Email Marketing
What are the best email marketing services to buy for a small e-commerce business in the US?
By the First Person Marketing editorial team · · 3 min read
The short answer
Most small US ecommerce businesses get the best results from an email platform built for online stores, such as Klaviyo, Omnisend or Shopify Email, set up with five automated flows: welcome, abandoned cart, browse abandonment, post-purchase and win-back. Those flows earn money every day without new campaigns, so build them before anything else.
Disclosure: First Person Marketing is a marketing accelerator and offers the services discussed here. We describe our own plans in a clearly marked section and include where we are not the right fit.
The platforms small stores use
Ecommerce email platforms connect to your store, so they know what each person viewed, bought and left in the cart. General newsletter tools can do some of this, but with more setup.
Platform: Klaviyo
- Free plan
- 250 profiles, 500 emails a month
- Paid plans from
- About $20 a month at 500 profiles
- Best for
- Shopify and WooCommerce stores that want detailed segments
Platform: Omnisend
- Free plan
- 250 contacts, 500 emails a month
- Paid plans from
- $16 a month at 500 contacts
- Best for
- Email and SMS together at a lower starting price
Platform: Mailchimp
- Free plan
- 250 contacts, 500 emails a month
- Paid plans from
- About $13 a month at 500 contacts
- Best for
- Stores that also send newsletters and use Mailchimp elsewhere
Platform: Shopify Email
- Free plan
- Included with Shopify, with a monthly free allowance
- Paid plans from
- Pay per email beyond the allowance
- Best for
- Shopify stores starting out
| Platform | Free plan | Paid plans from | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Klaviyo | 250 profiles, 500 emails a month | About $20 a month at 500 profiles | Shopify and WooCommerce stores that want detailed segments |
| Omnisend | 250 contacts, 500 emails a month | $16 a month at 500 contacts | Email and SMS together at a lower starting price |
| Mailchimp | 250 contacts, 500 emails a month | About $13 a month at 500 contacts | Stores that also send newsletters and use Mailchimp elsewhere |
| Shopify Email | Included with Shopify, with a monthly free allowance | Pay per email beyond the allowance | Shopify stores starting out |
Prices rise with list size and change often. Check each vendor's pricing page before you choose.
The five flows to build first
- Welcome series: two or three emails after sign-up, introducing the brand and best sellers
- Abandoned cart: a reminder within hours, then one follow-up
- Browse abandonment: products someone viewed but didn't add
- Post-purchase: thanks, care tips, a review request and related products
- Win-back: customers who haven't bought in a few months
Flows are set up once and run for every customer. Campaigns, like a sale announcement, come on top.
US rules every store must follow
The FTC's CAN-SPAM Act applies to every commercial email, including to existing customers.
- Accurate sender names and subject lines
- A working unsubscribe link, honoured within 10 business days
- Your physical postal address in every email
- Text messages need prior written consent under separate rules, so keep SMS sign-ups separate
Buying the platform versus buying the service
The platform is software. Someone still has to design the emails, write them, build the flows, keep the list clean and check the results.
Option: Do it yourself
- Suits
- Owners comfortable with the platform's templates
- Trade-off
- Flows often stay half-built
Option: Freelance email specialist
- Suits
- A one-off flow build
- Trade-off
- Ongoing campaigns need another arrangement
Option: Ecommerce email agency
- Suits
- Stores with larger lists
- Trade-off
- Retainers sized for bigger brands
Option: Marketing accelerator
- Suits
- Building flows, then monthly campaigns from one plan of hours
- Trade-off
- Agree a monthly email calendar
| Option | Suits | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself | Owners comfortable with the platform's templates | Flows often stay half-built |
| Freelance email specialist | A one-off flow build | Ongoing campaigns need another arrangement |
| Ecommerce email agency | Stores with larger lists | Retainers sized for bigger brands |
| Marketing accelerator | Building flows, then monthly campaigns from one plan of hours | Agree a monthly email calendar |
How we set it up
We're a marketing accelerator and sell email marketing ourselves, so read this as our offer. We build the five flows on your platform, design a reusable template, and then send your monthly campaigns on plan hours, starting at 10 hours a month for $790. If you only want the setup, email template design is a fixed $495 and a single campaign design is $295, and plan clients get 15% off fixed prices.
Questions people also ask
Which is better for a small store, Klaviyo or Mailchimp?
Klaviyo is built around store data and usually wins for product-based flows. Mailchimp is often cheaper at small list sizes and fine if you mostly send newsletters.
How many emails should an online store send?
Automated flows run on their own. On top of those, one to two campaigns a week is common for active stores; start with one and watch unsubscribes.
Do I need SMS as well as email?
Not to start. Get the email flows working first, then test SMS for abandoned carts and launches with customers who opted in.
Sources
Prices and plans of third-party tools change often; check the vendor before you buy.
