates. Shopify provides two authentication methods:

• Verify your email address: Send a confirmation link to the email you plan to use (e.g., [email protected]). This is the quickest method but offers limited deliverability benefits.
• Authenticate your domain: Add DNS records (CNAME) to your domain provider (e.g., GoDaddy, Cloudflare) to prove ownership. This method significantly improves inbox placement and is required for high-volume senders ^[7].

Once authenticated, you can customize your sender name (e.g., “Your Brand Team”) and reply-to address to maintain brand consistency. Shopify also allows you to change these details later, though re-authentication may be required for new addresses.

Key actions to complete this step:

• Navigate to Settings > Notifications > Shopify Email in your admin to verify your sender email.
• For domain authentication, follow Shopify’s DNS setup guide to add the required CNAME records.
• Test your setup by sending a trial email to yourself before launching campaigns ^[7].

Creating Automated Email Workflows

Automated email workflows save time by sending targeted messages based on customer behavior, such as signing up, abandoning a cart, or completing a purchase. Shopify offers pre-built automation templates for common scenarios, or you can create custom workflows using Shopify Flow (for advanced users) or third-party apps like Klaviyo or Omnisend ^[1][5].

Essential Automations to Set Up

1. Welcome Series - Trigger: Customer signs up for your newsletter or creates an account. - Goal: Introduce your brand, offer a discount (e.g., 10% off first purchase), and guide new subscribers to high-converting products. - Best practice: Send 2–3 emails over 5–7 days. Include social proof (reviews, testimonials) and clear CTAs ^[5][10]. - Example: “Welcome to [Brand]! Here’s 15% off your first order—shop now.”

1. Abandoned Cart Recovery - Trigger: Customer adds items to cart but doesn’t complete checkout. - Goal: Remind them of their cart and incentivize completion with urgency (e.g., “Your cart expires in 24 hours!”) or a discount. - Best practice: Send the first email 1 hour after abandonment, followed by 2–3 reminders over 48 hours. Include product images and a direct checkout link ^[5][10]. - Conversion impact: Abandoned cart emails recover 10–30% of lost sales on average ^[5].

1. Post-Purchase Follow-Up - Trigger: Customer completes a purchase. - Goal: Thank them, request a review, and suggest complementary products (cross-sell). - Best practice: Send within 24 hours of purchase with order confirmation details, then follow up 5–7 days later with a review request or loyalty offer ^[5]. - Example: “Your order is on the way! Here’s 20% off your next purchase.”

1. Win-Back Campaigns - Trigger: Customer hasn’t purchased in 30–90 days. - Goal: Re-engage them with a personalized offer (e.g., “We miss you! Here’s a gift”). - Best practice: Segment by past purchase value and tailor discounts accordingly ^[5].

How to Create Automations in Shopify

1. Using Shopify Email (Native Tool) - Go to Marketing > Automations in your Shopify admin. - Click + Create automation and select a template (e.g., “Abandoned cart” or “Welcome series”). - Customize the email content, sender details, and timing. Use Liquid variables (e.g., {{ customer.first_name }}) for personalization ^[2]. - Activate the automation and monitor performance in the Reports tab ^[1].

1. Using Third-Party Apps (Klaviyo, Omnisend) - Install the app from the Shopify App Store and connect it to your store. - Set up triggers (e.g., “Added to cart” or “Order fulfilled”) and design email sequences in the app’s dashboard. - Advanced apps allow A/B testing subject lines, send times, and content blocks for optimization ^[3][10].

Pro tips for higher conversions:

• Segment your audience: Use tags or customer properties (e.g., “VIP,” “First-time buyer”) to send ultra-targeted emails. Personalized emails generate 6x higher transaction rates than generic blasts ^[4].
• Optimize send times: Test different days/times (e.g., Tuesdays at 10 AM often perform well) and use app analytics to refine scheduling ^[6].
• Mobile-first design: 60% of emails are opened on mobile. Use Shopify Email’s responsive templates and preview on multiple devices ^[2].

Designing High-Converting Email Campaigns

While automations handle triggered messages, manual campaigns (e.g., newsletters, promotions) keep your audience engaged. Shopify Email provides default templates for promotions, announcements, and product launches, or you can build custom designs using the drag-and-drop editor ^[2].

Steps to Create a Campaign

1. Choose a Goal: Decide whether the email aims to drive sales (e.g., “24-hour flash sale”), educate (e.g., “New product guide”), or build loyalty (e.g., “Exclusive VIP access”).
2. Select a Template: Pick a layout that aligns with your goal. Shopify’s templates are optimized for conversions with clear CTAs and image placeholders.
3. Customize Content: - Subject line: Keep it under 50 characters and include urgency or personalization (e.g., “John, your exclusive deal ends soon!”). - Body copy: Use a 1:3 text-to-image ratio to avoid spam filters. Highlight benefits, not just features ^[3]. - CTA buttons: Use action-oriented text (e.g., “Shop Now,” “Claim My Discount”) and contrast colors for visibility.
4. Segment Your Audience: Target specific groups (e.g., “Past purchasers of X product”) for higher relevance. Shopify allows segmentation by purchase history, location, or email engagement ^[2].
5. Schedule or Send: Choose to send immediately or schedule for optimal open rates. Shopify saves drafts automatically until you confirm ^[2].

Tools to Enhance Campaigns

• Shopify’s AI Generator: Automatically generates email content based on your product catalog. Edit as needed for brand voice ^[2].
• Liquid Code: Advanced users can add dynamic content (e.g., “Recommended for you” based on browsing history) using Liquid snippets ^[2].
• A/B Testing: Test two subject lines or send times to a small audience before sending to the full list (available in apps like Klaviyo) ^[9].

Examples of high-performing campaigns:

• Flash Sale: “48-HOUR SALE: 30% Off Everything—Ends Midnight!” with a countdown timer.
• Product Launch: “New Arrival: The [Product] You’ve Been Waiting For” with a video demo.
• Loyalty Reward: “Your VIP Status Unlocked! Here’s $10 Off” for repeat customers.

Measuring Success

Track these metrics in Shopify’s Marketing > Reports dashboard:

• Open rate: Aim for 20–30% (industry average). Low opens? Improve subject lines or send times.
• Click-through rate (CTR): 2–5% is typical. Boost with clearer CTAs or more engaging visuals.
• Conversion rate: 1–3% of clicks should lead to purchases. Test offers (e.g., free shipping vs. % off).
• Revenue per email: Calculate total sales divided by emails sent to gauge ROI ^[1].