Shopify email marketing: the complete guide
Ads rent attention; an email list owns it. A subscriber can be reached again next week, next season and on Black Friday at almost no cost per message, and the first automated flows — welcome, abandoned checkout, thank-you — sell while you work on something else. This guide covers Shopify email marketing from the first sign-up: where subscribers come from, the consent rules, what to send first, which tools to use, and how to tell whether the list pays.
What Shopify email marketing covers
Three connected pieces:
- Capture — popups, signup forms in the footer, checkout and account pages, where visitors become subscribers.
- Consent and storage — Shopify keeps each customer’s email and SMS marketing consent; apps and email tools read it.
- Messages — campaigns and automated flows: welcome, abandoned checkout, post-purchase, win-back. Shopify Email and Marketing Automations cover the basics; dedicated email platforms add deeper segmentation and testing.
The popup is the top of the funnel. If it collects addresses without consent, or the welcome email never arrives, the rest does not matter. Reading: The definitive guide to Shopify email marketing, Email marketing and profitability.
Why the list matters
- Most visitors leave without buying. A sign-up turns an anonymous visit into someone you can bring back.
- Repeat sales are cheaper. Emails to people who already know the store cost a fraction of paid clicks.
- Launches and sales need an audience on day one. A list lets you announce a drop or a Black Friday offer without paying for every click.
- You own it. Algorithms and ad prices change; a consented list stays yours.
Where to collect sign-ups
| Place | Who you reach | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Popup with an offer | First-time visitors | Biggest volume; needs good timing |
| Exit-intent popup | Visitors about to leave | Second chance without interrupting browsing |
| Footer or page form | Visitors who want updates | Low volume, high intent |
| Checkout consent box | Buyers | Ask with an unticked box; buyers are your best subscribers |
| Customer account | Returning customers | Let them manage preferences |
Most stores combine a timed or scroll-triggered popup for new visitors, exit intent on product pages, and the checkout box.
What to offer
The offer decides the sign-up rate more than the design.
- Percentage off the first order — simple and familiar; check the margin arithmetic in the pricing and sales guide.
- Fixed amount off above a minimum order — protects margin on cheap items.
- Free shipping — strong when shipping cost is the main objection.
- A gift with the first order — useful when discounts would cheapen the brand.
- Early access or content — drops, restocks, guides; works for brands that rarely discount.
Give the code an expiry date and a one-use-per-customer limit. Reading: Pop-up promotions, Perfect popup timing and messaging.
Popups without annoying visitors
Popups bring most first-time sign-ups, and most of their success is timing: open after a delay, a scroll or on exit intent instead of in the first second, keep the close button obvious, and be careful on mobile, where Google treats popups that cover the content right after a visitor arrives from search as intrusive. Our popup site covers it in detail: best timing for a discount popup, discount popups for Shopify and exit-intent popups.
Consent and the law
This is not legal advice; check the rules for each country you sell to.
- EU and UK (GDPR, ePrivacy, PECR): consent must be freely given, specific and informed — no pre-ticked boxes, a clear statement of what the subscriber will receive, and an easy way to unsubscribe. Offering a discount in exchange for a sign-up is common, but the marketing purpose must be clear.
- United States (CAN-SPAM): every marketing email needs a working unsubscribe link and your postal address, and opt-outs must be honoured promptly.
- Canada (CASL): stricter than CAN-SPAM — you need express or implied consent before sending, and you must be able to show it.
- SMS (TCPA in the US and similar rules elsewhere): texts need separate, explicit consent; an email opt-in does not cover SMS.
- Mailbox providers: Gmail and Yahoo require bulk senders to authenticate with SPF, DKIM and DMARC, offer one-click unsubscribe and keep spam complaints low.
Shopify records email and SMS marketing consent on each customer and can send a confirmation email before marking someone as subscribed (double opt-in).
Where sign-ups go and what to send first
Sign-ups should land in your Shopify customer list with consent, so every tool connected to the store sees the same subscribers. Then the first flows do most of the work.
Welcome series
- Immediately: the code, how to use it, when it expires.
- Day 2: the brand story and best sellers.
- Before the code expires: a reminder.
Reading: Onboarding email series.
Abandoned checkout and browse
Shopify sends abandoned checkout emails natively; Marketing Automations add abandoned cart and browse flows. Reading: Abandoned cart recovery for your Shopify store, Abandoned cart email series.
After the first purchase and win-back
A thank-you with care instructions or how-tos, a cross-sell a few weeks later, a win-back for customers who have not ordered for a while. Reading: Retention email campaigns, Retention with email funnels.
Campaigns and segments
Send campaigns to segments, not the whole list: buyers vs never-bought, by product interest, by recency. Reading: Email segmentation for your Shopify store, Subject lines, Email campaign design tips, Email templates that convert.
Shopify tools and email platforms
| Need | Shopify Email and Marketing Automations | Dedicated email platform (Klaviyo, Omnisend and others) | Popup app |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collect sign-ups with an offer and triggers | Basic forms | Usually included | Yes |
| Store subscribers with consent in Shopify | Yes | Syncs with Shopify | Creates Shopify customers |
| Welcome, abandoned checkout, win-back flows | Yes, templates | Yes, more control | — |
| Advanced segmentation, testing, predictive data | Limited | Yes | — |
| Cost | Low, included allowance | Grows with list size | Low |
A small store can run on Shopify’s own tools plus a popup; a larger list usually moves to a dedicated platform. Reading: Klaviyo for Shopify merchants, Email automation app picks, SMS vs email, SMS marketing for your Shopify store.
How Pop Up Discount handles it
We build Pop Up Discount, so here is what it does — nothing more.
- A popup that gives your discount code in exchange for an email or phone number; name, email and phone fields, each optional or required.
- Every sign-up becomes a Shopify customer with marketing consent, so Shopify Email, Marketing Automations, Shopify Flow and connected email tools can send the welcome message.
- Triggers: time delay, scroll depth from 10% to 100%, or exit intent; only on the page types you choose; reappears every session or after 3, 7, 15, 30, 90 or 180 days.
- Design: colors, your site’s font, five window sizes, background image, dark mode, seven transitions, full screen on mobile as an option.
- Install: an app embed in the theme editor — no theme code to edit, nothing left behind when you turn it off.
It has no spin-to-win wheel. The free plan shows the popup without limits for two weeks, then on the first three days of each month, up to 250 customers (later sign-ups wait as pending until a one-time $1 per 50 releases them); paid plans are $3.99 or $6.99 a month, or $45.89 and $80.39 a year. Details on the Pop Up Discount page and setup guides on popupsdiscount.com.
Measuring the list
- Sign-up rate — sign-ups ÷ visitors who saw the popup. Compare with your own baseline after each change.
- Code redemption — orders with the welcome code ÷ sign-ups. Low redemption points to a weak offer or a missing welcome email.
- Revenue per subscriber — revenue from email over a period ÷ subscribers.
- Unsubscribes and spam complaints per campaign — rising numbers mean too many or irrelevant messages.
- Order rate on pages with the popup — make sure the popup does not lower purchases while raising sign-ups.
Reading: Email metrics to track, Key metrics to monitor.
Pitfalls
- A popup on the first second of the first page, especially on mobile from search.
- No welcome email, so the code shown in the popup is forgotten.
- A discount deeper than the margin allows on every first order.
- Codes without limits that end up on coupon sites.
- Pre-ticked consent or no consent at all.
- Asking for too much — birthday, gender, interests — before the first order.
- Sending from an unauthenticated domain, so emails land in spam.
Setups merchants run
Welcome offer for first-time visitors. 10% off for an email, after 8 seconds, back after 30 days for those who closed it, with a three-email welcome series.
Exit intent on product pages. Free shipping on the first order for an email, only on product pages, only when the visitor is leaving.
Phone numbers for SMS. Phone required, name optional, separate SMS consent, a welcome text with the code.
Launch list. No discount: “Get early access to the next drop” for an email, shown on the collection that is about to launch.
All email marketing guides
List growth: Email list growth for your Shopify store · Blueprint for list growth · Content marketing for lead generation
Automation: Automated email campaigns · Email funnels · Email automation tools
Campaigns: Product launch email templates · Email campaign strategies · Power of list segmentation
Frequently asked questions
How much does Shopify Email cost?
Shopify’s help center lists 10,000 free emails a month on paid Shopify plans, then a charge per 1,000 emails above that. Check the current rates in your admin before planning large campaigns.
What discount should a welcome popup offer?
Enough to matter, small enough to protect the margin: 10% or a fixed amount on the first order is common, free shipping works when shipping is the main objection. Check the margin arithmetic in the pricing guide before choosing, and give the code an expiry date so it creates a reason to order.
Where do popup sign-ups go in Shopify?
Into your customer list. Each sign-up becomes a Shopify customer with email (or SMS) marketing consent, so Shopify Email, Shopify Marketing Automations and email apps connected to your store can reach them.
Should I ask for an email or a phone number?
Email first for most stores: it is cheaper to send and has looser consent rules. Ask for a phone number when you run SMS campaigns and the audience reads texts — and collect SMS consent separately, because the rules for texts are stricter.
Do I need double opt-in?
Not everywhere, but it gives you proof of consent and a cleaner list. Germany and some other countries expect it in practice. Shopify can send a confirmation email before marking a customer as subscribed.
How do I stop my welcome code from spreading on coupon sites?
Limit the discount to one use per customer, set an end date, and exclude products you never discount. A popup code is meant for new subscribers; treat it as a marketing cost and watch how often it is used compared with sign-ups.
What emails should a new Shopify store send first?
Three automated flows before any campaign: a welcome series for new subscribers, abandoned checkout reminders, and a thank-you after the first order. They run on their own and reach people at the moment they are most likely to buy.
