A winning email marketing strategy will put your ecommerce business on the right path but your efforts will be undone if you pick the wrong email marketing platform. Avoid this rookie mistake by finding out the best platform that suits the needs of your business.
Why should you prioritize selecting the right email platform?
Email is one of the most effective channels in terms of ROI and a great way to capture and engage with your target audience. An email marketing service lets you enjoy the benefits of email marketing and supercharge your ecommerce business without unnecessary hassle.
Many email platforms claim to do it all but end up being subpar or even detrimental to your workflow. For example, they might lack intuitive interfaces, a varied selection of email designs and customization options, and segmentation features.
Growing ecommerce businesses will eventually need to grow out of free email services like Gmail as free platforms like these will hamper your deliverability and drain valuable time that could be spent somewhere more productive.
We’ve created this list to help you avoid these problems and choose the perfect email marketing platform for you. Let’s take a closer look at each option.
Best Email Marketing Platforms for Ecommerce
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)
Brevo, previously known as Sendinblue, is a great platform for those on a tight budget. It has one of the most cost-effective options on this list that still offers a slew of features that will improve your email marketing.
Its features include AB testing, SMS, chat, social media, and a built-in CRM. It also lets you track how your campaign is performing in real-time through data reports and stats.
Pros and Benefits
- Easy to use and beginner-friendly
- You only need to pay for the number of emails you send
- Has an extensive library of pre-made templates and AI tools
- Allows you to create automation flows based on specific triggers
Pricing
- Free
- Starter plan: from $25/month
- Business plan: from $65/month
- Brevo Plus: custom price
MailChimp
MailChimp is one of the more well-known email platforms on this list and for a good reason.
It’s a powerful tool with a wide range of functionalities while still being easy to use. You can create emails through a drag-and-drop feature and automate your campaigns depending on customer behavior.
It also works well with social media and other channels, plus allows you to keep track of your campaigns’ performance.
Pros and Benefits
- Good integrations
- Easy to use
- Can also be used for web hosting and capturing leads
- Allows you to send ecommerce email flows such as lost checkout emails
Pricing
- Free
- Essentials: $6.50/month
- Standard: $10/month
- Premium: $175
*for 500 contacts
Klaviyo
Klaviyo is another popular ecommerce email marketing platform that aims to “power smarter digital relationships”.
It offers more than email marketing as its capabilities extend to SMS, mobile push notifications, and displaying customer reviews. It’s a highly data-driven platform that contains predictive analytics and benchmarks.
And if your primary need is segmentation and personalization of email flows, Klaviyo has you covered.
Pros and Benefits
- Good third-party platform integration
- Allows you to identify which customers are most likely to buy
- Great automation features
- Has a sent time optimization feature that lets you know the best time to send your emails
Pricing
- Free for 0 to 250 contacts
- Starts at $20 per month for 500 contacts (email and SMS plan)
Email is one of the most effective channels in terms of ROI and a great way to capture and engage with your target audience.
Constant Contact
Constant Contact’s edge over other email marketing platforms is its mobile app, which allows you to run campaigns on the go.
Its features include a drag-and-drop editor, mobile-friendly email designs, customizable templates, and engagement reports. That said, Constant Contact isn’t just for email marketing; it’s an all-in-one platform that extends to SMS and social media.
Pros and Benefits
- Great integration with ecommerce stores
- Excellent deliverability rates
- Has a mobile app
- Uses machine learning and AI to optimize email content
Pricing
- Lite: starts from $12 per month
- Standard: starts from $35 per month
- Premium: starts from $80 per month
ConvertKit
ConvertKit is the ideal email marketing platform for content creators, bloggers, and authors.
It’s easy to use and allows you to migrate your contacts from other platforms. It also offers segmentation, landing pages, forms, detailed reports, and automated scheduling. What makes
ConvertKit even more of a draw for creators is that it has the ability to connect landing pages with your emails.
Pros and Benefits
- Can send out emails based on conditions or your own preferences
- Has an intuitive and centralized way of managing your contacts
- Can tailor your landing pages and forms for the content you produce
- Allows you to track campaign performance
Pricing
- Free (up to 1,000 subscribers)
- Creator plan: $9 per month
- Creator Pro plan: $25 per month
Hubspot
If you’re looking for a one-stop shop for your email marketing needs, Hubspot won’t let you down. This platform optimizes your email strategy from creating to tracking campaigns.
You’ll enjoy the usual features such as drag-and-drop tools, segmentation, A/B testing, and detailed analytics and reporting.
You can segment your lists according to several factors such as demographics, location, and even order history. That’s a whole lot of personalization!
It plays well with other software too, including Canva, Gmail, Asana, Slack, Shopify, and BigCommerce.
Pros and Benefits
- Has CRM features and a mobile app
- Can set up forms and send an automated email per form
- Has several filters for segmenting contacts
- Tracks which pages or campaigns contributed to new sales
Pricing
- Free foundational tools
- Professional: starts from $800/month
- Enterprise: starts from $3,600/month
EmailOctopus
EmailOctopus is another value-for-money email marketing platform for ecommerce that comes at a fraction of the price of popular email tools. This makes it ideal for startups and small businesses.
It comes with everything you need, including email templates, an intuitive editor, and autoresponders. It also allows you to create landing pages and thoughtfully designed emails through its drag-and-drop function.
You’ll also get access to customer segmentation, drip campaign automation, and real-time campaign tracking.
Pros and Benefits
- Affordable
- Great for small ecommerce businesses
- Easy to use
- Its free plan lets you enjoy a wide number of features and a higher number of sends per month
Pricing
- Free (2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails per month)
- Pro: starts at $8 per month
Omnisend
Give your ecommerce store a boost with Omnisend, a truly omnichannel marketing platform with email and SMS campaign features.
It’s built for ecommerce so you can rest assured that every step of your workflow is covered from designing emails, automating campaigns, and analyzing customer data. It even comes with push notifications and ecommerce integrations. What’s not to love?
Pros and Benefits
- Centralized email marketing software that combines several marketing tools in one
- Value for money
- Can personalize your campaigns per type of customer
- Works across different platforms
Pricing*
- Free
- Standard: $16/month
- Pro: $59/month
*based on a contact list of up to 500 people
Aweber
Aweber has been around since 1998 and it’s continually improving its services to this day.
No coding knowledge is necessary because the platform has a drag-and-drop editor. It also has automated follow-ups so you can encourage visitors to revisit your store.
Other useful features include signup forms, customer segmentation, and an extensive number of integrations with platforms like Etsy and Shopify.
Pros and Benefits
- Track clicks and opens with its data analytics tool
- Lots of email templates and fonts to choose from
- Can turn the RSS feed on your website to emails you can send to your audience
- Includes split testing and autoresponders
Pricing*
- Free
- Lite: $12.50/month
- Plus: $20/month
- Unlimited: $899/month
*Based on up to 500 subscribers
MailerLite
MailerLite is one of the best email marketing platforms for an ecommerce business. It has transitioned from a web design company to a comprehensive ecommerce services provider that people love for its ability to simplify email marketing.
You can choose from three types of editors: drag and drop, rich text and custom HTML editors.
Newsletters can also be automated according to specified triggers while customer segmentation allows you to create targeted campaigns depending on customer behaviors or demographics.
Pros and Benefits
- Has analytics on campaign performance (number of subscribers, clicks, and opens)
- Integrations with ecommerce shops are available
- MailerCheck keeps your list free from spam
- Allows you to create triggers that send customized emails automatically
Pricing*
- Free
- Growing Business: starts from $9/month
- Advanced: starts from $18/month
- Enterprise: custom
*For up to 500 subscribers
Moosend
Moosend may not ring a bell to some marketers but it holds its own against established email marketing platforms.
Its AI tools differentiate it from the rest of the websites on this list. These features make automating marketing tasks easier and help keep your emails engaging and interesting to your subscribers.
Advanced segmentation and affordability also make Moosend’s offer more compelling to smaller ecommerce businesses.
Pros and Benefits
- Beginner-friendly
- Offers onboarding support when switching over from another platform
- Great data analytics
- Has landing pages and subscription forms available
Pricing
- Free (for 30 days)
- Pro: starts from $9/month
- Enterprise: custom
Mailjet
If you have multiple people (or one designer and one developer) handling email marketing for your ecommerce store, Mailjet could be the ideal solution for your business.
It makes collaborating fuss-free with its wide array of collaboration features that cut down on time spent crafting campaigns. You’ll also have access to a variety of email templates, automation features, email performance reports, and customer segmentation.
Pros and Benefits
- Lets you collaborate with your time in real-time
- Has an all-in-one dashboard for all your campaigns (useful when you have several clients)
- Plenty of integrations
- Allows you to send test emails or preview them in several formats and devices
Pricing
- Free
- Essential: from $15/month
- Premium: from $25/month
- Custom: upon request
Sender
Sender is an incredibly user-friendly email marketing platform suited for people who don’t know HTML or simply want to send out email campaigns without fuss.
It has features like an automation builder, a drag-and-drop editor, and behavioral flows. It also excels in segmentation and can run both SMS and email campaigns.
Pros and Benefits
- Low cost
- Provides reports and analytics
- Great deliverability rates
- Has lead capture tools
Pricing
- Free
- Standard: $15.83
- Professional: $29.17
- Enterprise: custom
GetResponse
GetResponse is ideal for managing an omnichannel strategy for your ecommerce store. It may not look as impressive as the other platforms on this list but its capabilities are nothing to scoff at.
It allows you to reach your customers through SMS, paid ads, and webinars. You can also set up common email campaigns such as abandoned cart flows, recommendations, and follow-ups. Plus, you can create sales funnels for your products and segment your contact list.
Pros and Benefits
- Lots of templates and forms to choose from
- Has AI tools for generating subject lines
- Allows you to segment extensively
- Can set up automated and triggered emails
Pricing
- Email Marketing plan: $15.6/month
- Marketing Automation plan: $48.4/month
- Ecommerce Marketing plan: $97.6/month
- GetResponse MAX plan: $999/month
Drip
Drip has one of the liveliest graphics on this list but don’t be fooled because it’s a grown-up platform with serious features that give other email marketing platforms a run for their money.
Its target audience is composed of startups and small, up-and-coming businesses that want competitive tools for promoting their brand and connecting with customers.
Notable features include a form builder, a visual workflow builder, split testing, and integrations with popular ecommerce services like Shopify.
Pros and Benefits
- Has unique and advanced email forms for gamified emails, quizzes, and mystery offers
- Highly customizable customer journey with several segmentation filters
- Good variety of triggers and actions that are easy to choose from and navigate
- Has a workflow split testing feature for testing which workflows are best and simplifying your processes
Pricing
- Starts from $39/month for up to 2,500 people
FAQ
1. What should I look for when choosing an email marketing platform for my ecommerce store?
When choosing a platform, prioritize ease of use, integration with your ecommerce store, and automation features like abandoned cart emails or personalized recommendations.
Check for robust analytics to track campaign performance and improve over time. Also, compare pricing options to ensure it fits your budget, especially if you're balancing free and paid plans.
2. Are free email marketing platforms worth it for ecommerce businesses?
Free platforms can be a great starting point, especially for small businesses or those with limited budgets. Many offer essential features like basic automation, list segmentation, and pre-designed templates, which are enough to run effective campaigns.
However, as your store grows, you may need to upgrade to a paid plan for more advanced features, like enhanced reporting or higher email send limits.
3. How can email marketing platforms help increase sales for my ecommerce store?
Email platforms offer tools like product recommendations, abandoned cart reminders, and targeted promotions to help drive conversions.
By segmenting your audience and personalizing your messages, you can send more relevant emails that encourage repeat purchases. Plus, most platforms include analytics to help you fine-tune your campaigns for better results over time.