All about Shopify marketing automation for more sales

Does Shopify have marketing automation?

Shopify Marketing Automation is a feature within the Shopify platform that allows automations to be set up. It's quite a minimalist offering. But, it is there. Within Shopify, there are several marketing automations to set up. Below is an example:

The envelope icon implies that Shopify email is required to set up automation. Shopify email is another separate integration within Shopify and is fortunately free. To set up email flows, you need “Flow” from Shopify. For automations other than flows, I need yet other apps, making a wide range of apps active in the back-end. Nevertheless, all apps work well together and automated emails can be sent this way. In short, Shopify is marketing automation:

Automated campaigns Actions based on customer behavior, such as sending an email when a customer leaves products in their cart.

Pre-built templates Shopify offers ready-to-use templates for common emails, such as welcome emails, product recommendations, win-back campaigns, and order follow-ups. The design is already ready. You must determine the target audience and fill in the mail with your corporate identity.

Shopify Marketing Automation is ideal for anyone who wants to set up the basics in marketing automation. Think about sending abandoned cart emails, congratulating customers on their birthdays, and winning customers back. Everything goes through a single channel, and that's email.

So what is Shopify marketing automation?

Shopify marketing automation is more than just sending emails. Therefore, the proprietary marketing tools within Shopify are not enough to get the full out of sales. There are several benefits of Shopify marketing automation. Although email marketing is an important part of the automation capabilities, more marketing channels together complete the marketing automation picture. In this chapter, I will discuss all the channels and what tools, if any, are needed to do this.

Shopify email marketing

As discussed above, Shopify has its own Shopify mail, which can be used to easily create automated emails. Also, Shopify mail can be used to create regular newsletters. Is the webshop multilanguage? Then a segment must first be created based on the language of the customer. This way customers are addressed in the correct language. Think of French customers in French and English customers in English. With Shopify email marketing automation, it is easy to set up the basis for email marketing. Think welcome emails, abandoned cart emails and follow-up emails. Want to turn this into a comprehensive email flow? That requires the separate extension “flows”. For the pros, Shopify email has the ability to code the email all by yourself.

Cost of email marketing through Shopify

Each Shopify email subscription includes 10,000 emails per month for free. After this amount has been sent, you will only be charged. Shopify then counts the number of emails sent. For every 1,000 emails you pay 1 USD. This is up to a max of 300,000 emails. Above that, you pay 0.65 cents per 1,000 emails. And when 750,000 emails have been sent, you pay 0.55 USD per 1000 emails.

So the cost depends on how many emails are sent per month.

Shopify and social media

Shopify integrates with platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest, which allow you to:

• Automatically create and track ads.
• Show personalized offers or promotions to specific audiences.
• Can set up dynamic product ads that re-target customers.

With these integrations, all social media metrics are viewable in one platform, along with the other marketing metrics. This can come in handy with analytics. The integration is free to use. Re-targeting current audiences from Meta? Or just create a look-a-like audience based on the top customers? Then you need an integration like Reloadify offers. With this integration it is possible to synchronize specific audiences with Meta Ads, to use as a target audience or to create a look-a-like audience.

Cost Shopify social media

The apps are free to download from the Shopify app store. There is a charge only for ads run through Meta.

Paid advertising through Google (SEA) for Shopify

Shopify offers tools to automate marketing campaigns through Google Ads (SEA). Think automatic search advertising and retargetting. This is an integration with Google Analytics and Google Ads. So you advertise through Google. But the results can be seen back in Shopify. Pretty convenient, because this way all advertising budgets and results can be found in one platform.

SMS marketing for Shopify

Shopify integrates with tools such as Omnisend and Mailchimp for SMS marketing.Think of sending SMS for abandoned cart, promotions and offers or giving customers updates on orders. In the Shopify app store, there are as many as 765 apps that offer SMS marketing.That makes it difficult to choose the “right one.”After all, you don't just want to be able to send SMS with the app. Think about first sending an e-mail, then an SMS, and finally maybe sending a personalized card to the customer. In this way, the entire customer journey is served. And this also ensures that there is not a wir war in different apps. When SMS marketing is a must for the webshop, it is recommended to look at an app that offers all-in-one.

Shopify retention marketing

To complete the marketing automation for Shopify, retention marketing is needed. A retention platform is a tool specifically designed to increase customer loyalty and customer retention within the e-commerce sector. The goal of such a platform is to make existing customers return to an online store, encourage repeat purchases and increase customer lifetime value (CLV).

Types of retention marketing

Some types of retention marketing for Shopify are now covered. These include push notifications, encouraging repeat purchases and setting up a loyalty program.

Push notifications for Shopify

With certain Shopify apps, push notifications are set up, such as:

• Instant notifications about offers or sales.
• Automatic updates on cart activity or product reminders.

Push notifications are again different from SMS. With SMS you really get in the message inbox on your phone. And push notifications you get pontifically in the screen on the phone. A push notification can also be sent on the desktop. It works like this: website visitors visit the website. And are often shown a pop-up on whether the website can send push notifications. When you agree, you get push notifications via phone or desktop. A push notification can be a message about an an exclusive discount. But also about there being items left in the shopping cart.

Stimulate repeat purchases Ideally, you want customers to order from the web shop not once, not twice, but more than once. Letting a customer order from the web shop more often has the advantage that the acquisition costs may decrease. After all, the customer is retained. So attracting new customers may slow down. At the same time, it provides a stable source of income. Encouraging repeat purchases is therefore the most common trend when it comes to retention marketing. Calculate how long, on average, a customer does with a particular product. Think shampoo, dog food or socks. Eventually, the customer needs something new. You are spot on with an email, push notification, text message or perhaps recommendations on the website with just that product.

Loyalty program With a loyalty program, you give customers a bonus to come back. This way they save points that they can spend later. Think of promotions like “get 1 point for every 10 euros.” And with a certain number of points the customer gets €5 euro discount. Such a loyalty program helps to stimulate purchases for current customers. Hence the name “loyalty program.” Make it extra special by attaching different levels to it. Think of a bronze, silver and gold customer. Well-known apps that can be used for this purpose are Tiers or Smile. There are many different apps to use. The most useful thing is to take a good look at how the reward system can be integrated into any other apps.

Integration with external marketing tools

Shopify works with a huge number of apps. Which one is right for your business depends on exactly what you want. And especially for the future. It starts with customer insight. Because all your customers create a huge amount of data. Eventually you need a tool that easily structures all this data for you, such as a CDP.

A marketing tool is not something you choose lightly and must be future-proof. By looking for the right apps to go with the Shopify webshop, you take your marketing to the next level. This allows you to:

Create advanced Shopify workflows that combine multiple channels.

Extend automations with support for email, social media, SMS, and more.

What is the best marketing automation tool for Shopify?

Looking for a Shopify marketing alternative? You may already be dizzy with all the channels and associated apps. So I cover four major parties that will help you further in marketing automation. Along with the benefits of Shopify marketing automation.

1. Shopify Email

The most obvious tool to use. Completely integrated with Shopify itself. There is easy segmentation based on customer behavior, such as purchases and abandoned shopping carts. Shopify email is just an email marketing solution rather than a complete marketing automation tool. Perfect for laying the groundwork, though, if it wasn't already there.

Advantages:

• Fully integrated with Shopify, no additional tools or integrations needed.
• User-friendly interface, suitable for beginners.
• Automatic synchronization of customer data and product information.

Disadvantages:

• If the shop is multilanguage you have to divide the customers by language yourself.
• Limited functionality: no multichannel support or very complex workflows.
• Additional apps are required for more extensive features.

2. Reloadify

Want to go next level? Then do it right the first time and go for a retention platform like Reloadify. All functions are focused on getting customers to return to the shop. The better you understand the customer, the better you can maintain the relationship. And the more likely the customer is to make a purchase from the web shop.

Invest in a long-term relationship by not only sending newsletters, but also personalized up-sell and cross-sell emails. Retarget audiences through Meta Ads or create a look-a-like audience. Ask AI which campaigns are best to roll out in the coming months. Connect with Zapier to sync all custom data towards Reloadify. Grow the database with pop-ups and landing pages. Personalize on the website and in the email using recommendation blocks. All the insights in one system to convert customers again.

Benefits:

• Multilanguage: all languages in the webshop are neatly separated. Always address customers in the correct language.
• Dutch: fully GDPR Proof. support (chat/email/telephone) within office hours in Dutch (German and English also available).
• Easy to download and install as an app via the Shopify app store.

Disadvantages:

• Limited integration options compared to international tools.
• No push notifications

3. Spotler

Another, well-known, Dutch player for marketing automation software is Spotler. Spotler allows you to create a 360-degree customer view. It recognizes the visitor and combines this behavior with all the data they already have. In this way, customer profiles are completed within Spotler. They offer emails, automated emails and product recommendations. Besides that, you can also go to Spotler for transactional emails. Furthermore, they offer AI chatbots and the search bar is optimizable. Whereas Reloadify and Shopfiy email is an all-in-one package, Spotler offers different modules. Added together, that then makes the monthly fee.

Benefits:

• CRM integration possible.
• Especially suited for both e-commerce and B2B companies.

Disadvantages:

• Can be more expensive than the other tools.
• Less flexible in integrations than tools such as Klaviyo or Reloadify.

4. Klaviyo

Klaviyo allows you to segment customers based on behavior, purchases, interests, and more. Automatic emails such as abandoned cart, birthday campaigns, and repeat purchases are easily sent with Klaviyo. Furthermore, Klaviyo offers SMS marketing, as well as push notifications. Something Klaviyo is very good at is that they show a comprehensive Benchmark in their software. With landing pages and pop-ups, you easily grow the fan base. With Klaviyo tracking, all visitors to the website are tracked, allowing you to set up emails that customers have looked at, for example.

Benefits:

• Deep integrations with popular e-commerce platforms.
• On site tracking for tracking all visitors.
• Extensive benchmark available in the app itself.

Disadvantages:

• No loyalty program functionality.
• No direct A/B test management for entire campaigns.
• More complex to use for beginners.

Choosing the right marketing automation tool for Shopify depends heavily on your specific needs, experience and goals. If you're just starting out and looking for a simple solution, Shopify Email offers a perfect foundation. Spotler stands out for its modular approach and versatility, especially for companies serving more than just e-commerce. For additional options, such as benchmarks, Klaviyo is the best option. With Reloadify, you get a powerful platform that helps you not only retain customers, but also increase sales sustainably. The all-in-one retention package.

There is no “one size fits all” solution: carefully analyze your needs and choose the tool that best supports your webshop in growth and customer relationship management.

3 Shopify marketing automation examples

Ready to get started with Shopify marketing automation? Let me give you a few examples that are easy to get started with. These three examples will get you customers in and keep them in no time.

Shopify abandoned shopping cart flow

Perhaps the most standard flow and at the same time the most overlooked flow. Retrieve customers who abandon shopping carts. This is easy to do by setting up a flow for abandoned shopping carts. Below is an example of an abandoned cart flow.

This flow is ready for you by default in Reloadify. The only thing you have to do is to fill the emails with content that matches the style of your webshop.

What you see in this flow is that the customer gets several reminders about his abandoned cart. The first email he gets after 30 minutes. Has the customer still not ordered by then? Then he gets a reminder the next day. After that, is the customer still not convinced? Then send an e-mail one week after abandoning the shopping cart. In “abandoned cart 3” give away a high discount or offer free shipping. The customers who end up in the flow at “abandoned cart 3” just need that extra push.

Shopify - thank you for first order + data enrichment

Did you succeed in bringing in the customer with the abandoned cart email? Then it's time to thank the customers for their placed order. There is a flow for this as well.

Start with a welcome email 1 hour after the first placed order. In this welcome email a discount is given on the next order. Practice shows that this makes customers more likely to place another order. After 7 days you send another email, containing a link to a landing page. On the landing page, your customers can enter their preferences. What specifically do they want to receive information about? Is it a particular category or about a particular brand? Information = key! Has the customer provided this information? Then send an email with dynamic content, specifically what the customer has indicated. That way you build a personal relationship with customers. Below you can see what such a flow looks like.

Shopify - Cross-sell campaign website and email

With the previous marketing automation flows, the customer has been brought in. Now is the time to focus on retention. You do this through cross-sell campaigns. Both by email and on the website. Reloadify has a cross-sell flow ready by default.

The flow is triggered by the fact that a customer placed an order 14 days ago. An email is then sent out with cross-sell items, based on the last purchase. We retrieve these cross-sell products directly from the Shopify back-end. Chances are the customer will respond. After all, products are recommended that are related to his previous order. Does the customer not respond? Then another email is sent after 14 days. Perhaps in that e-mail a discount code is given, to get the customer to still proceed with the purchase.

Running a cross-sell campaign on the website is also possible (soon). This can be done with the Reloadify Recommendations module. With this module, recommendation products can be shown based on what other customers bought before and what their follow-up purchase was.

In short - from campaign to consistency

Shopify marketing automation is necessary for automating marketing processes and increasing sales. With features such as automated emails, integrated social media, and tools for retention marketing, you optimize the customer journey. Above all, the simplicity and user-friendliness of Shopify Email make the platform accessible to beginners.

Still, there are limitations to Shopify's built-in capabilities. For companies that want to take their marketing strategy to the next level, external tools such as Reloadify, Spotler and, Klaviyo offer more advanced features. With these tools, for example, multichannel campaigns can be set up. This makes it possible to create a completely automated customer journey, from acquisition to retention.

Whatever the choice, it is important to look critically at the needs of your Web shop. Do you want to start marketing automation easily and get the basics down? Then Shopify Email is an excellent choice. Are you looking for more flexibility, advanced personalization and customer loyalty tools? Then tools like Reloadify are more suitable. Shopify marketing automation is not a “one size fits all” solution, but it does offer the flexibility to grow and reach goals. Curious about what Reloadify can do for your Shopify webshop? Try it now for free.