Email is an important component - no, it is absolutely critical - of any digital marketing strategy.
So while there are certainly plenty of new and possibly "sexier" marketing tactics out there, email is not going to go away. As the numbers point out, email is not decreasing, it is growing.
Building on that growth starts with having the right email marketing software. By building your business with the right tools, you can communicate, interact, and sell to your customers in the most efficient and profitable way possible.
To help you do this, we have put together a handy email marketing software guide for eCommerce merchants.
We will shed light on what you need to consider when choosing a solution, and share reviews of the top email marketing solutions on the web. Plus, you'll get some helpful tips on how to find and select the best system for your business.
What is email marketing software?
Email marketing software is exactly what it sounds like - it is an application or solution that can drive your email marketing efforts.
At the most basic level, email marketing solutions offer you the capabilities to grow and communicate with your subscribers. The main features of the software usually include:
- Email editors
- Templates
- Automated responders and programmers
- Form builders
- Reports and analysis
The most advanced solutions even offer marketing automation and customer segmentation so you can create custom campaigns at scale.
The main factors to consider when choosing a solution
Now that we've covered the basics of email marketing software, let's discuss the main considerations to keep in mind when buying a solution.
Below are some of the most important things to keep in mind when choosing your email marketing software.
Your needs and preferences
This should be obvious, but not everyone takes the time to really solve their needs. Before researching a solution, make sure you are clear about your email marketing requirements.
Factor in things like:
- The size of your list
- The types of messages you will send
- The KPIs and metrics you use to measure success
- The automation capabilities you need
- The templates and designs you want to use
When you have a clear idea of what you need and want in a solution, researching and narrowing down your options becomes much easier.
For example, if you know you are going to send automated responders, drip campaigns, and sales emails, then you will set your views on email marketing platforms that support these types of messages. Or if you already have an idea of the email design templates you want, you can focus on solutions that make it easy for you to implement those templates.
Your industry and type of business
Certain email marketing solutions are more targeted to specific types of businesses. Some applications may work well for e-commerce, while others are more suitable for service providers such as coaches or speakers. Then there are the ones that work well across various fields.
It goes without saying that you should opt for email marketing software that is right for your business. This is particularly important when your industry sees above-average complaints of abuse.
Examples include companies that sell pharmaceuticals or companies that sell gambling products.
Be sure to read a provider's terms and conditions before registering, so you can ensure that the solution is compatible with your type of business and industry.
MailChimp, for example, has the following section in its Acceptable Use Policy that lists the industries it does not work with.
Some industries have above-average complaints of abuse, which can compromise the deliverability of our entire system. Nothing personal, but in order to maintain the highest possible delivery rates for all of our Members, we cannot allow companies offering these types of services, products or content:
- Escort services, mail order bride / spouse search engines, international marriage brokers and other similar sites and services
- Sites or services of connection, swinger or sexual encounter
- Pharmaceutical products
- Work from home, earn money online and lead generation opportunities
- Gambling services or products
- Multilevel marketing
- Affiliate Marketing
- Credit repair and get out of debt opportunities
- List of brokers or list rental services
- Sell "likes" or followers to a social media platform
Watch out for similar wording when considering email marketing solutions. It will save you a lot of time because the last thing you want is to create an account with a software provider only to discover that they are not compatible with your industry.
Budget
There is email software for almost any budget. Do your research and compare different pricing plans so that you are getting the most bang for your buck.
Most email marketing solutions use the SaaS model and offer tiered pricing based on your list size, your email volume, the features you need, or all of the above.
Email delivery
Most email service providers (Gmail. Yahoo, etc.) look at a sender's IP reputation when filtering messages for spam. When using email marketing software, you will use your provider's IP address, which is shared by your users.
As such, you should choose a solution that has a good IP reputation. Fortunately, most reputable email marketing software handles their sender reps. Software providers often have systems to prevent abuse.
For example, MailChimp has a system called Omnivore that checks imported email lists for spam traps. Meanwhile, ConvertKit has a tool called L ist Goal that monitors your email list for delivery, non-subscribers, daily subscriber counts, and suspicious activity, and then gives you a warning when it detects something wrong.
Your technical skills
Are you familiar with the "technical bits" of email marketing or prefer not to deal with the technical side of things? Are you willing to get your hands dirty when it comes to configuring your email layouts and settings, or do you prefer these things to be done for you?
Whatever the case, find email marketing software that suits your tech skills. If you want a simple interface that requires zero coding, go for a system that provides a drag and drop interface.
On the other hand, if coding is your jam and you want full control over the look, feel, and settings of your emails, then find a developer-friendly email marketing provider that allows you to customize your content. heart.
Your support needs
Customer service is another important consideration. When dealing with customer service issues, do you prefer to have phone conversations or are you satisfied with live chat and email? Are you the type who prefers to find answers yourself using an online offline knowledge base or forum?
When looking for a provider, be sure to search their customer service offers and reviews so you can get the support you need, in whatever format you feel comfortable with.
Integrations
Email marketing shouldn't work in a vacuum. To make the most of your marketing efforts, you'll want to connect email to other components of your business, such as your e-commerce site, CRM, POS system, and more.
When your various systems are "talking" to each other, data flows seamlessly from one platform to another, leading to greater efficiency.
For example, instead of re-entering customer data from, say, your POV to your email software, you can connect the two platforms together so that you can register users to your mailing list at the point of sale.
Or, instead of manually adding photos and product descriptions to your messages, you can choose to connect your email marketing software to your e-commerce site and automatically import products.
The bottom line: integrations minimize the need for double entry and maximize your productivity. That is why it is best to choose an email marketing solution that can connect to the systems you already have.
Email Marketing Software Comparisons and Reviews
There are plenty of email marketing solutions out there. Finding the right one for your business can be a daunting task, but it's a must if you want your email initiatives to succeed.
To make this easier, we've put together a sneak peek at the most popular email marketing software on the market.
Hopefully this will serve as a solid starting point for your search.
Mailchimp
MailChimp is a marketing automation platform that covers online advertising, landing pages, customer management, and of course, email marketing. (For the purposes of this guide, we'll focus more on the email marketing side of things.)
Mailchimp started in 2001 as a side project. Its founders Ben Chestnut and Dan Kurzius established a web design agency called the Rocket Science Group, and Mailchimp was one of their offerings. That project grew tremendously, and today Mailchimp has millions of clients and is 100% owned by the founder.
Key features
Here are some of the main features of Mailchimp's email marketing suite:
Drag and drop build er: Need to create and send beautifully designed messages without writing a single line of code? Mailchimp has tons of templates, as well as a drag and drop builder that takes the effort out of email design.
Content Studio - The solution also offers you a library where you can store and manage images and files. This is particularly useful for eCommerce merchants who want to display their product photos in their emails.
Automations : Mailchimp allows you to create automatic email flows, such as welcome strings, abandoned cart flows, and much more.
Reports: Mailchimp's analytics features allow you to track and measure everything from your open rates to clicks and sales. Statistics are kept in real time, which means you can get minute reports wherever you are.
Application Mobile - Speaking of which, you can also create, run and test your campaigns from anywhere, thanks to MailChimp mobile application that gives you access to the powerful features of MailChimp even when you're moving.
Integrations
Mailchimp has hundreds of integrations, and you can browse its plugin market here.
Below are some of the notable eCommerce integrations:
- Great Poster
- Ecwid
- BigCommerce
- 3dcart
- Magento
- Woocommerce
- ShipStation
- Yotpo
- Drupal
Prices
Mailchimp has the following pricing plans:
The free plan at $ 0 per month: up to 2,000 contacts, 7 marketing channels, 1-click automations and basic templates.
The Essentials plan at $ 9.99 per month - up to 50,000 contacts, and everything in the free plan, plus all email templates, A / B testing, branding, and 24/7 customer support.
The standard plan at $ 14.99 per month: up to 1,000,000 contacts and everything in the Essentials plan, plus event-based automation, retargeting announcements, custom templates, and advanced analytics.
The Premium plan at $ 299 per month - Up to 200,000 contacts, and all in advanced segmentation of the Standard plan, multivariate testing, unlimited seating and phone support.
Mailchimp ratings and reviews
Mailchimp has incredibly high marks (4.4 stars and up) from most review sites except TrustPilot, where it is rated 1.5 stars. Here's a breakdown of Mailchimp's ratings across the web:
- Merchant Maverick - 4.5
- PCMag - 4.5
- Capterra - 4.5
- G2 - 4.5
- GetApp - 4.48
- Trustpilot - 1.5
Mailchimp Professionals
- Easy to use
- Lots of features at a reasonable cost
- Security and privacy value
- Many integrations
Mailchimp cons
- No phone support for non-premium plans
- Reports are not as sophisticated as world-class marketing automation platforms
- There are reports of sudden account suspension users
Campaign Monitor - CM Commerce
Another well-established brand in the field of email marketing, Campaign Monitor is part of the marketing technology firm CM Group, which offers more than 250,000 customers the tools they need to level up their email marketing.
Next, we'll take a look at CM Commerce, the company's offering targeted specifically at e-commerce merchants.
Key features
CM Commerce is Campaign Monitor's e-commerce focused platform. It comes with features like:
Workflows : CM Commerce offers prebuilt email workflows and automation recipes to make it easier for you to welcome new customers, capture abandoned cars, track orders, and ask people for feedback.
Newsletters - Do you want to keep your subscribers updated and informed with what is happening in your business? CM Commerce has a handy newsletter function to help you do that.
Receipts - The solution also has a receipt functionality that makes it easy to sell and cross-sell to existing customers after they make a purchase.
Segmentation: CM Commerce optimizes customer segmentation through its segmentation function. The tool makes it easy to identify new buyers, expired customers, and loyal customers so you can take your campaigns accordingly.
Visual Product Reviews : CM Monitor allows your customers to easily upload photos of their purchases. And the interesting part is, you can take that user-generated content and embed it on your site, as well as your email campaigns.
Integrations
CM Commerce connects to various shopping carts and e-commerce applications, including:
- Shopify
- Woocomerrce
- BigCommerce
- ATM
- Smile.io
- Justuno
- OptinMonster
Prices
CM Commerce pricing plans are based on the number of active contacts (that is, unique email addresses) subscribed to your list. The 3 price levels of the company are listed below, with their respective starting prices. (Note that these costs may go up, depending on how many people are on your list)
Starter at $ 9 per month - Send 5,000 emails to 500 people (to get started). Plus, access to all major email marketing features, eCommerce integrations, abandoned cart emails, receipts, automations, analytics, and coupons.
Growth to $ 29 per month - Send unlimited emails and access to all Starter plan features, plus visual product reviews, customer comment surveys, and social test widgets.
Professional at $ 49 per month - Send unlimited emails, and access everything in the growth plan, plus phone support, priority email support, dedicated account managers, and onboarding consultation.
Campaign Monitor ratings and reviews
CM Ecommerce is relatively new, so there aren't a lot of evaluations for it yet. But these are the Campaign Monitor ratings:
- Merchant Maverick - 5
- PCMag - 4.5
- Capterra - 4.6
- G2 - 4
- GetApp - 4.59
- Trustpilot - 2
Campaign Monitor Professionals
- Intuitive interface
- Excellent client service
- Top-notch features
- Excellent email templates
Cons of Campaign Monitor
- Complicated prices
- There are not many integrations
- Importing contacts may not be an easy process
Constant contact
Constant Contact had humble beginnings. Founded in 1995 in a small attic, the company's founders "envisioned an online marketing tool that would help small businesses, nonprofits, and individuals reach a broader audience without breaking their marketing budget."
Fast forward almost 25 years later, and Constant Contact could be said to have been a tremendous success. With more than 250,000 clients, Constant Contact is a leading player in email marketing, especially for small businesses. And today, the company has expanded its offerings to websites, social media marketing, and more.
Key features
Constant Contact's remarkable capabilities include:
Email Editor - Constant Contact offers a drag and drop email editor and various templates to help you create well-designed, branded emails that look and work great on desktop and mobile devices.
Email Marketing Automation - The solution lets you create multiple automated email flows, including welcome messages, trigger-based emails, auto-send to non-openers, and more. Constant Contact also has list segmentation features that allow you to tailor your campaigns to the right people.
Ecommerce or Email Marketing - The platform also has tools built specifically for eCommerce merchants. These include web store integrations, email coupons, Google and social ads, and more.
Contact Management : Easily upload your email list from Excel, Outlook, Salesforce or any other solution. Constant Contact automatically handles subscription cancellations, bounces and inactive emails, you can keep your list clean and tight.
Reports: Constant Contact provides real-time analytics to provide you with information on your open rates, clicks, and email shares. You can even segment your list based on the content they interact with.
Email Plus - The platform offers more advanced email marketing features to give you the ability to send polls and surveys, collect donations, create dynamic registration forms, and promote your events.
Integrations
Below is a partial list of Constant Contact's complementary partners, but you can check the full market here .
- Shopify
- BigCommerce
- WooCommerce
- Magento
- Volusion
- Great Poster
Prices
Constant Contact offers a free trial and two pricing plans:
Email, starting at $ 20 a month - Please note this rate is for users with 0-500 subscribers. It will go up depending on how big your list is. This plan comes with unlimited emails, templates, basic e-commerce, pop-up forms, list segmentation, email automation, and more.
Email Plus, starting at $ 45 per month - As with the "Email" plan, your costs will go up after 500 subscribers. Email Plus users enjoy all the benefits of the email plan, plus automations, A / B testing, dynamic content, surveys, event marketing, coupons, and more.
Constant contact reviews and feedback
Constant Contact has some decent reviews across the board. Take a look below:
- Merchant Maverick - 3.5
- PCMag - 4
- Capterra - 4.3
- G2 - 4
- GetApp - 4.2
- Trustpilot - 3.7
Constant contact professionals
- Easy to use
- Lots of template
- Tons of features
- Great editing tools
Cons of constant contact
- High monthly fees
- Persistent sales people
- Difficulty canceling membership
SendinBlue
Built for small and medium businesses, SendinBlue started as a digital agency that wanted to improve marketing for SMEs. Although relatively new to the landscape, SendinBlue has already made its mark, and currently serves more than 80,000 companies,
Key features
SendinBlue offers a variety of tools, including email marketing, SMS marketing, chat, and CRM. For this guide, we'll specifically look at the platform's email offerings.
Responsive designs - S endinBlue has over 70 free templates that automatically adapt to various screens. Can't find the template you want? Don't worry, SendinBlue allows you to design your own, for a truly unique look. All templates come with GDPR-free boiler plates, so you can keep an eye on the privacy of your subscribers.
Transactional Emails- Transactional emails, such as order confirmations, are essential in eCommerce, and SendinBlue has specific tools to create and optimize these messages. You can configure your messages using various options, including API, SMTP, Relay, e-commerce plugins, or marketing automation.
G Marketing Automation - Create workflows that automatically send messages based on specific triggers. SendinBlue also has an "automatic conversion machine" that incorporates lead scoring. This allows you to configure more advanced and personalized workflows based on individual behaviors and needs.
Segmentation - Cut and cut your lists in various ways. SendinBlue's list targeting features include grouping similar contacts as well as targeting users based on demographic and behavioral data.
Integrations
Below is a partial list of SendinBlue plugins, but you can go through the company's plugins page to see the full list.
- Magento
- WooCommerce
- Prestashop
- Shopware
Prices
SendinBlue has 5 pricing plans, including:
Free - This allows you to send 300 emails per day to unlimited contacts. Features include Responsive Email Designer, Template Library, Email Customization, List Segmentation, Transactional Emails, Automated Workflows, and more.
Lite, $ 25 per month - You are allowed to send 40,000 emails per month. You will enjoy all the free functions and no daily shipping limit.
Essential, at $ 39 per month - Allows you to send 60,000 emails per month. You'll enjoy all the features of Lite, plus removing the SendinBlue logo from your email and accessing advanced reports.
Premium, at $ 66 per month - Send 120,000 emails per month and get access to all Essentials features, plus landing pages, marketing automation, chat, and multi-user access.
Enterprise, with quote available upon request: all Premium features plus over 10 seats, managed setup and support, dedicated account manager, dedicated infrastructure, priority shipping, and SSO (SAML)
SendinBlue Ratings and Comments
SendinBlue has excellent ratings from both professional review sites and users alike, so the solution looks promising.
- Merchant Maverick - 4.5
- PCMag - 4
- Capterra - 4.3
- G2 - 4.5
- GetApp - 4.26
- Trustpilot - 4.5
Pros of SendinBlue
- Low cost
- Free plan forever
- Tons of features
- Excellent client service
- Numerous templates
Cons of SendinBlue
- There are not many integrations
- The interface seems outdated
- Declunky account settings
GetResponse
With more than 350,000 customers in 183 countries, GetResponse is no stranger to the world of email marketing. The company has been around for over 15 years, and like the aforementioned platforms, it offers solutions beyond email marketing, including funnels, landing pages, and webinars, just to name a few.
Key features
Notable GetResponse features include:
Email or Mail Editor - This should be a fact, but GetResponse also offers an easy-to-use email editor with drag-and-drop functionality and templates, so you don't have to design emails from scratch.
Various types of emails : GetResponse allows you to create and send different types of emails, such as one-time broadcasts, automated responses, automated email flows, segment-specific messages, perfectly timely emails, and automated blog summaries.
Segmentation and Personalization - Customize your messages with dynamic content, also known as "Smart HTML," which enables you to deliver custom images, CTAs, and content based on each user's behavior and preferences.
Split Reports and Tests - Monitor results and keep tabs on metrics like openings, clicks, bounces, mobile views, email performance comparison, and more.
Integrations
You can view the full library of GetResponse integrations here, but a quick list is shown below for your reference.
- BigCommerce
- AmazonPayments
- Etsy
- Magento
- Opencart
- Prestashop
- Shopify
Get GetResponse Ratings and Feedback
GetResponse ratings and reviews range from good to great. Here is a breakdown of how other websites have rated the solution:
- Merchant Maverick - 4
- PCMag - 4
- Capterra - 4.1
- G2 - 4
- GetApp - 4.14
- Trustpilot - 3
GetResponse Professionals
- Easy to use
- Tons of features
- Many integrations
Cons of GetResponse
- No refunds
- Customer service
- Not a ton of analysis
- Obsolete templates
Tips for selecting the best email marketing software for your eCommerce business
As previously discussed, there are plenty of email marketing software out there and the platforms above are just the tip of a big iceberg. To help you narrow down your search, here are a few steps you can take to zero on the right email marketing solution for your business.
Go through your own inbox
Browse your own inbox and identify companies with great email marketing. Maybe there is a brand whose email designs are top notch. Maybe you know of a company that sends perfectly timed emails with lots of relevant content.
Take a closer look at your campaigns and the messages they send, and see if you can find the email marketing platform that powers your initiatives.
Talk to other entrepreneurs
Leverage your own network and ask other eCommerce merchants about their email marketing solutions. In addition to the entrepreneurs you already know, you can connect with other online merchants through ways such as:
- Facebook groups
- LinkedIn groups
- Brains
- Online forums and message boards
Read professional and user reviews
Take a look at the ratings and reviews of both professionals and regular users. Professionally written reviews offer a lot of value, because they often come from experienced software writers who have tested the software and compared it to other solutions.
Meanwhile, user feedback gives you access to the perspective of other merchants and can often shed light on a vendor's customer care offerings.
In terms of resources, you can consult:
- Merchant Maverick ( articles are written by professionals but you will find no user ideas in the comments section
- Capterra (ideal for software comparisons and user reviews)
- PCMag (reviews are written by professionals who have tested the software)
- Trustpilot ( offers a compilation of user reviews)
Call them
There is just so much you can learn from browsing the web and reading comments. To learn more about the software you are considering, call the solution provider and get your questions answered by a real person.
If possible, aim to speak to someone in the customer service department rather than sales, so they can evaluate a company's customer service.
Take a free trial or demo
The best way to evaluate an email marketing solution is to use it yourself. Most solutions offer free trials or demos, so take advantage of these opportunities.
Sign up for a free account and play around with the solution. Test the features by exploring templates, composing your own messages, and setting up campaigns.
Doing so will allow you to assess how intuitive the software is and whether or not it is a good fit for your business.
Need help navigating the e-commerce landscape?
Finding the right solutions for your eCommerce business is not always easy. If you need expert advice on how to navigate the landscape, contact us and let's talk about how to boost your business.
ecommerceguide.com
