Top 5 Email Marketing Tools to Boost Your Online Sales
Email marketing is still and always the most effective channel to reach your prospects.
Imagine: you've spent months (or even years) building your audience on Instagram or Facebook, posting content every day, replying to comments, and investing in ads.
The result: your community grows, sales follow, and everything runs like clockwork.
Then, one morning… your account disappears. Closed. Suspended. Blocked. Without clear warning.
And then what? No more access to your subscribers. No way to talk to them. Overnight, you go from thousands of followers to… zero.
It sounds dramatic, but it's not uncommon. Type "Instagram deleted my account" into Google and you'll see: hundreds of entrepreneurs have found themselves overnight without their main communication channel. Ouch… 😨
This is where email marketing comes in. Unlike social media, your email list belongs to you. No one can take it away, and your performance isn't dictated by the whims of a crazy algorithm. Whether you're in e-commerce, coaching, or content creation, it's your most solid and profitable communication channel.
However, be careful, building an email list isn't "collecting emails in Excel."
Oh no!
Today, we have access to powerful tools designed to directly connect online stores with marketing campaigns. You can automate abandoned cart reminders, segment customers based on their purchases and behaviors, and send personalized offers in just a few clicks.
But with the ton of tools available, it's hard to know which one to choose. ActiveCampaign, Omnisend, Drip, Mailchimp, Klaviyo, Brevo, Mailerlite… 😵💫
They are all excellent software, but each has its limitations. For example:
- Mailchimp is known for its simplicity, but it has become increasingly expensive and limited for e-commerce features.
- Drip is an excellent high-end alternative designed for e-commerce, but its prices start quite high and climb quickly with list size, making it less appealing for small stores.
- ActiveCampaign is super powerful, but sometimes too complex (and costly) for a beginner merchant.
In short, the choice must be made according to your stage of growth and your actual needs. That's why I decided to present to you my top 5 email marketing tools for e-commerce :
- Shopify Email (to get started)
- MailerLite (to grow)
- Omnisend (to go further in e-commerce)
- Brevo (the accessible Swiss Army knife)
- Klaviyo (the war machine)
1. Shopify Email : the simple and integrated option to get started
Price : Free up to 10,000 emails per month. Then, $1 per additional 1,000 sends (unlike most tools which charge based on list size + number of sends, here it's charged based on the number of sends only).
Who is it for?
Beginners on Shopify who want to get started without hassle. No need to connect an external tool: everything is already integrated directly into your Shopify admin as soon as you install the app.
What you can do :
- Create visual newsletters directly from the Shopify editor.
- Send simple promotions and segment based on Shopify data (customers, orders, abandoned carts).
- Schedule campaigns quickly, with no learning curve.
- Basic and intermediate automations (e.g., welcome sequence, cart recovery, post-purchase follow-up).
What you can't do :
- Advanced automations are limited (e.g., complex scenarios, ultra-precise segmentation).
- No integration with platforms other than Shopify.
Compatibility : Exclusive to Shopify.
Verdict : Perfect for testing email marketing without stress or budget when you have a Shopify store!
2. MailerLite: affordable flexibility to scale
Price : Free up to 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails/month. Then, approximately $10/month for 1,000 subscribers, and it increases with the size of your list.
Who is it for?
Stores that have started generating sales and want to professionalize their marketing. MailerLite is easy to use, but offers much more flexibility than Shopify Email.
What you can do :
- Basic and intermediate automations (e.g., welcome sequence, cart recovery, post-purchase follow-up).
- Integrated forms and popups to capture emails.
- Landing pages and A/B testing included.
- Integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, WordPress, Zapier, and other tools.
What you can't do :
- Automations remain limited if you want very complex scenarios.
- Reports are decent, but less advanced than on Klaviyo.
Compatibility : Works with Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and more via native integrations or Zapier.
Verdict : Ideal if you want an affordable yet versatile tool to support your growth.
3. Omnisend: designed for e-commerce, without breaking the bank
Price :
- Free: 250 contacts / 500 emails per month.
- Standard: $16/month for 500 contacts (6,000 sends).
- Pro: $59/month for 2,500 contacts (unlimited sends + SMS included).
Who is it for?
E-merchants who want a tool specifically designed for online sales, but which remains simpler and more affordable than Klaviyo.
What you can do :
- Ready-to-use e-commerce automations (abandoned carts, post-purchase follow-up, product reminders).
- Integrated SMS + push notifications.
- Segmentation based on purchasing behavior.
- Templates optimized for online stores.
What you can't do :
- Reports and analytics are less detailed than Klaviyo.
- Less suitable if you want a global CRM vision.
Compatibility : Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Wix, Prestashop, Magento.
Verdict : The middle ground option: more robust than MailerLite, but more accessible than Klaviyo.
4. Brevo: the balance between power and accessibility
Price : Free up to 300 emails per day. Starter plans from $9 to $80 approximately depending on the number of contacts and monthly sends, Business plans available for very large email lists and mass sending.
Who is it for?
E-merchants who want to go further than MailerLite, but without falling into the complexity (and high costs) of Klaviyo.
What you can do :
- Advanced automations (conditional scenarios, dynamic segmentation).
- Integrated CRM to track your prospects/customers directly on the platform.
- SMS marketing included in plans.
- Optional chat tools and WhatsApp campaigns.
What you can't do :
- The editor is a little less "sexy" and intuitive than some competitors.
- Reports are good, but not as advanced as on Klaviyo.
Compatibility : Shopify, WooCommerce, Prestashop, BigCommerce, Wix, and more.
Verdict : It's the "Swiss Army knife" option for those who want robust and flexible automations without breaking the bank.
5. Klaviyo: the e-commerce war machine
Price : Free up to 250 contacts (and 500 sends). Then, approximately $20/month for 500 subscribers, and it increases based on your list and sends. SMS plans are also available.
Who is it for?
Stores that already generate a good volume of sales and want to maximize every interaction with their customers. Klaviyo is recognized as the champion of e-commerce automations.
What you can do :
- Create ultra-personalized automations (abandoned browsing, upsells, product recommendations based on purchase history).
- Segment with surgical precision.
- Advanced reports and comprehensive e-commerce dashboards.
- Combine emails + SMS marketing on the same platform.
What you can't do :
- It's not the easiest tool to get started with.
- The price can climb quite quickly if your list grows rapidly.
Compatibility : Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Magento, Wix, Amazon.
Verdict : The best option for serious e-commerce businesses that aim for the moon and want to scale and get the most out of their data.
TLDR;
- Shopify Email → free, integrated, perfect for getting started.
- MailerLite → simple, affordable, versatile.
- Omnisend → e-commerce focused, accessible, ideal middle ground .
- Brevo → powerful, multi-channel, good value for money.
- Klaviyo → the e-commerce champion, super versatile, designed to scale.
In short, each tool has its strengths and limitations. The important thing is to choose the one that matches your current stage of growth (and your budget!)
Want to go further?
If you're new to Shopify or want to optimize your store to increase sales, I've created a complete Shopify training that guides you step-by-step. You'll learn how to set up not only your store but also all the basics of marketing, including email marketing.
👉 Discover the Shopify training here
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