Best Email Marketing automation Tools for Startups & Ecommerce
Building a business is fun. Expanding the business is even more fun. However, doing things manually is quite time-consuming. That is why email marketing automation software has now become one of the most useful tools for entrepreneurs and e-stores.
If you have the proper software, you can send emails to welcome customers, reclaim lost carts, suggest products, and strengthen the relationships with customers without any additional effort. Every expanding business should consider getting such an automation solution from the start.
If you are looking for the best email marketing software for expanding your startup or the best email marketing tool for growing startup, this guide is just what you need.
Why Automation Matters for Startups & Ecommerce
Growth-stage businesses have a lot going on, so they don’t have much time. Every single thing needs to bring value. Email marketing automation is all about that.
When you automate your email sending process, the emails are sent in accordance with the correct timing and content. The customers receive relevant emails depending on their behavior. And you spend less time on tedious tasks and more time developing your business.
Companies that are using the top email marketing tool for growth startups achieve more customer engagement, conversions, and loyalty.
In the same way, every top email marketing platform for e-commerce features automation since online shoppers require fast and personalized communication.
Time Savings with Limited Teams
Most startups are made up of small teams. There can be one individual doing all the work such as marketing, sales, and customer service.
This makes it hard to do email campaigns manually.
Email marketing automation allows you to create workflows and let them do their work automatically.
Examples are as follows:
- Greet every new subscriber.
- Follow up via emails.
- Provide educational content.
- Advertise new products.
- Ask for customer reviews.
These emails keep doing their work even as you concentrate on other things.
The best email marketing tool for growing startup saves hundreds of working hours per year by eliminating repetitive work.
The best email marketing software for e-commerce works with your online store to automate emails based on customer action.
Revenue Impact (Cart Recovery, Upsells)
Automation is capable of far more than saving time.
It generates revenue.
Every online store will have visitors who abandon items in their shopping carts.
An automated reminder email can help them complete their purchases.
Many of those customers end up buying from the stores.
This is the reason that email marketing automation is one of the most effective marketing tools.
Automation enables you to do things like:
- Recommend similar products
- Provide discounts
- Sell additional items
- Upsell items
- Create repeat customers
The best email marketing tool for growing startup is able to give all small business enterprise-level marketing capabilities.
On the other hand, the best email marketing software for e-commerce suggests products based on purchasing history.
Must-Have Automation Workflows
Not all businesses require numerous processes.
Begin with the processes that produce the greatest impact.
The automation process enhances the customer experience and increases sales via email marketing automation.
Welcome Series Automation
The first email is important.
Subscribers have the maximum interest right after subscribing to your mailing list.
Welcome sequence helps you to introduce your company and build trust with subscribers.
Your sequence can contain:
- Welcome email
- Company story
- Top-seller items
- Customer testimonials
- Discount on first purchase
The best email marketing tool for growing startup allows you to create this sequence in minutes using drag-and-drop editors.
The best email marketing services for eCommerce allows personalization of these emails depending on customer location.
Abandoned Cart Automation
Many buyers place products into their shopping carts but do not proceed to check out.
It doesn’t imply that they are gone forever.
Email marketing automation software reminds shoppers about products they forgot to buy.
An ordinary abandoned cart flow consists of:
- Friendly reminder
- Product picture
- Customer reviews
- Timely discount
- Button “Checkout”
This type of email workflow is known to provide one of the highest returns in ecommerce marketing.
Each good email marketing software for start-ups must have abandoned cart automation.
Similarly, each good email marketing platform for e-commerce has to support Shopify, WooCommerce, or other ecommerce platforms.
Must-Have Automation Workflows
Post-Purchase/Upsell Automation
The customer journey doesn’t stop after the sale. It has just begun. Smart email marketing automation continues to connect with the customer even after he makes his purchase. You can thank him for his purchase, provide him with useful tips and make related product recommendations. These messages build trust and drive repeat business.
For instance, if you sell a laptop, you can offer him a laptop case, mouse or keyboard after a few days. This will add to the average order value.
The best email marketing tool for growing startup enables you to automate the post-sale follow-up sequence easily. You don’t need to manually send emails. Just set up email workflows depending on the customer’s behavior.
The best email marketing platform for e-commerce also captures the purchase history. It enables you to make relevant product recommendations. In this way, each and every sale can give rise to another one.
Win-Back Automation
Some of them will stop opening your emails. Some of them will simply stop purchasing.
Don’t delete them straightaway.
Your win-back campaign could win back many of them.
Use the marketing automation tool for e-mails to find customers who’ve gone dormant for 60, 90 ,and 120 days, then send them win-back messages.
This could include:
- Reminder
- Updates on new products
- Discounts
- Time-limited offers
- Case studies from satisfied customers
Many companies use these straightforward email campaigns to win back their lost customers.
The best email marketing solution for growing startups allows you to automate the whole process without doing anything manually.
The best email marketing platform for e-commerce could even send them different offers depending on their purchase history.
Reaching out to an existing customer costs less money than acquiring a new one.
Best Email Marketing Tools for Growing Startups
Software choice is one of the essential decisions. Each startup has its aims.
Some require low prices. Other startups require automation.
Here are three great choices.
Tool 1: Perfect for Lean Team
MailerLite
MailerLite is user-friendly & simple to use.
Its clean interface enables small startups to create campaigns efficiently.
Functions include:
- Drag-and-drop email designer
- Landing pages
- Signup forms
- Automation
- Analytics
It is a perfect tool for email marketing for startups since it is simple but feature-rich.
Many startups start using MailerLite and then move to another platform.
MailerLite can automate emails such as welcome emails and nurturing emails.
Tool 2: Best Free/Low-Cost Option
Brevo
Brevo is a great free platform for startups.
They provide:
- Email marketing campaigns
- Automation
- SMS marketing
- Customer segmentation
- CRM solutions
Startups who have a tight budget usually prefer to use Brevo as the best email marketing tool for growing startup because of the ability to start without huge monthly payments.
Brevo also offers a perfect email marketing automation that will develop together with your business.
Tool 3: Best for Scaling Fast
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign is intended for businesses who desire high-end automation.
The product features:
- Smart automation builder
- CRM integration
- Lead scoring
- Dynamic content
- Advanced segmentation
ActiveCampaign will grow together with the growth of your customer base.
It is used by many successful companies as the best email marketing automation software to be used by growing startups due to its marketing and sales functionality.
It delivers exceptional email marketing automation for personalized customer experiences.
Best Email Marketing Platforms for Ecommerce
Not only do ecommerce stores require newsletters.
They require automated integration related to customer actions.
Such platforms can be considered one of the best options for ecommerce businesses.
Tool 1: Best Shopify Integration
Klaviyo
Klaviyo is one of the most popular platforms for ecommerce stores.
It integrates directly with Shopify and numerous other ecommerce platforms.
Features provided by the platform:
- Cart recovery
- Segmentation of customers
- Recommendations of products
- Revenue tracking
- Predictive analytics
For numerous online retailers Klaviyo is one of the best email marketing platform for e-commerce due to the fact that it is completely dedicated to ecommerce growth.
Tool 2: Best for Personalized Product Recommendations
Omnisend
Omnisend helps online retailers personalize the shopping experience.
Some of its automation features include:
- Browsing abandonment
- Cart abandonment
- Order confirmation
- Product recommendations
- Segmentation
Those looking for personalization turn to Omnisend for their best email marketing solution in e-commerce.
The automated email marketing capabilities assist in increasing sales and customer satisfaction levels.
Best Email Marketing Platforms for Ecommerce
Tool 3: Best for SMS + Email Combo
Omnisend
If you want to connect with your customers via multiple channels at once, then Omnisend can help you with it. This company has joined two channels such as email and SMS on one platform. So you can connect with your customers irrespective of their location.
Omnisend gives you an opportunity to create workflows for sending emails and SMS messages later when the customer ignores the first message.
The main advantages of this service include:
- Email & SMS automation
- Abandoned cart recovery
- Welcome series
- Product recommendations
- Client segmentation
- Sales tracking
A lot of e-stores opt for Omnisend as an email marketing service because of its effectiveness in the e-commerce industry.
How to Set Up Your First Automation (Quick Start)
Automating your business is not as complicated as most people assume. No technical knowledge is required. Here are some easy steps for starting your first workflow.
Mapping out the Customer Journey
To start automating your business you have to know what your customers actually do when they engage with your brand.
You have to ask yourself:
- How did they land on your site?
- When did they sign up?
- What did they look at?
- When did they make purchases?
- How frequently do they come back?
With these questions answered, you will be able to create efficient email marketing automation sending the correct message at the appropriate time.
For example:
| Customer Action | Automated Email Triggered |
| Signs up | Welcome email |
| Views products | Product recommendations |
| Adds item to cart | Cart reminder |
| Completes purchase | Thank-you email |
| Becomes inactive | Win-back campaign |
The best email marketing tool for growing startup enables easy customer journey mapping using visual workflow builders.
Similarly, the best email marketing platform for e-commerce ensures each customer interaction is tied to appropriate email campaigns.
Choosing Trigger Events
All email marketing automations require triggers.
Trigger is an event that lets your system know about sending automated email messages.
The most common triggers are:
- New subscriber
- First order
- Cart abandonment
- Birthday
- Product view
- Shipping
- Customer inactive for 90 days
Use only several triggers at the beginning of your journey. Increase the number of workflow stages as you develop your business.
The best email marketing automation solution for a startup helps you to create new triggers without rethinking all your campaigns.
The best email marketing platform for e-commerce also includes templates for creating automatizations faster.
Thanks to proper email marketing automations, all customers receive personalized email messages according to their activities.
Conclusion
Building your startup or ecommerce business is not an overnight process, but using good marketing practices will make things easier for you. Email marketing automation will help you get more subscribers, recover abandoned carts, create purchase upsells, and re-engage inactive customers.
In case you are the owner of a startup, select the best email marketing tool for growing startup based on your budget and future needs. The larger your business gets, the more advanced features you will be able to use.
In case you have an online store, select the best email marketing platform for e-commerce and enjoy the personalized recommendations, integration with Shopify, SMS marketing and automation workflows.
Start with something simple first and test your results. Improve your emails and build new automations along the way. Small improvements can result in more sales and better customer engagement.
FAQs
What’s the best email automation tool for a small ecommerce store?
Klaviyo and Omnisend are good solutions for most small ecommerce sites since they come with great email marketing automation tools, integration with Shopify and WooCommerce, and workflows for welcome emails, abandoned cart messages, and follow-up emails.
If your budget is small, you can try MailerLite and Brevo. They provide basic automation capabilities but do not cost a lot.
Do startups need paid automation tools, or can they start free?
The majority of businesses can use free tiers to get started. Tools such as MailerLite and Brevo have all the tools required to send welcome emails, automations, and manage subscribers’ lists.
As your audiences grow, you can opt for the paid plan to get email marketing automation, analytics, segmentation, and more complex workflows. Most companies begin their journey with the free plan and shift to the paid one.
