Shopify Email vs Mailchimp : Should You Use Mailchimp instead of Shopify Email?

Tony Pham Aug 04 2024

You have a thriving Shopify store and are ready to boost your sales with a powerful email marketing campaign. Now comes the crucial decision: should you use Shopify Email, seamlessly integrated with your store, or opt for the popular MailChimp platform?

Both tools offer unique advantages, and choosing the right one can significantly impact the success of your campaign. In this Shopify Email vs MailChimp article, let’s explore the benefits and features of each to help you make an informed decision.

Why is Email Marketing important in 2024?

Email marketing remains crucial in 2024 due to its high ROI, averaging $44 for every dollar spent. Advances in AI and data analytics enable highly personalized and segmented campaigns, boosting engagement.

Unlike social media, emails go directly to recipients, ensuring visibility. It's essential for customer retention, offering regular touchpoints through newsletters and offers. Modern tools provide powerful automation, saving time and effort, while detailed analytics refine strategies.

Additionally, email integrates seamlessly with other marketing channels, making it a cornerstone of effective digital marketing.

Shopify Email or MailChimp : Which should you choose?

Choosing between Shopify Email and MailChimp depends on your ecommerce business's size, budget, and objectives.

Shopify Email is ideal for users seeking straightforward setup and seamless brand integration at no additional cost. It's a cost-effective choice for small to medium-sized ecommerce businesses or those starting out.

To begin with Shopify Email, install the app in your store and create your first campaign directly from your Shopify dashboard.

On the other hand, MailChimp is suited for those needing advanced features such as detailed segmentation and customized automation, despite potentially higher costs. Larger stores may find MailChimp's robust features worth the investment.

Choose Shopify Email if:

You want seamless integration with your Shopify store, making it easy to sync products, customers, and data.
You prefer a user-friendly, straightforward email marketing tool designed specifically for Shopify users.
You need to create and send email campaigns directly from your Shopify admin dashboard.
You are looking for a cost-effective solution, as Shopify Email pricing is based on the number of emails sent, with a generous free tier.
You want to leverage pre-built email templates that match your Shopify store’s branding and style.

Choose MailChimp if:

You need advanced email marketing features such as detailed segmentation, automation, and A/B testing.
You prefer a platform with a robust analytics suite to track and analyze your email campaign performance.
You want access to a larger library of email templates and design flexibility.
You plan to integrate email marketing with other marketing channels and tools beyond Shopify.
You require sophisticated audience management tools to handle complex customer data and segmentation needs.

Keep reading for more detailed comparison between Shopify Email and MailChimp .

Shopify Email vs MailChimp : At a glance

Shopify Email is an integrated email marketing tool within the Shopify platform, ideal for Shopify store owners seeking a simple, cost-effective solution. It offers easy setup, customizable ecommerce templates, and basic analytics.

On the other hand, MailChimp is a standalone email marketing platform suitable for various businesses, known for its robust features such as advanced automation, A/B testing, and comprehensive analytics.

While Shopify Email provides seamless integration for Shopify users, MailChimp excels with broader compatibility and extensive functionality, including a free tier and scalable pricing based on contact list size.

Pros and Cons

Feature	Shopify Email	MailChimp
Pros	Branded email templates seamlessly integrated Good variety of email campaign and automation templates Up to 10,000 sends per month included with Shopify plan	Sophisticated automation capabilities Email builder includes multimedia and dynamic recommendations Advanced features available on Standard Plan
Cons	Segment building process is cumbersome. Requires paid apps for advanced tools No native A/B testing	Limited free plan, only basic email templates and no automation Transactional and abandoned cart emails count towards limit Subscribers on multiple lists are double-counted

Shopify Email vs MailChimp : Quick Comparison

Sure, here's a quick comparison table for Shopify Email vs. MailChimp across various aspects:

Feature	Shopify Email	MailChimp
Pricing	Free for the first 10,000 emails per month. Each additional email costs $0.001.	One free plan and 3 paid plans: Free: $0/month, limited to 500 contacts Essentials: $13/month for 500 contacts Standard: $20/month for 500 contacts Premium: $350/month for 10,000 contacts
Email Builders & Templates	Customizable templates specifically for e-commerce	Extensive library of templates for various industries
Email Marketing Automation	Basic automation templates and the ability to create custom, manual workflows	70+ ready-made templates and a sophisticated customer journey builder
Segmentation and Targeting	Basic segmentation capabilities	Detailed segmentation and targeting options
Analytics and Reporting	Tracking campaign performance, order monitoring, and marketing funnel behavior	Tracking campaign performance, audience insights, and comparative reporting
Email List Building	No native tools, but includes a free Shopify Forms app	Landing page builder and a form builder
Customer Support	Support is available via email and live chat 24/7, phone support with Shopify Plus	Support available via email and live chat 24/7 for paid plans; email support provided for 30 days with the free plan

Shopify Email vs MailChimp : Detail Comparison

Pricing

One of the most critical factors when selecting an email marketing tool is pricing.

Shopify Email operates on a straightforward pricing model:

Free for up to 10,000 emails monthly

Afterward:

At a cost of $1 USD per 1,000 additional emails up to 300,000 emails.
After you reach 300,000 emails, your pricing is $0.65 USD per 1,000 additional emails.
After you reach 750,000 emails, your pricing is $0.55 USD per 1,000 additional emails.
You aren’t billed for the additional emails until the cost reaches $0.005 USD.

In contrast, MailChimp offers:

Free: Up to 1000 emails per month
Essentials: Starts at $13 for 5000 monthly emails and 500 subscribers
Standard: Starts at $20 for 6000 monthly emails and 500 subscribers
Premium: Starts at $350 for 150,000 monthly emails and 10,000 subscribers

MailChimp is pricier than Shopify Email but offers more features and accessibility. While Shopify Email is ideal for Shopify-based e-commerce businesses, MailChimp suits a broader range of small businesses. However, for larger businesses, MailChimp's costs increase significantly with more subscribers.

Email Builders & Templates

Sure, here's a comparison of the Email Builders & Templates between Shopify Email and MailChimp :

Feature	Shopify Email	MailChimp
Email Editors	Offer modern drag-and-drop editors with pre-built content blocks for easy email creation.	Offer modern drag-and-drop editors with pre-built content blocks for easy email creation. Provides additional content blocks such as video, surveys, customer reviews, and dynamic product recommendations, enhancing email customization options.
Shopify Integration	Shopify Email seamlessly integrates with Shopify, allowing easy access to product details and pricing directly in the email builder.	MailChimp's integration with Shopify includes all product information within the email builder, facilitating quick and efficient email creation with up-to-date details.
Dynamic Content	Shopify Email requires additional apps for dynamic product recommendations.	MailChimp's product recommendation feature enables personalized content blocks based on cart contents, viewed products, best sellers, and more, offering tailored recommendations to recipients.
Template Selection	Shopify Email offers 46 responsive templates tailored for various uses, automatically branded with store colors and logos.	MailChimp boasts a library of 137 templates, though only 7 are available on the free plan, providing extensive options for customization and branding across different industries.
Customization Options	Both platforms support HTML customization for creating custom templates or importing designs from external builders.	MailChimp offers more advanced customization options for templates and branding, suitable for creating highly personalized and branded email campaigns.
Ease of Use	Shopify Email is straightforward and integrated with Shopify's ecosystem, making it ideal for Shopify users looking for simplicity.	MailChimp's interface may initially be more complex due to its extensive feature set, but offers robust capabilities once familiarized with the platform.

Mailchimp stands out more with its flexibility, content diversification, and deep integration with Shopify, while Shopify Email is suitable for Shopify users who want to quickly solve basic email sending problems without spending a lot of money. The choice depends on the specific needs and strategy of each business.

Email Marketing Automation

When comparing Mailchimp and Shopify Email in terms of marketing automation, Mailchimp stands out for its extensive capabilities.

Mailchimp offers a robust customer journey builder with over 70 pre-built templates, allowing businesses to set up automated workflows with ease and flexibility. This user-friendly approach caters to a wide range of automation needs, from basic triggers to complex conditions.

In contrast, Shopify Email provides basic automation templates and relies on Shopify Flow for more intricate workflows, which may require additional setup and technical expertise. While Shopify Email does offer unlimited automation across its plans, the process can be more cumbersome compared to Mailchimp's streamlined interface.

Overall, Mailchimp's rich feature set and intuitive automation tools make it the preferred choice for businesses seeking sophisticated and customizable marketing automation solutions.

Segmentation and targeting

Aspect	Shopify Email	Mailchimp
Segmentation Options	Leverages Shopify’s customer data for segmentation, including customer spend, location, order history, etc.	Comprehensive options: demographic details, acquisition sources, engagement metrics, e-commerce activities, etc.
Refinement of Segments	Supports pre-built segments from Shopify dashboard; lacks a built-in segment creation tool within the interface.	Up to five conditions can be applied per segment, enhancing targeting precision.
Ease of Use	Seamless integration with Shopify’s customer data, simplifying use of pre-existing customer segments.	User-friendly interface with straightforward segment creation and refinement.
Management Challenges	Lacks built-in segment creation tool; relies on Shopify dashboard for pre-built segments.	Double charges for subscribers on multiple lists and manual updates of segments.
Overall Capability	Prioritizes ease of use through integration with Shopify’s customer data, suitable for leveraging pre-existing segments efficiently.	Offers more sophisticated segmentation capabilities with flexible conditions and broader array of segment criteria.

In summary, Mailchimp provides extensive and flexible segmentation options suitable for businesses needing precise targeting capabilities across various criteria. In contrast, Shopify Email excels in leveraging Shopify’s customer data seamlessly for easy integration and utilization of pre-built segments.

Analytics and reporting

Mailchimp and Shopify Email both provide essential analytics and reporting features for email campaigns, but they differ in depth and customization options.

Mailchimp excels with advanced analytics, offering important insights like audience behavior, comparative reporting, and eCommerce integration for tracking sales from campaigns. It supports A/B testing and allows for custom reporting, making it suitable for businesses needing detailed performance metrics.

In contrast, Shopify Email offers basic analytics focusing on open and click rates, with integration directly into Shopify's eCommerce platform for sales tracking. It lacks advanced reporting features like A/B testing and extensive customization options.

Conclusion

For businesses prioritizing comprehensive analytics and customization, Mailchimp is the preferred choice. Shopify Email is ideal for users seeking straightforward reporting integrated with Shopify's eCommerce data.

For more Shopify comparison articles from Nextsky:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Does Mailchimp integrate seamlessly with Shopify?

Yes, Mailchimp integrates seamlessly with Shopify, allowing users to sync their store data and customer information effortlessly for targeted marketing campaigns.

Can you use both Shopify Email and Mailchimp together?

Yes, many businesses use both platforms together. For example, they might use Shopify Email for basic transactional emails and Mailchimp for more advanced marketing automation and segmentation.

Which platform is better for ecommerce businesses: Shopify Email or Mailchimp?

Mailchimp is often preferred for ecommerce businesses due to its advanced features tailored for online stores, such as product recommendations, abandoned cart emails, and detailed customer segmentation.

Do Shopify Email and Mailchimp offer migration tools?

Yes, both platforms offer migration tools to help users import contacts, email templates, and other data from existing email marketing platforms. However, setup and configuration may vary and require some technical knowledge.

Tags:

shopify comparison

Tony Pham

Hello! I'm Tony Pham, a full-stack Shopify, Magento, and WordPress developer with over 12 years of experience in both front-end and back-end development.

Since 2016, I have been proudly working at Nextsky as the Tech Lead, where I continue to enhance my skills and contribute to exciting projects. One of my proudest works is the Agile theme, which passed Shopify's high standard and is currently available on Shopify Theme Store.

I am passionate about researching new technologies and staying updated with the latest trends in the industry. It not only makes my life more fulfilling and exciting but also allows me to bring better service to clients.

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