Shopify Email Marketing 101: 10 Steps to Skyrocket Your Ecommerce Sales

Looking for ways to boost sales with Shopify email marketing? Good idea.

According to the Direct Marketing Association,  on average, email marketing produces a 4100% return on investment (ROI) — and nope, that's not a typo. In other words, for every $1 spent on Shopify email marketing, the average marketer will make a whopping $41 in return.

So, how can you use email marketing for Shopify to your advantage and grow your business?

There's a lot to think about — from automation and design to copywriting and social proof. Where should you start?

If you're looking for a start-to-finish playbook of the best Shopify email marketing strategies and examples, you're in the right place.

How to Increase Sales with Shopify Email Marketing Step-by-Step?

In this guide, I’m going to coach you through 10 steps to creating sales-boosting Shopify email marketing campaigns:

1. Choose a Shopify email marketing automation app
2. Set up automated Shopify email marketing campaigns
3. Start growing your Shopify email list
4. Optimize your calls to action
5. Craft effective subject lines
6. Write compelling copy
7. Create an engaging Shopify email design
8. Add stunning visuals
9. Include social proof
10. Track your Shopify email performance

Let's get started.

1. Choose a Shopify Email Marketing Automation App

Before you start, you must first choose a Shopify email marketing app to use. But why not just use Shopify's email app? Well, while Shopify Email is a great tool, it doesn't allow you to create automated campaigns.

For example, ideally, whenever a website visitor abandons their shopping cart, they should receive an automated follow-up email prompting them to complete their purchase.

To create automated email campaigns like this, you'll need an email automation app. Thankfully, there are tons of third-party Shopify email apps to choose from — including Automizely Marketing.

Shameless plug? Maybe. Awesome tip? Absolutely.

We built the Automizely Marketing app to streamline and supercharge marketing tasks. It features 30 cutting-edge marketing tools — including a Shopify email marketing dashboard.

This means that instead of installing and managing countless individual marketing apps, you can install Automizely Marketing and focus your attention on growing your business.

Cool, right?

Install Automizely Marketing for free and check it out for yourself.

2. Set Up Automated Shopify Email Marketing Campaigns

Next, it's time to set up automated email marketing campaigns that are triggered by certain situations.

For instance, whenever someone subscribes to your Shopify email list, a welcome email sequence could be triggered. Take a look at the welcome email from Cat Caboodle below:

The subscriber might then receive an additional set of emails over the next couple of weeks designed to introduce the brand and form a connection.

As mentioned above, abandoned cart emails are another popular type of Shopify email automation. Here's an example of an abandoned cart email from American Giant:

With Shopify email automation software, you can create multiple follow-ups to recover more abandoned carts.

You can create tons of different automated Shopify email marketing campaign, too, such as:

• Follow up with new customers to land repeat sales
• Re-engage inactive subscribers
• Offer subscribers a special birthday discount
• Countdown to a flash sale
• Order confirmation emails and follow-ups

3. Start Growing Your Shopify Email List

Once you're set up with an email marketing automation platform, it's time to start building your Shopify email list.

Now, it's good practice to start with a 'lead magnet' — this is a free offer that compels people to sign up to your list.

For example, you can offer a discount or create a quiz and ask users to enter their email to receive their results. Other common lead magnets include free trials, mini online courses, and ebooks.

MVMT uses a popup to offer a discount to compel visitors to sign up:

You can use Automizely Marketing to promote the benefits of signing up to your mailing list via popups and website banners.

While at it, make sure to promote your email list's benefits on social media. This way, you can convert social media followers into subscribers and nurture them with emails to turn them into customers.

It's also worth considering what information you'd like to collect when users sign up.

For instance, you could ask for users' names, email addresses, and birthdays. You could then deliver more personalized and targeted content to increase sales and conversions. Just be careful not to ask for too much information, as this can hurt your signup rate.

4. Optimize Calls to Action

Before you write a Shopify marketing email, take a moment to identify its purpose — what action do you want subscribers to take? Perhaps you want readers to shop your new line of products, or maybe you want recipients to leave positive reviews.

Once you’ve decided on an email’s purpose, you can then identify a 'call to action' or 'CTA' — this is the text used to call your subscribers to take a specific action. Here's a list of calls to action you can use in your Shopify email marketing campaigns:

• "Shop Now"
• “Refer a Friend”
• "Buy Now"
• "Add to Basket"
• "Claim 15% Off Now"
• "Get Started"
• "Try for Free"
• "Learn More"

It's important to clarify your CTA before you write your copy or design your Shopify email. Why? Because every aspect of your email should naturally lead readers to the CTA.

In the email example below, Goodwipes uses the CTA, "SHOP SALE — USE CODE: LUCKY CHARM."

Also, as your Shopify email marketing strategy develops, you may want to test different CTAs. You can also test how you present your CTAs. Sometimes simple changes like trying a different color, font, or design can make a huge difference.

5. Craft Effective Subject Lines

Let me give it to you straight: It doesn't matter how awesome your Shopify emails are if nobody opens them.

For this reason, you should pay close attention to your subject line and the preview text, which is displayed next to your subject line, before subscribers open your emails.

When writing a subject line and preview text, keep these top tips in mind:

• Highlight the key benefit of the email. i.e., Tell the reader what's in it for them — and make it good!
• Keep it short and snappy — email subject lines around 20 characters long tend to perform best.
• Provoke curiosity. For example, GoPro used the subject line, "You don't want to miss this," for the email example below.

You can use special email marketing tools to help, like CoSchedule's subject line tester and Omnisend’s subject line tester.

6. Write Compelling Copy

Without a compelling message that resonates effectively with your target market, you'll find it challenging to convert subscribers into customers.

Here are 3 vital copywriting tips to keep in mind when writing Shopify emails.

• Write for your target audience — write how they talk and tell them what they most want to know.
• Focus on the benefits of your offers, not the features. In other words, don't list specifications (e.g., "textured rubber grip handle") — tell subscribers how those specifications will benefit their lives (e.g., "easy and comfortable to grip").
• Personalize your copy: Address subscribers by their names and write in the second person.

Let's explore a quick example from OffLimits:

Notice how the copy is engaging, fun, and full of the brand's personality? Off Limits doesn't provide a factual rundown of the cereal's ingredients either. Instead, subscribers are treated (pun intended) to a copy that highlights the benefits of the cereal: tasty and energizing.

The email also ends with a compelling one-liner designed to resonate with dog lovers: "You dog deserves to be first."

7. Create an Engaging Shopify Email Design

Once you've crafted your subject line, CTA, and copy, it's time to present them in the best possible way.

Most apps come with ready-made Shopify email templates that you can customize to fit your needs.

After you've selected a template, consider your branding. Ideally, you want your Shopify emails to look the same as your website. For example, here's an image of Tens' website:

And in the Shopify email example below, you can see how Tens has used the same branding, colors, and style.

Keep your design straightforward and simple to improve engagement. Also, many people read emails on the go, so it pays to make them easy to skim read.

Top tip: Once you've finished your design, make sure to save your Shopify email template for future campaigns.

8. Add Stunning Visuals

Adding visual elements to Shopify emails can help increase engagement and conversions.

Remember, every aspect of your Shopify email marketing strategy should lead subscribers to click that CTA button you worked hard to perfect — including the images you use. So, add images that are on brand, engaging, and that emphasize your key message.

Le Col uses a striking red that contrasts with the cool blues in this image — notice how these colors highlight the orange top worn by the model:

Also, notice how Le Col includes both product and lifestyle images?

All in all, your images should portray your brand's personality and evoke a positive emotion. And don't forget, you're not limited to images — GIFs can be particularly effective when it comes to engaging subscribers.

9. Include Social Proof

The term 'social proof' refers to the simple fact that humans are influenced by the actions and opinions of others —  after all, we’re social animals. Because of this, highlighting social proof can do wonders to convert subscribers into customers.

Here are some common types of social proof to use in your Shopify email marketing campaigns:

• Media reviews
• Customer testimonials
• Logos of impressive brand affiliations
• Ratings from review sites

In the social proof email marketing example below, Bite includes media reviews and customer testimonials to highlight the quality of their products.

10. Track Your Shopify Email Performance

Once everything's set up and your Shopify email marketing campaigns are live, it's critical that you track performance.

Here's a quick rundown of the key metrics to track and what they mean:

• Open rate: The percentage of people who open your emails
• Click-through rate: The percentage of people who click a CTA
• Bounce rate: The percentage of subscribers who don't receive your emails
• Unsubscribes: The percentage of subscribers who unsubscribe
• Conversion rate: The percentage of people who clicked a CTA and took the desired action

Tracking your Shopify email marketing performance will help you identify ways to tweak and improve your campaigns — which in turn, will help you increase conversions and sales.

For instance, if your open rate is high, it's likely that your subject line is strong. However, if your click-through rate is low, perhaps there's an issue with your copy, offer, or CTA.

Skyrocket Sales with Shopify Email Marketing

Creating an effective Shopify email marketing strategy takes time — but it's well worth the effort when you consider the potential ROI on the table.

In summary, here are 10 steps to follow when building your Shopify email marketing strategy:

1. Install a Shopify email marketing app like Automizely Marketing
2. Set up automated campaigns to welcome new subscribers and follow up on abandoned carts
3. Grow your Shopify email list by promoting a discount with a website popup
4. Craft compelling CTAs and build your emails around them
5. Create irresistible subject lines to get subscribers to open your emails
6. Write engaging copy that leads subscribers to click your CTA
7. Design straightforward emails that present your message effectively
8. Include stunning visuals to showcase offers and your brand's personality
9. Add social proof to highlight the value your products provide
10. Monitor Shopify email marketing metrics to identify ways to improve

That's it — take it one step at a time and start growing your business with Shopify email marketing!

Want to Learn More?

• Top 10 Shopify Stores to take inspiration from
• How to send promotional emails to your customers
• Top 5 types of social proof / FOMO for your store
• How top brands get customer feedback on their websites