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Shopify Email Design Best Practices: A 12-Point Checklist

Updated , first published · 4 min read

Shopify email design best practices come down to a short list of limits: keep each email under about 200 words, put the main message in the first two scrolls on a phone, never carry the offer only in an image, meet a 4.5:1 contrast ratio for text and the unsubscribe link, and use web-safe fonts. Set your colors, fonts and logo once in template branding, and keep your postal address in the footer where the law requires it.

This checklist gathers the rules from Shopify’s Help Center page on writing best practices, read on October 23, 2026, with the reason for each. Which sections to build an email from is a separate question, answered in Shopify email templates.

The checklist

  1. Under 200 words or about 20 lines. Long emails can be cut off by providers.
  2. Under 102 KB of email code. Gmail hides content beyond 102 KB, so a long email can lose its bottom part, including the footer.
  3. The important part in the first two scrolls on mobile. The offer, the product and the button belong at the top.
  4. At least one link to your store. The email’s job is to send people to the store.
  5. No offer only in an image. Some email clients block images; a “50% off” written only inside a picture disappears for those readers. Put it in text too.
  6. Alt text on every image. It keeps emails accessible and describes the image when it doesn’t load. Link images to the relevant page in your store.
  7. 4.5:1 contrast for text and the unsubscribe link. Shopify requires at least that ratio against the background; the editor warns you when a color fails.
  8. Web-safe fonts only. Shopify Messaging supports only web-safe fonts, so emails render correctly in most inboxes.
  9. Images related to what you sell. Shopify pulls in product and collection images automatically; add your own where they show the store.
  10. Subject line of 3 to 6 words or under 50 characters, written last, with preview text that adds to it. Details are in email subject lines.
  11. No all-capitals text or piles of exclamation marks, and an 8th-grade reading level so the email stays easy to read.
  12. A test email to yourself before sending, to check every link and discount detail.

Gmail clipping is hard to spot from the editor, so send the test to a Gmail address and scroll to the end before you schedule.

Set your template branding once

Template branding applies default colors, fonts and the logo or store name to every future Messaging template. By default it follows your store’s Brand settings and the store name in Settings > General.

  1. Go to Apps > Messaging, click Templates, then Manage branding.
  2. Set colors, fonts and the header logo or store name, checking the preview on the page as you go.
  3. Click Save.

A single email can still differ from the branding, for a seasonal or holiday campaign for example. Shopify also recommends a custom sender email address, which improves deliverability and brand recognition; how sending reputation works is covered in email deliverability.

Accessibility

If the editor shows Adjust unsubscribe link color contrast, the unsubscribe link or another text element is below 4.5:1 against its background. Fix it in Templates > Manage branding by adjusting the colors, and check again with an online contrast checker if you’re unsure.

Add alt text to every image, describing what it shows. Use real text for headings and prices, which screen readers can read and blocked images can’t hide.

Depending on where you are, the law may require a physical postal address in promotional emails. Shopify names the CAN-SPAM Act in the United States and CASL and PIPEDA in Canada as examples, and says the rules vary by location, so check yours.

By default, Messaging puts your store address in the footer. If you’d rather not show your home address, Shopify suggests renting a PO box and entering it as the store address in Settings > General. Know the side effects first: the store address is also the address on your Shopify invoices, and it can affect which apps you can use in your store.

Further guides on lists, campaigns and popups are collected in the email and popups hub.

FAQ

What fonts can I use in Shopify emails? Shopify Messaging supports only web-safe fonts, so that emails render correctly in most inbox providers. Choose them in Templates > Manage branding.

How long should a marketing email be? Shopify recommends under 200 words or about 20 lines, with the important part within the first two scrolls on mobile.

Why is my email cut off in Gmail? Gmail hides content beyond 102 KB of email code, so a long email can be clipped. Shorten it and send a test to a Gmail address.

Do I need my address in marketing emails? Depending on where you are, laws such as the US CAN-SPAM Act and Canada’s CASL may require a physical postal address in promotional emails. Messaging adds your store address to the footer by default, and a PO box can replace it.