Email is your highest-ROI marketing channel. For every dollar spent on email marketing, most stores generate four to five dollars in revenue. But only if email is done right.
Most stores send generic broadcast emails to everyone. Open rates drop. Unsubscribe rates rise. Effectiveness plummets.
A strategic shopify email marketing strategy segments customers by behavior, sends triggered emails at the perfect moment, and personalises based on their history. This approach generates revenue that scales automatically.
This guide covers how to build an email strategy that converts consistently, from list building through automation to advanced segmentation.
The Email Fundamentals
Before building strategy, understand email economics.
Email marketing ROI: $4 to $5 per dollar spent (highest of any channel)
Why email is powerful:
Email is direct communication. No algorithm decides whether your message gets seen. Your message lands in their inbox. They see your name. They choose to engage.
Compare to:
- Social media: Algorithm decides visibility. Can disappear overnight
- Paid ads: Costs rise as competition increases
- SEO: Takes 6 to 12 months to see results
Email reaches owned audience immediately.
Step 1: Build Your Email List
You cannot send email without subscribers. List building is job one.
Email Capture Methods
Checkout opt-in: Checkbox at checkout asking to subscribe to email. Gets 20% to 40% of customers.
Website pop-up: Exit-intent pop-up on homepage and key pages. Gets 2% to 5% of visitors.
Blog subscription: Add email signup forms to blog posts. Gets 3% to 8% of blog readers.
Lead magnet: Free guide, discount, resource in exchange for email. Gets 10% to 20% of interested visitors.
Post-purchase email: Welcome email after purchase with 10% discount for friends. Gets 5% to 15% of new customers.
List Growth Goals
- Month 1-3: Build foundation (500 to 1,000 subscribers)
- Month 4-6: Accelerate growth (1,000 to 5,000 subscribers)
- Month 7-12: Scale (5,000 to 15,000+ subscribers)
Growth compounds. An email list of 10,000 subscribers generates predictable, repeatable revenue.
Step 2: Choose Your Email Platform
Your email platform determines what is possible.
| Platform | Price | Best For | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify Email | Free | Very small stores | Native, simple |
| Mailchimp | Free-$300/month | Beginners | Simple, decent automation |
| Klaviyo | $20-$150/month | Growth stores | Advanced automation, SMS |
| ConvertKit | $29-$79/month | Content creators | Landing pages, segments |
| ActiveCampaign | $15-$229/month | Enterprise | Advanced automation, CRM |
For most Shopify stores, Klaviyo is optimal. It integrates natively with Shopify, provides advanced automation, and pricing scales with your business.
Our detailed guide on Shopify Klaviyo integration covers comprehensive Klaviyo setup and strategy.
Step 3: Build Your Core Email Flows
Flows are triggered sequences that run automatically. Build these first.
Essential Email Flows
Welcome Series (3 to 5 emails)
Trigger: New subscriber Timing: Email 1 immediately, then 2-3 days apart
Email 1: Welcome + introduce brand Email 2: Best sellers or popular products Email 3: Customer testimonials or story Email 4: Special offer (10% off) Email 5: Re-engagement (last chance for offer)
Opens and clicks for welcome series are 40% to 60% higher than regular campaigns. Use this opportunity aggressively.
Abandoned Cart (2 to 3 emails)
Trigger: Customer adds to cart but leaves Timing: 1 hour, 24 hours, 48 hours
Email 1: “You left something behind” + cart contents Email 2: Social proof or testimonials Email 3: Incentive (discount or free shipping)
Abandoned cart emails recover 10% to 30% of lost sales. Essential campaign.
Post-Purchase (2 to 4 emails)
Trigger: Purchase completed Timing: Immediately, day 2, day 5, day 15
Email 1: Order confirmation + tracking Email 2: Product tips or usage guide Email 3: Customer success story Email 4: Cross-sell or upsell
Post-purchase emails build repeat customers. This series matters for lifetime value.
Win-Back Campaign
Trigger: Customer has not purchased in 60-90 days Timing: Day 1, day 7, day 14
Email 1: “We miss you” + personalised recommendations Email 2: Stronger incentive (15% discount) Email 3: Last chance messaging
Win-back campaigns re-engage lapsed customers before they disappear forever.
Our comprehensive guide on Shopify email flows covers these flows in detail plus 10 additional sequences.
Step 4: Segment Your Email List
Sending the same email to everyone is waste. Segmentation increases relevance and conversion.
Segmentation Strategies
By purchase behavior:
- High-value customers (spent over $500)
- Repeat customers (purchased 2+ times)
- New customers (purchased in last 30 days)
- Lapsed customers (purchased 60+ days ago)
By product interest:
- Viewed but did not buy
- Purchased specific product category
- Likely to buy complementary products
By email engagement:
- Opens emails consistently (send to them more)
- Never opens (send less frequently)
- Just subscribed (nurture aggressively)
By customer attributes:
- Geographic location (for location-specific offers)
- Customer type (B2C vs B2B)
- Device type (mobile vs desktop)
By lifecycle stage:
- Prospects (not yet customers)
- New customers (first 30 days)
- Regular customers (making repeat purchases)
- VIP customers (top 10% by value)
Segmentation seems complex. Start simple: separate VIP from everyone else. Send VIPs better offers, more frequent emails, exclusive content.
Step 5: Craft High-Converting Email Copy
Not all emails convert. Copy matters.
Email Copy Framework
Subject line: Make them want to open
- Curiosity: “This trick increases conversions by 40%”
- Benefit: “Save 20% on all orders today”
- Urgency: “Only 4 hours left”
- Personalization: “[Name], your exclusive offer”
Open rates: Test 3 to 5 subject lines. Pick winner.
Preheader text: Continues the subject line
- Most people see subject + preheader before deciding to open
- Make it count: “See your 20% discount inside”
Body copy:
- Short paragraphs (1 to 3 sentences max)
- Benefit-focused (not feature-focused)
- Single strong CTA (one main button)
- Mobile-optimised (test on phone)
Call-to-action button:
- Action-oriented: “Get 20% Off” not “Click Here”
- Contrasting color
- Above the fold (no scrolling to find it)
Step 6: Optimise Email Performance
Email metrics reveal what works and what does not.
Key Email Metrics
| Metric | Benchmark | What It Shows |
|---|---|---|
| Open rate | 20% to 30% | Subject line effectiveness |
| Click-through rate | 2% to 5% | Email content engagement |
| Conversion rate | 1% to 3% | Landing page effectiveness |
| Unsubscribe rate | Under 0.5% | Email frequency/relevance |
| Revenue per email | $1 to $5 | Actual business impact |
Track these monthly. Improve underperforming campaigns.
Testing Strategy
A/B test one element per campaign:
- Subject line (email 1 goes to 50%, email 2 to other 50%)
- Send time (afternoon vs morning)
- CTA button text
- Email length (short vs long)
Run test for 5,000+ sends before declaring winner.
Step 7: Focus on List Growth and Engagement
A list only grows if people stay subscribed and others join.
Reducing Unsubscribe Rates
Common reasons people unsubscribe:
- Too many emails (frequency)
- Irrelevant content
- Poor email design
- Boring subject lines
- Unclear sender identity
Solutions:
- Let subscribers choose frequency (weekly, bi-weekly, etc.)
- Segment to send relevant content
- Test subject lines relentlessly
- Make sender clear and consistent
- Always include unsubscribe (required by law)
Growing List
Do not just manage existing list. Grow it.
- Add email signup to every page
- Make lead magnets irresistible
- Run paid campaigns to build list
- Promote via social media
- Offer discount for subscribing at checkout
A 10% monthly growth rate doubles your list in 7 months.
Step 8: Integrate Email with Other Channels
Email works better when combined with other channels.
Channel Integration
Email + SMS: Send important time-sensitive messages via SMS. Use email for deeper content.
Email + Social: Share blog posts to social, capture emails for deeper nurturing.
Email + Product: Add product recommendations to emails. Use email data to recommend products.
Email + Blog: Every blog post should have an email signup. Blog readers become email subscribers.
Our post on Shopify content marketing explains how to connect blog and email strategies.
Step 9: Measure Email ROI
Email ROI is simple to calculate but often ignored.
Email ROI Calculation
Email revenue – Email platform cost = Net profit from email
Example:
- 5,000 email subscribers
- Average revenue per subscriber per month: $5
- Monthly email revenue: $25,000
- Klaviyo cost: $100
- Net profit from email: $24,900
This is why email is the highest-ROI channel. Platform cost is negligible compared to revenue.
Our guides on Shopify analytics and Google Analytics GA4 cover comprehensive email tracking.
Step 10: Build Long-Term Customer Relationships
Email is not transactional. It is relational.
Long-Term Email Strategy
Year 1: Build list, establish core flows, discover audience preferences
Year 2: Expand flows, refine segmentation, increase frequency
Year 3+: Advanced personalisation, predictive content, lifetime value optimisation
Stores that invest in email for 3+ years have email lists generating 20% to 40% of total revenue.
Our guide on Shopify customer lifetime value explains how email drives repeat customers and long-term value.
Common Email Marketing Mistakes
| Mistake | Impact | Prevention |
|---|---|---|
| No email list strategy | No growth | Focus on list building |
| Sending same email to everyone | Low conversion | Segment your list |
| Too infrequent (less than weekly) | List disengagement | Email at least weekly |
| Too frequent (daily) | High unsubscribe | Never more than daily |
| Poor mobile design | Bounces and marks as spam | Test on mobile always |
| No re-engagement campaigns | Dead list growth | Win-back campaigns |
| Overly salesy tone | Unsubscribes | 80% value, 20% sell |
| Not testing | Missed optimisation | A/B test every element |
Email Strategy ROI Timeline
Month 1-3: Build foundation
- Audience: 500 to 1,000 subscribers
- Revenue: $100 to $500 from email
- Cost: $0 to $29/month
- ROI: Positive immediately
Month 4-6: Establish flows
- Audience: 1,000 to 5,000 subscribers
- Revenue: $500 to $2,000 from email
- Cost: $29 to $49/month
- ROI: 10:1 to 20:1
Month 7-12: Scale
- Audience: 5,000 to 15,000 subscribers
- Revenue: $2,000 to $10,000 from email
- Cost: $50 to $100/month
- ROI: 20:1 to 100:1
Email gets more profitable as list grows.
Get Professional Email Marketing Support
Building a high-converting email strategy requires list building, flow design, segmentation, copywriting, and optimisation.
Our Shopify conversion rate optimisation service includes email strategy as part of comprehensive performance improvement.
Conclusion
Shopify email marketing strategy is the highest-ROI investment you can make. Build your list. Set up core flows. Segment strategically. Optimise relentlessly.
Within 12 months, email will be generating meaningful revenue automatically. Within 24 months, it will be your most profitable channel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I start email marketing if I have no list? A: Start with email capture on website. Offer discount for first signup. Grow list while building email flows.
Q: How often should I email my list? A: Once per week minimum. 2 to 3 times per week is ideal. Daily only if you have highly engaged list.
Q: What email platform should I use? A: Klaviyo for most Shopify stores. It integrates natively and provides advanced automation.
Q: Should I focus on email or paid ads? A: Email. Higher ROI, owned audience, costs less. Build list first, then invest in paid ads.
Q: How do I grow my email list fast? A: Lead magnet (discount or guide), website pop-up, blog signup, checkout opt-in, paid ads to grow list.
Q: What is a good email open rate? A: 20% to 30% is solid. 30%+ is excellent. Segment and send relevant content to improve.
Q: Can I make money from email without a product? A: Yes. Affiliate marketing, sponsorships, digital products, services. Email monetises any business.
