Shopify Newsletter Guide: Setup, Apps & Best Practices

For a full look at the automation tools available beyond Shopify Email: including Shopify Flow, Klaviyo, and Omnisend: see our guide to Shopify marketing automation apps and workflows.

Shopify Email vs Klaviyo vs Omnisend: Which Should You Use?

Before setting up your first campaign, you need the right tool. The three most common choices for Shopify stores are Shopify Email, Klaviyo, and Omnisend. Each fits a different stage of business growth.

The practical decision rule: start on Shopify Email when you launch. It costs nothing extra, it's already in your admin, and it handles your first 10,000 emails per month for free. Once you need automation flows beyond basic welcome emails, or once your list grows past 500 active subscribers, move to Klaviyo (for deeper Shopify analytics and flow logic) or Omnisend (if you want to run SMS alongside email without a separate platform).

How Do You Set Up a Newsletter on Shopify?

Shopify has a built-in email tool called Shopify Email that lets you create and send newsletters directly from your Shopify admin. It includes 10,000 free emails per month, with additional emails costing $1 per 1,000. For most small-to-medium stores, this covers your needs without any third-party app.

To set up your first newsletter:

1. Go to Marketing > Campaigns in your Shopify admin.
2. Click Create campaign > Shopify Email.
3. Choose a template: Shopify provides templates for product announcements, sales, restocks, and branded newsletters.
4. Customize the design with your brand colors, logo, and product images using the drag-and-drop editor.
5. Write your subject line and preview text (keep subject lines under 50 characters for mobile).
6. Select your recipient segment or send to your entire subscriber list.
7. Schedule or send immediately.

Shopify Email automatically pulls product data from your store, so you can insert product cards with live pricing and "Shop now" buttons without manual setup. It also tracks opens, clicks, and revenue per campaign inside your Shopify admin, so you can see exactly which emails drive sales.

How to Build a Shopify Newsletter List

The fastest-growing Shopify email lists use multiple collection points: not just one popup. Here are the four most effective places to capture subscribers on a Shopify store, ranked by conversion volume.

Popup Forms (Highest Volume)

Newsletter popups convert 2-5% of visitors into email subscribers. A well-timed popup is the single highest-volume source for most stores. Most modern Shopify themes (Dawn, Refresh, Spotlight) include a newsletter popup section:

1. Go to Online Store > Themes > Customize.
2. Open the Theme settings panel (gear icon).
3. Look for Popup or Newsletter popup in the sections list.
4. Enable it, set your headline, description, and incentive (e.g., "Get 10% off your first order").
5. Set the display delay: 5-10 seconds or exit intent works best.

For more advanced targeting (show different popups to new vs. returning visitors, trigger based on scroll depth or cart value), newsletter apps like Privy, Justuno, or OptiMonk offer granular control. If you ever need to remove or disable your newsletter popup, the same Theme settings panel is where you turn it off.

Checkout Opt-In (High Quality)

Shopify adds an email marketing consent checkbox at checkout by default. Customers who opt in here are already buyers, which makes this the highest-quality segment on your list. They convert at 3-5x the rate of cold popup subscribers on follow-up campaigns.

To confirm it's active: go to Settings > Checkout > Email marketing in your Shopify admin and verify "Show an option to subscribe" is enabled. Shopify automatically tags these contacts with the "email_marketing" property so any email tool can segment them.

Post-Purchase Thank-You Page

If a customer just bought but wasn't already subscribed, the order confirmation page is a second chance. In your Shopify admin under Settings > Checkout > Additional scripts (or through Shopify's native checkout customization on Shopify Plus), you can add a simple opt-in prompt: "Stay updated on new products and exclusive deals." Customers are in a good mood right after buying, so opt-in rates on this placement are typically 15-25%.

Footer Form (Always-On)

Not every visitor responds to popups. A simple email field in your site footer catches subscribers who scroll to the bottom: these tend to be highly engaged, longer-intent visitors. Conversion rates are lower (under 1% of visitors), but the quality is high. Add a footer signup form in your theme editor under Footer > Newsletter.

Popup Tactics That Boost Signups Above 3%

• Two-step popup: Show a yes/no question first ("Want 10% off?"), then reveal the email field. Two-step popups convert 30% better than single-step forms because visitors mentally commit before seeing the form.
• Test free shipping vs. percentage discounts: Free shipping often outperforms percentage discounts as a signup incentive. A free guide or lookbook works well for brands where education matters (skincare, supplements, tech).
• Show social proof: Adding "Join 5,000+ subscribers" or showing recent signup activity increases trust and conversion rates.

What Are the Best Newsletter Apps for Shopify?

Shopify Email works well for basic newsletters, but stores that need advanced automation, segmentation, or SMS marketing often upgrade to a dedicated platform. Here are the top options and when each makes sense:

• Shopify Email: Best for stores sending fewer than 10,000 emails/month. Free up to that limit, $1/1,000 after. No automation flows, but handles basic campaigns well. Pairs with Shopify Flow for basic automations.
• Klaviyo: The most popular Shopify email app. Free for up to 250 contacts, then starts at $20/month. Includes advanced automation (abandoned cart, browse abandonment, win-back), deep Shopify data integration, and predictive analytics. Best for stores ready to invest in lifecycle marketing.
• Omnisend: Strong alternative to Klaviyo with a more generous free tier (250 contacts, 500 emails/month). Includes SMS marketing in all plans. Paid plans start at $16/month. Good for stores that want email + SMS in one platform.
• Mailchimp: Free for up to 500 contacts. The Shopify integration was rebuilt and now works natively. See our Mailchimp Shopify integration guide for the full setup steps. Best for stores already using Mailchimp for other purposes, but Klaviyo and Omnisend offer deeper Shopify-specific features.

Which should you pick? If you're just starting out, use Shopify Email. It's free, built in, and good enough until you hit 500+ active subscribers. Once you need automation flows: welcome series, abandoned cart recovery, post-purchase sequences: switch to Klaviyo or Omnisend. The migration is straightforward since both apps pull your existing Shopify customer data automatically.

Subject Line Formulas That Get Shopify Newsletters Opened

Your subject line determines whether an email gets opened or ignored. Average ecommerce open rates sit at 15-20%, but stores using proven subject line formulas consistently see 25-35% on standard campaigns. Here are five formulas with Shopify-specific examples for each.

1. Urgency Plus Specificity

Vague urgency ("Don't miss out!") gets ignored. Specific urgency tells the reader exactly what expires and when.

• "Your $20 store credit expires in 48 hours"
• "[Product name] is almost sold out (6 left in stock)"
• "Last day to get free shipping on your next order"

2. The Curiosity Gap

Start a story you don't finish in the subject line. The reader has to open to get the resolution. This formula works best for product stories and behind-the-scenes content, not for straightforward sales emails.

• "We almost didn't release this one"
• "The product our team argued about for 6 months"
• "What 3,000 orders taught us about [your niche]"

3. Social Proof Plus Specific Number

Real numbers build trust. "Our best-seller" is weak. A specific number is credible and stops the scroll.

• "The product 8,000+ customers reorder every month"
• "Rated 4.9 stars by 2,300 buyers. Here's why."
• "Our most reordered item (ordered 14,000 times last year)"

4. Direct Benefit Plus Timeframe

Tell the reader exactly what they'll get and how quickly. Works especially well for new arrivals and launch campaigns.

• "New fall styles: 40 products just added"
• "Get it before the weekend: free 2-day shipping ends Friday"
• "Restock alert: ships within 24 hours"

5. Re-Engagement for Inactive Subscribers

For subscribers who haven't opened in 60-90 days, a soft personal tone outperforms a promotion. You need them to feel noticed, not sold to.

• "It's been a while. Here's what you missed."
• "We saved something for you"
• "Still looking for [product category]? Here's our top pick this season."

Preview Text: Your Second Subject Line

The 40-90 character snippet that appears after your subject line in Gmail and Apple Mail is wasted by most Shopify stores. It either shows "View in browser" or repeats the first line of the email. Treat it as a second subject line that extends the hook:

• Subject: "Your 15% off code expires tonight" / Preview: "Use it on anything in our new fall collection. No minimum order."
• Subject: "We almost didn't release this one" / Preview: "Our most-tested product finally ships next week"

Shopify Email and Klaviyo both let you set custom preview text before sending. Always fill it in. Leaving it blank is giving up free opens.

How to A/B Test Your Shopify Newsletter Subject Lines

A/B testing subject lines is the most reliable way to improve open rates over time. Here is how to run a proper test in Shopify Email and Klaviyo, step by step.

A/B Testing in Shopify Email

1. In your Shopify admin, go to Marketing > Campaigns and click Create campaign > Shopify Email.
2. Build your email as normal, then click Add subject line test before sending.
3. Enter two subject lines (Shopify Email tests subject lines only, not full content).
4. Set the test split: 50/50 is the most statistically clean option for small lists. For larger lists (10,000+), you can test on 20% of subscribers and send the winner to the remaining 80%.
5. Send the test. Results appear in the campaign report under Marketing > Campaigns after 4-6 hours. Look at open rate as the primary metric.

A/B Testing in Klaviyo

1. Create a campaign in Klaviyo and click Add variation in the campaign builder (you can test subject lines, preview text, or full email content).
2. Set your split percentage. For subject-line-only tests, 50/50 works well. For full-content tests where one variation took significant effort, a 70/30 split reduces the risk of the weaker version going to too many subscribers.
3. Set a winner criterion: open rate for subject line tests, click rate for content tests.
4. Set a wait period before automatic winner selection. Four to six hours is enough for most audiences.
5. Klaviyo sends the winning variation to the remaining unsent portion of your list automatically.

What to Test and What Not to Test

Test one variable at a time. If you change the subject line and the preview text simultaneously, you won't know which change drove the improvement. Good candidates for early tests:

• Question vs. statement subject lines ("Is your skincare routine missing this?" vs. "The product 8,000 customers reorder monthly")
• Urgency vs. curiosity for the same campaign
• Personalized (first name token) vs. no personalization
• Emoji vs. no emoji in the subject line

Run each test for at least 2-3 sends before drawing conclusions. A single outlier campaign (holiday, big sale, unusual event) can skew results from a one-off test significantly.

Newsletter Design Best Practices for Shopify Stores

Over 60% of emails are opened on phones, so your newsletter design needs to work on small screens first. A poorly formatted email gets deleted in seconds, no matter how good the content is.

Follow these design rules for better engagement:

• Use a single-column layout: Multi-column designs break on mobile. Stick to one column with stacked content blocks.
• Set font size to 14-16px minimum: Anything smaller is unreadable on phones without zooming.
• Make buttons at least 44x44 pixels: This is the minimum tap target size for fingers. Small buttons get missed.
• Keep image file sizes under 200KB: Large images slow load times and get clipped by Gmail on mobile. Compress with TinyPNG or Shopify's built-in optimizer.
• Put your main CTA above the fold: The first thing readers see should include your key message and a button. Don't bury it below three paragraphs of text.
• Limit to one primary CTA per email: Multiple competing calls-to-action dilute clicks. Pick one goal per send: shop the sale, read the article, or leave a review.

Shopify Email and Klaviyo both let you preview your design on desktop and mobile before sending. Always check both views. What looks great on your laptop can look broken on an iPhone.

Essential Automation Flows for Shopify Newsletters

Manual campaigns are only half the email equation. Automation flows run in the background and generate revenue around the clock. Welcome emails and abandoned cart sequences together account for over 75% of all automation-driven orders in ecommerce.

Welcome Series (3-5 Emails Over 2 Weeks)

This is the first sequence every new subscriber receives. Welcome emails have a 42% average open rate: more than double the rate of regular campaigns. Structure it like this:

1. Email 1 (immediately): Deliver the promised incentive (discount code, free guide), introduce your brand story briefly, and link to your best-selling products.
2. Email 2 (day 2-3): Share social proof: customer reviews, press mentions, or user-generated content. Build trust before asking for a purchase.
3. Email 3 (day 5-7): Highlight your best-selling or most-reviewed products with a clear "Shop now" CTA.
4. Email 4 (day 10-14): Send a reminder that their discount is about to expire (if you offered one). Urgency drives action.

Abandoned Cart Recovery (2-3 Emails Over 48 Hours)

About 70% of online shopping carts get abandoned. A three-email recovery sequence recaptures a significant chunk of that lost revenue:

1. Email 1 (1 hour after abandonment): Simple reminder with the cart contents and a direct link back to checkout. No discount yet.
2. Email 2 (24 hours): Address common objections: mention free returns, shipping speed, or customer reviews for the items left behind.
3. Email 3 (48 hours): Offer a small incentive (5-10% off or free shipping) with a deadline to create urgency.

Post-Purchase Follow-Up

Don't go silent after a sale. Send a thank-you email with order details, then follow up 7-14 days later asking for a product review. Include a cross-sell recommendation based on what they bought. Repeat customers spend 67% more than first-time buyers, so this flow directly affects your bottom line.

How Often Should You Send Shopify Newsletters?

One to two emails per week is the sweet spot for most ecommerce stores. Stores that email once a week see 27% higher open rates than those sending daily. Stores that email less than twice a month see significantly lower revenue per subscriber because they lose top-of-mind awareness.

A practical sending calendar for a Shopify store:

• Weekly: One value-driven newsletter (tips, guides, behind-the-scenes content related to your niche)
• As needed: Product launches, restocks, and flash sales
• Automated: Welcome series, abandoned cart, post-purchase follow-up, and win-back campaigns for lapsed customers

Consistency matters more than volume. Pick a day and time, test it for 4-6 weeks, then adjust based on your open and click-through rates. Tuesday and Thursday mornings (9-11 AM in your customers' timezone) tend to perform best for ecommerce, but your audience may be different.

Newsletter Content Ideas for Shopify Stores

The biggest reason subscribers stop opening emails is boring, repetitive content. If every email is "Buy this product," your list will tune out fast. Mix promotional emails with value-driven content using this ratio: for every promotional email, send two that educate, entertain, or inform.

Content ideas that work for different store types:

• Fashion/apparel: Style guides, seasonal lookbooks, "how to wear" tutorials, behind-the-scenes of your design process
• Health/beauty: Ingredient breakdowns, skincare routines, before-and-after customer stories, myth-busting common misconceptions
• Home goods: Room makeover ideas, organization tips, care/maintenance guides for your products
• Food/beverage: Recipes using your products, pairing guides, sourcing stories, seasonal menus
• Tech/gadgets: Setup tutorials, productivity tips, comparison guides, use-case stories from real customers

The best-performing newsletter content answers a question your customers actually have. Check your customer support inbox, the questions people ask are the topics your newsletter should cover.

How Do You Segment Your Shopify Newsletter List?

Segmentation is the difference between a newsletter that feels relevant and one that gets unsubscribed from. Segmented email campaigns see 14% higher open rates and 100% higher click-through rates than non-segmented broadcasts. Shopify Email and all major apps support segmentation based on:

• Purchase history: Customers who bought a specific product or product category
• Order value: High-value customers (top 20% by lifetime spend) vs. one-time buyers
• Engagement: Subscribers who opened or clicked in the last 30/60/90 days
• Acquisition source: Popup subscribers vs. checkout opt-ins vs. imported contacts
• Location: Country or region (useful for shipping promotions or localized content)

Start with two segments: active customers (purchased in last 90 days) and prospects (subscribed but never purchased). Send different content to each: customers get product recommendations and loyalty rewards, prospects get educational content and first-purchase incentives.

How Do You Measure Newsletter Performance?

Three metrics tell you whether your Shopify newsletter is working:

• Open rate: The industry average for ecommerce is 15-20%. Below 15% means your subject lines need work or your list has too many inactive subscribers. Above 25% is strong.
• Click-through rate (CTR): Average is 2-3% for ecommerce. Below 1.5% means your content or CTAs aren't compelling. Above 4% is excellent.
• Revenue per email: Track this in Shopify admin under Marketing > Campaigns. This is the metric that matters most, it tells you the actual dollar value each newsletter generates.

A/B test one element at a time: subject line, send time, CTA button text, or layout. Run each test for at least 2-3 sends to get meaningful data. Shopify Email and Klaviyo both support native A/B testing.

Deliverability and Compliance Tips

Getting your newsletter into the inbox (instead of the spam folder) matters more than any design trick. Here are the rules that keep your deliverability high and your store out of legal trouble:

• Use double opt-in: Require subscribers to confirm their email address via a confirmation link. This reduces fake signups and spam complaints. Klaviyo and Omnisend support this out of the box.
• Clean your list every 90 days: Remove subscribers who haven't opened or clicked in 90 days. A smaller, engaged list delivers better results (and lower costs) than a large, unresponsive one.
• Authenticate your sending domain: Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for your domain. Shopify Email handles this automatically if you're sending from a Shopify-managed domain. Third-party apps will walk you through the DNS setup.
• Include a physical address: CAN-SPAM and GDPR require your business address in every email. All Shopify email tools add this to your footer automatically.
• Make unsubscribing easy: A visible, one-click unsubscribe link is required by law and also reduces spam complaints. Never hide it or make it difficult to find.
• Get explicit consent: Under GDPR (which applies if you have any EU subscribers), you need clear opt-in consent before sending marketing emails. Pre-checked boxes don't count. Your popup or signup form must clearly state what subscribers are signing up for.

If your open rates suddenly drop below 10%, check your spam score using a free tool like Mail Tester. Common culprits include too many images with too little text, spammy subject lines (ALL CAPS, excessive exclamation marks), or a sudden spike in sending volume.

Common Shopify Newsletter Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)

Even well-planned newsletters underperform when these mistakes creep in. Here are the five most common errors Shopify store owners make with email marketing:

• Sending to unengaged subscribers: Mailing to contacts who haven't opened in 90+ days damages your sender reputation and tanks deliverability for everyone on your list. Segment out inactive subscribers and run a win-back campaign before removing them. A list of 2,000 engaged subscribers outperforms one of 10,000 unengaged ones every time.
• No welcome email: About 74% of subscribers expect a welcome email immediately after signing up. Stores without one miss the highest-engagement moment in the subscriber lifecycle. Set up an automated welcome email before you send your first campaign, it takes 20 minutes in Shopify Email or Klaviyo and runs indefinitely after that.
• Generic subject lines: Subject lines like "Our latest newsletter" or "Check out our new products" don't give readers a reason to open. A/B test subject lines with a specific hook: "Your 10% off code expires in 48 hours" or "The product our customers reorder most."
• Wrong sending frequency: Emailing daily without checking engagement data is guesswork. Watch your unsubscribe rate: if it climbs above 0.5% per send, you're emailing too often or with insufficient value. Under 0.2% per send is healthy for most stores.
• Not testing before sending: A broken layout on iPhone, a missing image, or a link to an out-of-stock product kills results. Always send a test email to your own inbox and check it on mobile before sending to your full list.

Shopify Newsletter Benchmarks to Measure Against

These benchmarks help you gauge whether your newsletter is performing well or needs work. Numbers vary by niche, but these are typical ranges for Shopify email campaigns:

• Open rate: 15-20% is average for ecommerce. Below 15% means your subject lines or list hygiene need attention. Above 30% means your audience is highly engaged.
• Click-through rate (CTR): 2-3% is average. Below 1% means your content or CTA design isn't compelling. Above 5% is strong.
• Revenue per email sent: For stores under $500K annual revenue, $0.05-$0.15 per email is typical. Stores with strong automation and segmentation often reach $0.25-$0.50+ per email.
• Unsubscribe rate: Under 0.2% per send is healthy. Above 0.5% per send is a signal to reduce frequency or improve content quality.
• List growth rate: A healthy list grows 2-5% per month net (new subscribers minus unsubscribes). Below 1% net monthly growth means your signup forms or incentive needs work.

Track these metrics over rolling 30/60/90 day averages rather than per individual send, a single outlier campaign can distort a single-send reading significantly.