Shopify email marketing: How-to and tips for more sales

Effective use of Shopify email marketing can significantly enhance the reach and engagement of your ecommerce store. Whether you're a seasoned marketer or a novice, this comprehensive guide will provide you with the necessary tips and strategies to optimize your email campaigns.

Perfect your email campaigns and watch your sales soar as you implement these proven techniques to drive more traffic and enhance the shopping experience on your Shopify store.

• Create an email marketing campaign with the Shopify email marketing app using our step-by-step guide.

• Craft successful Shopify email marketing strategies using audience segmentation, personalization, and compelling visual content. 

• Utilize email marketing software to automate, streamline, and create email marketing campaigns for your online store. 

• Integrate Gelato's print on demand solution into Shopify email marketing apps to elevate your ecommerce business and drive sales.

Shopify Email (downloadable from the Shopify app store) is an integrated email marketing tool within the Shopify platform. It allows ecommerce store owners to design, send, and track email campaigns directly from their Shopify dashboard. This feature enhances direct communication with customers and provides a personal touch that helps build brand loyalty and increase sales.

Shopify Email, a built-in feature of Shopify, facilitates direct and personalized communication with customers. Let's take a closer look at the unique features offered by Shopify Email: 

• Customizable email campaigns: Shopify Email allows users to create and send professional-looking emails using a wide range of customizable templates that fit the store's brand narrative.

• Engaging visuals: Using Shopify Email, you can incorporate high-quality visuals to make your email campaigns more engaging. 

• Automated emails: Save time and effort with Shopify Emails' ability to automate email marketing campaigns.

• Effective tracking: Shopify Email's built-in analytics offers valuable insights into the performance of your campaigns using data such as open rates, click-through rates, and sales generated from email campaigns.

• Easy integration: Shopify Email effortlessly integrates with your ecommerce store, helping to create a unified and seamless customer experience.

Are you ready to create and send email marketing campaigns that are highly targeted and engaging on Shopify? We'll walk you through the necessary steps to craft effective emails that amplify your marketing efforts and yield impressive sales results.

1. Log in to your Shopify admin panel

Your email marketing journey starts with accessing the key to your ecommerce kingdom, your Shopify admin panel. Here's what you need to know when logging in: 

• Access the login page: Type in your store's URL followed by /admin. For example, www.your store.com/admin.

• Input credentials: Fill in your username and password, then click on the "Log in" button. 

• Shopify admin dashboard: Once you're successfully logged in, you're directed to the admin dashboard -- the control center. This contains links to functions that you'll use to manage your ecommerce store.

2. Navigate to the marketing section

After successfully logging into your Shopify admin panel, navigate to the marketing section. Here's a quick guide. 

• Finding the section: The 'Marketing' section is usually placed on the lower left-hand side of the panel. Click it to open.

• Exploring the section: Inside, you'll find a range of options. 'Campaigns' is where you'll spend most of your time on email campaigns.

• Understanding the layout: On the 'Campaigns' screen, you'll see existing marketing campaigns listed. Here, you can monitor their performance or edit them as needed.

• Ready for action: You can start creating your email campaign. Look for a button or link with the wording "Create Campaign" to get started.

3. Click on "Create campaign" and select "Email"

After you click on the "Create Campaign" button, your journey to design a compelling email campaign is just a few clicks away. Let's delve into the steps:

• Select the email option: The next thing you'll notice is the different types of campaigns you can run. Find and select the 'Email' option of your choice. 

• Plan your campaign: Now that you have chosen to create an email campaign, think about what you hope to achieve, whether it's promoting new products or sending reminders about a sale. 

4. Choose a template or start from scratch

Now, it's time to choose a design for your communication. Shopify offers a variety of pre-made email templates you can use as your starting point. 

Have a look:

• Option of branded templates: Shopify provides branded templates that can be quickly altered and fitted to your brand's aesthetic. To customize the template branding, all you need to do is navigate to the 'Branded templates' section, click 'Manage template branding', make your alterations, and save the changes.

• Customized designs: When editing your store's template branding, you can tweak the colors, fonts, and even the logo or store name that appears in your email headers. 

5. Customize your email design and content

Now that you've chosen your template, it's time to add your unique spin. Shopify provides a wealth of customization options. Let's break them down: 

• Branding consistency: Customize colors, fonts, and the logo or store name that appears in your email headers when editing your store's branding template.

• Use of visuals: Include high-quality images and graphics that draw attention and supplement the information in your text. 

• Dynamic content: Keep your content short but impactful. Incorporate dynamic content such as GIFs, videos, or slides to make your content more engaging. 

• Custom sender email address: Opt for a custom sender email address. It not only enhances deliverability but also boosts your brand recognition.

6. Set up your sending options

Now that your email design and content are in place, it's time to focus on setting up your sending options. Here's how to set up your sending options effectively: 

• Choose a custom sender email address: Opt for a custom sender email address that aligns with your brand for better recognition and deliverability. 

• Select email properties: Details like the subject line, preview text, and reply-to email addresses play a significant role in influencing whether or not a recipient will open your email. Craft them thoughtfully.

• Decide the best time to send: Time your email correctly. The optimal time can differ based on the device your subscribers use. 

• Double opt-in process: Incorporate a double opt-in process to ensure that your subscribers genuinely want to receive your emails. 

• Schedule or send immediately: Depending on the urgency or specificity of your campaign, decide whether to hit send immediately or schedule the email for a later time or date. 

7. Review and test your email

Before launching your email campaign, it's essential to thoroughly review and test your email. Here's how you can go about the testing process: 

• Verify all links: Make sure all the links in your email are working correctly. 

• Use spam filters: To ensure deliverability, use spam filters to check if your email might end up in the junk folder. 

• Check visuals: Ensure all images, logos, and other visual content are displayed correctly. 

• Test multiple email clients: Test your email in different email accounts (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, etc.) and devices (desktop, mobile).

• Proofread: Check for typos, grammatical errors, and unclear language. 

8. Schedule and launch the email campaign

The final step of setting up your Shopify email marketing campaign hinges on determining the optimal schedule for your emails and then launching your campaign. Let's explore how to get the most out of this step: 

• Scheduling your campaign: Consider your target audience's demographic and time zone when scheduling emails. For example, if the majority of your audience is based in the US, schedule your emails to land in their inbox during morning hours. 

• Launching the campaign: After completing all the steps and thoroughly reviewing your email, it's time to push the launch button. Ensure that everything - from design and content to send timing - aligns with your objectives and email marketing strategy.

• Frequent engagement: Regularly engaging subscribers is key to maintaining customer loyalty. Aim to send email campaigns at least once a month.

• Consistency is key: When starting an email strategy, it's recommended to email subscribers between two to four times per month to achieve higher open and click-through rates.

Now that you understand how to set up an email campaign on Shopify, let's delve into six powerful tips to supercharge marketing emails for success to boost overall sales. These strategies will help increase engagement and convert more customers.

1. Segment your audience

What makes email marketing such a profitable tool for online retailers is the potential for segmenting your audience carefully using customer data. Here's how:

• Understand your audience: Gain insights about your customers. What are their demographics, online behaviors, and purchase histories? Having detailed knowledge about these can help in segmenting them efficiently.

• Use the list and segments feature: Shopify provides a handy tool - GraphQL Admin API - for segmenting your customer list. This can help you organize your customers based on specific parameters.

• Consider diverse customer segments: Look beyond whether a customer has purchased before or not. Acknowledge first-time customers, repeat purchasers, VIPs, etc.

• Map buyer’s journey: Understanding the buyer's journey can inform you on how best to target your segmented groups.

2. Personalize your emails

Personalizing your emails is about understanding your audience as a group of people and leveraging your insights about each recipient to make your messages more relevant and engaging. 

Here are key ways you can do this: 

• Use the recipient's name: Including their name in the subject or body of your email can grab their attention and make them feel seen. 

• Curate content based on past behavior: Based on your customer's browsing and purchasing history, send them product recommendations and offers that are specifically tailored to their needs.

• Send special occasion emails: Remembering your customers' important dates like birthdays or anniversaries and sending them messages can make them feel valued and special.

• Use dynamic content: Dynamic content allows you to create multiple versions of an email and serve different content to different segments based on their preferences or behavior. 

3. Use high-quality visuals

Visual content is not just an add-on in email marketing; it forms the core of your communication. Let's see how you can incorporate it into your email strategy:

• Opt for vivid colors: Choose color combinations that adhere to your brand identity and evoke the desired emotions in the reader. The idea is to catch their attention.

• Utilize high-resolution product photos: Showcase your products with crisp, high-quality images to highlight specific features and demonstrate their value. 

• Use GIFs and videos: Including GIFs or videos in your email marketing can keep the reader engaged and make your content more interactive and dynamic. 

• Leverage social proof: Featuring customer reviews, testimonials, or user-generated content in your email can boost credibility.  

4. Write clear and compelling subject lines

The subject line is like the gateway to your email. It's the first thing the recipient sees, and if it doesn't evoke enough interest, your email might get ignored. Here's how to create appealing subject lines: 

• Keep it short and crisp: Your subject line should ideally be between 3 to 6 words or under 50 characters. 

• Add a personal touch: Personalized subject lines, which include the recipient's name or other personal information, tend to grab attention quickly. 

• Create a sense of urgency: By giving your email a time-bound context, you induce a fear of missing out, which can encourage recipients to open your email sooner.

• Use emojis wisely: When used appropriately, emojis can make your subject line stand out in an overcrowded inbox. 

• Test and optimize: Make sure to A/B test your subject lines to see what works best for your audience. 

5. Develop Shopify email templates

Having ready-to-use email templates is a recipe for efficiency in your Shopify email marketing campaigns. Let's delve into how you can develop effective Shopify email templates: 

• Design for your brand: Always ensure your templates reflect your brand. Integrate your logo, brand colors, and fonts into your email design. 

• Responsive design: Ensure your template design renders effectively across various devices, as a significant percentage of emails are opened on mobile devices.

• Include modular layouts: Modular email templates, composed of interchangeable parts, allow for greater versatility. 

• Add important elements: Your templates should include key elements like a clear call-to-action button, social media links, and unsubscribe options. 

• Incorporate visual assets: Visuals play a significant part in grabbing attention. Incorporate high-quality images, infographics, or GIFs to increase user engagement rate.

6. Automate email marketing campaigns

One of the best marketing tactics for any ecommerce business is automation. Let’s break down the most important components to focus on when automating your email marketing: 

• Choose the right tool for automation: Platforms like Klaviyo, Mailchimp, and Drip integrate easily with Shopify and offer various features specifically designed for automated email marketing.

• Automate first-purchase emails: Sending an email to customers after their first purchase can yield three to six times more sales than regular promotional emails.

• Set up abandoned cart recovery emails: This automation is crucial. Remind customers of what they’ve left behind and entice them with special offers or discounts to complete their purchases.

• Establish email sequences for customer retention: Keep your customers engaged by planning a series of emails tailored to their purchase history and browsing habits.

• Use automation for customer feedback: Automate post-purchase follow-up emails to gather reviews and feedback about their shopping experience.

Sell on Shopify using the print-on-demand solution with Gelato. Breathe life into your Shopify email marketing by featuring Gelato's diverse range of print on demand products - eye-catching t-shirts, mugs, wall art, phone cases, tote bags, and photo books.

Harness the power of Gelato’s seamless integration with Shopify, opening a world of sales and marketing opportunities for you.

 Sign up for Gelato today and select a subscription plan that perfectly aligns with your business goals.