Mailchimp Shopify Integration: Everything you need to know
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Mailchimp Shopify integration is a crucial step for e-commerce businesses seeking to streamline their marketing efforts and enhance customer engagement. In this guide, NextSky walks you through a quick, efficient, and hassle-free process to integrate Mailchimp with Shopify.
What is Mailchimp Shopify Integration?
Mailchimp Shopify integration links Mailchimp with Shopify, enabling store owners to sync customer data, run targeted email campaigns, and automate marketing workflows. This connection helps businesses streamline communication, personalise customer interactions, and boost revenue through data-driven email marketing.
- Automatic customer data synchronisation between Shopify and Mailchimp.
- Centralised email campaign management within a single marketing platform.
- Marketing automation workflows that save time and reduce manual tasks.
- Personalised customer communication based on shopping behaviour and preferences.
- Improved sales performance through targeted and data-driven email marketing strategies.
=> Read more: Shopify Email vs Mailchimp: Which Tool Should You Choose?
Requirements before connecting Mailchimp and Shopify
Before starting the Mailchimp–Shopify integration, ensure the following requirements are in place.
- An active Shopify store.
- A Mailchimp account with administrator access.
- Permission to install apps in your Shopify store.
- A selected Mailchimp audience list for syncing customer data.
- Paused automation campaigns in Mailchimp (recommended to prevent duplicate workflows during the initial sync).
Preparing these elements in aodvance helps ensure the integration runs smoothly and minimises the risk of data conflicts.
Step-by-step guide to Mailchimp Shopify integration
Step 1: Install the Mailchimp app
Navigate to your Shopify Admin, select Apps → Shopify App Store. In the Shopify App Store, search for Mailchimp: Email Marketing → Add App → Install App. Review access permissions and privacy policies before finalizing the connection to ensure compliance.
- Log in to your Shopify Admin dashboard.
- In the left menu, click Apps and then open the Shopify App Store.
- Search for “Mailchimp: Email Marketing.”
- Select the app and click Add App, then choose Install App to start the integration.
Step 2: Authenticate the connection
After installation, click Get Started or Sign In. Enter your Mailchimp account credentials → Sign In → Allow to grant Shopify access to your contact lists.
Step 3: Configure sync settings
- Select audience: Choose the Mailchimp audience to sync with your Shopify store by clicking the Associated Audience dropdown. If none exists, Mailchimp creates a default list.
- Sync customer tags: Enable Sync All Tags to transfer Shopify customer tags to Mailchimp for campaign segmentation. Alternatively, select specific tags if preferred.
- Map data fields: Customize how Shopify data fields (e.g., email, name, birthday) map to corresponding Mailchimp fields.
- Enable SMS sync (optional): If approved for SMS marketing, activate SMS subscriber sync and select a start date for historical data.
- Click "Sync Now" to initiate the data transfer.
Step 4: Activate the Mailchimp embed app
- During Sync, you’ll see a prompt to enable the Mailchimp Embed App in the dashboard.
- Click Enable → Theme Settings to confirm the App is activated. If disabled or grayed out, enable it and click Save to complete the process.
Step 5: Verify Sync
- Sync time depends on the volume of data stored in the store. Once complete, check your Mailchimp app to ensure products, customers, and orders have synced.
- Promotional codes are updated automatically every few hours, or you can sync them manually as needed.
How Mailchimp and Shopify integration works
Before setting up the integration, it's helpful to understand how Mailchimp and Shopify exchange data. When connected, the two platforms automatically sync key e-commerce data that powers email marketing automation.
- Customer data sync: Mailchimp imports Shopify customer profiles, including email addresses, names, purchase history, and order value. This allows merchants to build highly targeted email segments.
- Order and product synchronisation: Product catalogues, order data, and purchase activity are synced with Mailchimp. This enables features such as product recommendations and post-purchase email automation.
- Behavioural event tracking: Shopper behaviour, such as product views, checkout activity, and purchases, can trigger automated campaigns, such as abandoned cart emails or follow-up messages.
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Real-time campaign personalisation: With synced data, Mailchimp can dynamically personalise emails using product recommendations, purchase history, or location-based offers.
What data syncs between Shopify and Mailchimp
Once the integration is active, Mailchimp continuously syncs store data to support marketing automation. The following data types are typically synced:
Customer information
- Email address
- First and last name
- Phone number
- Marketing preferences
Order data
- Order ID
- Products purchased
- Order value
- Purchase frequency
Product information
- Product name
- Price
- Product image
- Product category
Behavioural events
- Product viewed
- Cart created
- Checkout started
- Order completed
These events allow Mailchimp to trigger personalised email campaigns automatically.
Email automations you should set up after integration
Once Mailchimp and Shopify are connected, you can create automated email campaigns that run in the background and generate consistent revenue.
- Welcome email series: Send a welcome email to new subscribers that introduces your brand and offers a first-purchase incentive.
- Abandoned cart recovery: Automatically remind shoppers who added items to their cart but didn’t complete checkout. A sequence of 2–3 emails often delivers the best recovery rates.
- Post-purchase follow-up: After a purchase, send order follow-ups, product care instructions, or cross-sell recommendations.
- Product recommendation emails: Use purchase history and browsing behavior to recommend relevant products.
- Customer re-engagement campaigns: Reconnect with inactive customers using targeted offers or exclusive promotions.
Customer segmentation strategies in Mailchimp
Segmentation allows Shopify merchants to send highly personalized campaigns instead of generic email blasts.
- New subscribers: Target customers who recently joined your email list with onboarding campaigns.
- Repeat customers: Create exclusive offers for loyal buyers to increase lifetime value.
- High-value customers: Identify shoppers with large order values and reward them with VIP promotions.
- Cart abandoners: Segment customers who abandon checkout and send targeted recovery emails.
How to add Mailchimp Signup Forms to Shopify
Capturing email leads is essential to grow your marketing list. After integrating Mailchimp, you can add signup forms directly to your Shopify store.
- Embedded forms: Place newsletter signup forms in strategic locations, such as your store footer or homepage, so visitors can easily subscribe while browsing your site.
- Popup forms: Show targeted promotional popups that offer incentives—such as discounts or special deals—in exchange for a visitor’s email subscription.
- Landing pages: Create dedicated landing pages specifically designed to capture email subscribers during marketing campaigns or promotional events.
- Discount signup offers: Encourage more signups by providing exclusive discount codes or special offers to customers who subscribe to your email list.
How to track email marketing performance in Mailchimp.
Once Mailchimp is integrated with Shopify, you can monitor several key email marketing metrics to evaluate how effectively your campaigns perform and how they contribute to store revenue.
- Open rate: This metric shows the percentage of subscribers who open your emails, helping you understand how effective your subject lines and sender reputation are.
- Click-through rate (CTR): CTR measures how many recipients click on links within your email campaigns, indicating how engaging and relevant your content is to your audience.
- Conversion rate: This metric tracks the number of email recipients who complete a desired action—such as making a purchase, after clicking a link in your email.
- Revenue attribution: Mailchimp can link campaign interactions to Shopify orders, enabling you to accurately measure revenue from your email marketing efforts.
Advanced tips to maximize your Mailchimp and Shopify integration
Elevate your Mailchimp strategy on Shopify with these expert tips:
- Leverage abandoned cart emails: Create a 2–3 email sequence with compelling calls-to-action to recover lost sales. Include product images and discount offers to entice customers and increase sales.
- Use dynamic content: Personalize emails with customer names, purchase history, or location-based offers to boost engagement.
- Test send times: Experiment with email send times based on time zones or customer behaviour (e.g., post-purchase emails within 24 hours).
- Integrate with Shopify themes: Utilize NextSky's SEO-optimized themes, such as Umino, to ensure fast page loads and support Mailchimp pop-up forms for increased signup rates.
- Track ROI: Utilize Mailchimp's revenue tracking to measure the campaign's impact on store profits.
Case study: A NextSky fashion client integrated Mailchimp with Shopify and used segmented campaigns to target high-value customers. Combining Glozin's fast-performing theme with Mailchimp automation, they achieved a 15% increase in repeat purchase rates within three months.
How to disconnect Mailchimp from Shopify
To disconnect Mailchimp from Shopify, remove the App from your Shopify account and revoke API access in Mailchimp.
Remove the Mailchimp app from Shopify
- Log in to your Shopify account.
- From the left sidebar, click Apps → Mailchimp: Email Marketing.
- Click the three dots in the top-right corner → App Settings.
- Scroll to the bottom of the Settings page and click Uninstall App.
Revoke API access in Mailchimp.
- In your Mailchimp account, click Integrations → Manage.
- Click Other Connections to view additional items (you may need to scroll).
- Click the X next to the Mailchimp for Shopify app.
- In the pop-up dialogue, type 'DELETE' and then click 'Delete' to confirm.
After successfully disconnecting Mailchimp from Shopify, your data will remain in Mailchimp for 30 days.
How to import contact list from Mailchimp to Shopify
- Step 1: Log in to your Mailchimp account and go to Audience. Select the audience you want to export, then click All Contacts > Export Audience. Mailchimp will generate a CSV file containing your contact list, download it to your computer for the next step.
- Step 2: Open the exported CSV file and review the data fields. Make sure they align with Shopify’s required format, including key fields such as First Name, Last Name, Email Address, and Phone Number. Adjust if needed, then save your updated file.
- Step 3: Log in to your Shopify admin panel, and from the dashboard, select Customers in the left-hand menu. This is where you’ll manage and import your contact data.
- Step 4: Click Import Customers at the top-right corner of the Customers page. Choose the CSV file you prepared earlier, then click Upload and Continue. Shopify will begin importing your Mailchimp contacts and update your customer list automatically.
- Step 5: After the import is complete, check the Customers section in Shopify to verify that all contact details have been imported correctly and are displayed accurately. This ensures your customer database is clean, consistent, and ready for marketing activities.
Integrating Mailchimp to Shopify can be the big break that your ecommerce business is looking for. Take your time to explore the app and the benefits it has to offer. If you still have any more questions or conundrums, feel free to contact NextSky for free consulting and solutions for your business.
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