A Full Guide to Email Marketing Platforms

Whether you are a new store owner looking to implement your email marketing strategy or an existing store owner looking to revamp and streamline your email marketing before Christmas, this one is for you.

Email marketing is the cornerstone of success for online stores. As many of our Coupon Pop users know, building and email list is vitally important in ensuring they retain all that hard earned traffic.

According to research conducted by the Direct Marketing Association using 2015 email data from their clients, the ROI on email is a whopping 3,800% and 72% of people would rather receive promotional content via email than through social media. Add that to the fact that email has become content marketing’s best friend, there is just no way an eCommerce site can survive without it. 

Here are some of the most important email types for online stores:

  1. Product recommendations. These are marketing emails offering customers product recommendations, based on what other customers have purchased.
  2. Abandoned cart recovery. These are automatic emails which are targeted to online shoppers who left the checkout process before finalizing the sale.
  3. Targeted newsletters. Weekly targeted emails informing users of business news, upcoming promotions and new stock arrivals based on relevant information retrieved from previous orders, total spend and other important data.
  4. Personalized coupon codes. Personalized coupon code emails are one-time generated emails that include unique coupon codes that can be sent at random to a select group of customers.
  5. Transactional emails. These are automated emails which are sent to a store’s customers to confirm a purchase, to give feedback on an order and to thank them for their business.

Email marketing platforms, or software, provides stores with the necessary tools to run all of the above email marketing campaigns and offer a way for small to large businesses to make the most of their databases to increase sales and drive traffic.

But with so many platforms out there, which one should we be using?! Every platform has its pro’s and con’s and choosing between them will be determined by your email marketing and database needs, as well as your budget and comfortability – i.e which platforms are more comfortable, or user-friendly, for you personally, making it easier for you to use.

To that end, I have compiled a list of all the current email marketing platforms that you have to choose from.

ActiveCampaign Email Marketing Platform

Email marketing platform ActiveCampaign

Price: Starting at $49 per month per 1000 contacts.

If you are looking for some out-of-the-box email creativity and CRM tools, then ActiveCampaign could be for you. This platform offers far more than just newsletter functionality, it includes a full CRM and marketing automation and an email newsletter tool. What makes their CRM integration unique, is their full-featured email editor that can be used when emailing around CRM issues. However, if you are not looking for a CRM tool, and only want email marketing tools, then this platform could come off a little pricey.

AWeber Email Marketing Platform

email marketing platform AWeber

Price: Starting at $19 per month per 500 contacts and $29 for up to 2000 contacts.

AWeber is a powerful email marketing tool that puts a lot of emphasis on design. This platform enables store owners to create professional-looking emails, quickly and easily, with their 700+ templates. The database segmentation is very impressive, allowing you to target specific shoppers based on how much they have spent and which links they have previously clicked on. StoreYa’s marketing apps support this platform.

Benchmark Email Marketing Platform

Price: Their free package allows stores to send 14K emails to 2,000 contacts and the pro version starts at $9 per month for 600 contacts.

Benchmark Email is simple, cost effective, easy to use and gets the job done. Their goal is to make email marketing easier for online store owners with their easy layout picker, mobile and desktop ready responsive designs, and interface language variety. Plus, its internal storage allows users to keep image and video files within the platform for future use.

BombBomb Email Marketing App

email marketing platform bombbomb

Price: Starting at $39 per month for up to 2500 contacts.

BombBomb offers a unique email marketing perspective for those online stores winning at video content. Their platform is centered around video content, allowing users to shoot videos or upload videos through their app which can then be added into a video email newsletter. This is particularly interesting for you clothing-niche merchants out there looking for creative ways to show off new lines and stock or for those that want to send out personal messages to their customers and give their emails a personal touch.

Campaign Monitor Email Marketing Platform

email marketing platfrom campaign monitor

Price: Starting at $9 per month for up to 500 contacts.

If you are looking for an email platform that is easy-to-use for a fast-growing business, then Campaign Monitor may be worth a closer look. From newsletter signups, to repeat buyers, they offer a host of pre-built and customizable segment options for online shop users. Their powerful segmentation is designed to get you sending highly relevant emails to ensure maximum results. StoreYa’s marketing apps support this platform.

Campayn Email Marketing Platform

email marketing platform contact manager

Price: Free for the first 20K emails for up to 2000 contacts and then starting at $10 per month for unlimited emails to up to 1000 contacts.

Campayn’s contact manager is what really makes this budget-friendly platform stand out. It enables users to import contacts from a variety of apps and displays them in an address book format, linked to their social media profiles. A handy little function for those store owners who want to send personal, individual emails to their most loyal customers. And of course, their user-friendly editor and templates make sending email campaigns easy.

Constant Contact Email Marketing Platform

email marketing platform Constant Contact

Price: Starting at $20 per month for unlimited emails to up to 500 contacts.

This is a great email marketing platform for sending events and promotions. Traditionally used by brick-and-mortar stores, Constant Contact’s ability to gather new contacts and create promotions all from one app, makes it online-store ready, and is ideal for those eCommerce sites that host a lot of online events and promotions. StoreYa’s marketing apps support this platform.

Drip Email Marketing Platform

email marketing platform drip

Price: Starting at $41 per month for unlimited emails to up to 2000 contacts and a free two month trial.  

Drip takes automated Transactional emails to the next level by creating the perfect platform for store owners to pre-define emails that should be automatically sent. Its easy to use visual campaign builder allows users to plan email campaigns in a way that is simple and clear and makes for a super cross and upselling tool. And the best part? A free starter-package that lets you send emails to up to 100 contacts to test it out for yourself.

EmailOctopus Email Marketing Platform

Price: Starting at $0 per month for up to 1000 contacts.

Although EmailOctopus offers only the basics, they are definitely worth a mention as they are one of the most price competitive platforms out there. Additionally, it allows users to send emails through Amazon’s Simple Email Service (SES), making it one of the most cost effective ways to broadcast campaigns to an entire database without segmentation. This makes it a good platform for brand new, smaller online stores.

Emma Email Marketing Platform

Email marketing platform Emma

Price: Starting at $89 per month for up to 10,000 contacts.

The key features that make Emma a good eCommerce email platform choice are its user-friendly drag-and-drop tools, built-in mobile-ready templates, its A/B/C subject line testing and its autoresponders — like the above review catcher. Best suited for those medium to large online businesses that want a world-class platform with two-way synchronization of segmentation tools, analytics and customer data.

FreshMail Email Marketing Platform

email marketing platforms Freshmail

Price: Starting at $0 per month for up to 500 contacts.

Ideal for those stores that are looking to take a more visual approach to their emails, FreshMail takes newsletter design to the next level by allowing you to create beautiful and effective newsletters without any coding skills. Packed with all the important features including auto responders, text messaging, SMS, MMA, transactional emails and A/B Testing, its full-sized images, beautiful Google Fonts-powered text, and detailed layouts go far beyond your standard email.

GetResponse Email Marketing Platform

Email marketing platforms GetResponse

Price: Starting at $15 per month for up to 1000 contacts.

GetResponse is a popular platform among growing online stores. Allowing store owners to import images from Facebook, iStock and Flicker means you are able to directly sell your products through your newsletters. Another handy feature worth mentioning is its drop-and-drag calendar for easy scheduling of newsletters and promotions. StoreYa’s marketing apps support this platform.

iContact Email Marketing Platform

iContact email designs

Price: Starting at $14 per month for up to 500 contacts.

iContact is much more than an email marketing platform. Their integrated social media tools allow users to draft and schedule Twitter and Facebook posts in conjunction with email promotions, right from their platform. Additionally, if you are already working with a number of email platforms, iContact offers easy, automatic uploading of contact lists from other apps. Ideal for those looking for both email and social platforms in one.

Infusionsoft Email Marketing Platform

Infusionsoft Platform email marketing platform

Price: Starting at $199 per month for up to 2,500 contacts, plus marketing automation and full CRM.  

If you are a growing eCommerce store, looking for top-notch platform that handles email, CRM, eCommerce and sales automation, then Infusionsoft is a leading choice. I won’t lie, Infusionsoft is not cheap, but when you look at the type of platform and automation you are getting — a CRM system that keeps a record of all of your interactions with customers, an automation platform that automatically keeps in touch with those customers based on their behavior, and all the bells and whistles an email marketing platform has to offer — you start to see why it’s on the high-end side. StoreYa’s marketing apps support this platform.

Klaviyo Email Marketing Platform

Klaviyo Email Marketing Platform

Price: Free for the first 250 contacts and then starts at $25 per month for up to 500 contacts.

Truly designed with the online store in mind and with unprecedented Shopify integrationKlaviyo is very popular among eCommerce owners. Its powerful segmentation functions are top-notch and allow you to run email campaigns to those customers who viewed a specific store product. One of their biggest selling points for me, is their abandoned cart recovery email options and the ability to integrate your Shopify customers with Facebook Custom Audiences. StoreYa’s marketing apps support this platform.

Mad Mimi Email Marketing Platform

email marketing platform mad mini

Price: Starting at $0 per month for up to 2,500 contacts up to 12,500 emails. 

Mad Mimi is my personal favorite because it keeps it simple and real. Ideal for your weekly emails, Mad Mimi is for the budget-conscious store owners who want a simple, user-friendly platform with features that they can switch on and off as they need them. The quick stats view, drip email options, social media integration and more, made it a great value for money platform.

MailChimp Email Marketing Platform

email marketing platform mail chimp

Price: Starting at $0 per month for up to 2,000 contacts up to 12k emails.

No email marketing platform list would be complete without one of the global email marketing platform leaders, MailChimp. From its impressive template selection, its segmentation, cart abandonment and product recommendation email options, its ability to connect email lists to purchase data and eCommerce store integration, MailChimp is a power email tool. Not to mention, it offers one of the best free plans out there, ideal for those stores just starting out. StoreYa’s marketing apps support this platform.

Mailigen Email Marketing Platform

mailgen

Pricing: Starting at $10 per month for up to 500 contacts.

Mailigen is one of the few email marketing platforms that allow you to combine email and mobile marketing to target your customers to the device they are most likely to check. Ideal for those stores marketing locally, Mailigen will let you gather contacts from your SMS campaigns and integrate them with your email marketing lists. Additionally, they boast behavior-based automation systems designed to retain a human touch.

MailUp Email Marketing Platform

MailUp Email Marketing Platform

Price: Starting at $34 per month for up to 248,000 emails to unlimited recipients.

MailUp is a cost effective platform better suited for those online stores with big databases who need to bulk send a lot of emails. Their pricing is a little different in that the faster you want the emails sent, the pricier it will be. Of course they have everything you need from a platform — database, nice unsubscribing and eCommerce store integration. So if you have millions of emails to send through the month and you are not in a hurry, this option can end up costing you a lot less than other platforms.

Rare.io Email Marketing Platform

Rare.io Email Marketing Platform

Price: Starting at $0 per month for up to 99 contacts.

Specializing in online store email marketing, Rare.io is a popular choice among Shopify, Bigcommerce and Spree users. Its segmentation options include being able to target new  users based on coupon usage by previous customers and the location of these potential shoppers. But  it’s the standout features that impress so many eCommerce clients: personalized product recommendation emails and custom coupon code for promotional emails.

Remarkety Email Marketing Platform

Price: Starting at $25 per month for up to 500 contacts.

Another eCommerce superstar is Remarkety, which include everything an online store owner would need: Targeted newsletters, abandoned cart recovery, automated follow-up emails, product recommendation and personalized coupon email templates. Designed to integrate with leading platforms (such as Magento, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Shopify, PrestaShop, VirtueMart and OpenCart) in a matter of seconds, it is user friendly and easy to implement. Ideal for medium to large online stores.

Sendicate Email Marketing Platform

Sendicate Email Marketing Platform

Price: Starting at $0 per month for up to 500 contacts for up to 1000 emails.

Specifically designed for those merchants who prefer a simple visual editor without any clutter. Sendicate platform is complete with all the basics, plus, you are able to easily edit and change the email sections you want and segment using search filters. If you are a new store owner with a smaller budget, their free option is a great place to get your email marketing started.

SendinBlue Email Marketing Platform

SendinBlue Email Marketing Platform

Pricing: Starting at $0 per month for up to 9000 emails and unlimited contacts.

Integrating with WordPress, PrestaShop and Magenta, SendinBlue works seamlessly with these platforms to handle your drip campaigns, transactional emails and your weekly newsletters. It allows users to either import their own email templates or HTML settings, giving you much more control on the design-front. Additionally, their automatic SMS sales follow-up function will help with repeat business. Altogether a very cost efficient option for small to medium stores.

SendGrid Email Marketing Platform

SendGrid Email Marketing Platform

Price: Starting at $9.95 per month for up to 2,000 contacts and 40,000 emails.

It’s SendGrid is simple, flexible pricing options that stand out. It allows users to choose a price based on their exact needs, making it very cost efficient. With its platform integration and delivery promise, this is a great place to launch your email marketing if you are unsure of the volume you will be using.

Sendloop Email Marketing Platform

Sendloop Email Marketing Platform

Price: Starting at $0 per month for up to 2000 contacts.

Sendloop is another budget-friendly platform for small to medium online stores. Some handy functions are its migration assistant that allows you to import contacts from a number of email services, and the Sendloop code, allowing you to see the pages your customers visit and plan your marketing strategy around their site behavior.

Omnisend Email Marketing Platform

Soundest Email Marketing Platform

Price: Starting at $0 per month for up to 500 contacts.

Omnisend is designed with the online store owner in mind. Very popular on Shopify, it integrates well with leading eCommerce platforms. The feature that makes this platform stand out is its campaign booster — a feature that will automatically segment and re-send to contacts who haven’t opened the email, making sure that your customers never miss another limited-time offer again.

Tinyletter Email Marketing Platform

Tinyletter Email Marketing Platform

Price: Free.

Tinyletter is MailChimp’s answer to simple, free newsletters, specifically for those smaller online stores with less than 5000 contacts. Minus all the bells and whistles – no integration, no templates, and very few features – Tinyletter is designed to make it quick and easy to send mass newsletters. An additional bonus is that if you do decide to upgrade to Mailchimp later on, it’s very easy to migrate to Mailchimp from Tinyletter.

VerticalResponse Email Marketing Platform

VerticalResponse Email Marketing Platform

Price: Starting at $0 per month for up to 300 contacts.

If you’re looking for deep integration with Salesforce, then VerticalResponse is for you. Ideal for merchants looking for professional features and advanced marketing campaign options, the plus version will help you seamlessly get out your email marketing in no time.  They do have a free option, which means you can test out their platform before committing to a monthly amount.

Wrap Up

There you have it, all your leading email platforms for eCommerce. No matter what platform you choose, you are well on your way to converting sales.

Have questions? Comment below!

 

Nicole Blanckenberg

Nicole is a content writer at StoreYa with over sixteen years experience and flair for storytelling. She runs on a healthy dose of caffeine and enthusiasm. When she's not researching the next content trend or creating informative small business content, she's an avid beachgoer, coffee shop junkie and hangs out on LinkedIn.

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3 Responses to A Full Guide to Email Marketing Platforms

  1. kim says:

    Fantastic list – I use Remarkety and I think it’s important to update that Remarkety has plans from as little as $25

  2. kgvaradharaj says:

    excellent

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