Email Marketing for an Online Store in 2026
Effective email marketing for an online store in 2026 starts not with more newsletters, but with accurate data, valid consent and a connection between the store and the sending platform. First, set up a few automations-for new subscribers, abandoned carts and post-purchase follow-ups-and measure orders, margin and repeat purchases, not just opens.
Ивелин КириловChief Technology Officer (CTO)
Владислав БарковManaging Director
What should email marketing do for your store?
Every email should have a clear purpose. Bring someone back to an unfinished order. Help a new customer use the product. Remind them about a consumable or repeat purchase. Introduce a new category to someone who has already bought similar products.
This is different from sending the same promotion to your entire list. A customer who bought yesterday should not receive the same message as someone who only viewed a product. This requires data on orders, categories, basket value, customer status and consent to marketing communications.
Before your first campaign, decide how you will attribute a sale to an email. Track orders, revenue, margin, cancelled orders, unsubscribes and repeat purchases. Opens and clicks are useful for diagnosis, but on their own they do not show whether the channel is profitable.
Which automations should you set up first?
Do not start with dozens of scenarios. It is better for the team to understand and check a few flows than to maintain a complex setup with duplicate emails and incorrect exclusions.
Welcoming a new subscriber
Send the content or discount you promised, if you offered one. Then show your main categories, delivery terms and contact details. A discount is not mandatory. If a discount eats into your margin or trains customers to wait for promotions, useful content is a better starting point.
Abandoned cart
Show what is left in the cart and bring the customer back to checkout. Exclude people who have already completed their order. Do not add free delivery or an extra discount unless this is part of your actual policy.
Post-purchase communication
The order confirmation and delivery notification are transactional messages. They do not replace marketing consent. After delivery, you can send usage instructions, useful information, a review request or an offer for a suitable product.
Repeat purchase reminder
This flow is useful for consumables and products with a predictable usage period. The interval should be based on actual orders, not chosen arbitrarily. For a mixed basket, the recommendation should follow the specific category.
Re-engaging an inactive customer
Define inactivity according to the purchase cycle. A customer of a seasonal goods store should not be treated like a customer of a store selling products bought frequently. Start with a new product, useful information or a personalised recommendation. A discount is the last resort.
How do you segment your list without unnecessary complexity?
You should be able to explain a segment in one sentence. For example: “customers who bought a product from the skincare category during the most recent period”. If the team cannot say why someone is in the segment, the rule is probably not ready.
- Prospects with no purchase-useful for educational content, product presentations and answers to common objections.
- New customers with one purchase-for instructions, complementary products and collecting feedback.
- Repeat customers-for new collections, early offers and a loyalty programme.
- Customers who have bought from a specific category-for recommendations based on actual interest.
- Inactive subscribers-for confirming interest and gradually stopping sends.
Segmentation by value and frequency only makes sense if you have a different offer for each group. Do not create dozens of segments that nobody uses.
Do not use opens as the sole sign of interest. Clicks, visits, orders and revenue attributed according to predefined rules are more reliable.
Which platform is right for an online store?
There is no single best platform for everyone. The choice depends on the catalogue, list size, number of orders, required automations and the way the store exchanges data with other systems.
| Option | Suitable for | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Klaviyo or Omnisend | Stores where the catalogue, segments and automations are central | Product and order synchronisation, recommendations, segments, API, and how the plan changes as you grow |
| Mailchimp | A smaller store with basic campaigns | Store connection, automation limitations and order reporting |
| Brevo | Email communication with a focus on budget and additional channels | Sending limits, transactional emails, unsubscribing and available integrations |
| Custom or middleware integration | Custom checkout, ERP, CRM or specific customer rules | API, webhooks, access permissions, logs and who maintains the connection |
Check how the platform calculates its plan, based on contacts, messages sent or both. Also check support for a verified domain, templates, unsubscribing, webhooks and order reporting.
The email platform should not become the sole customer database. Orders, invoices, stock levels and service history should remain in the store, ERP or CRM system. The email tool should receive only the data required for the specific communication.
How do you connect the store, ERP system and emails?
For a simple store, a ready-made plugin may be enough. With a custom checkout, business pricing, ERP or CRM processes, API and webhooks are more reliable. They transmit events such as a new order, a changed status, a returned item and a change in consent.
Define the direction of data flows in advance. The store sends orders and the catalogue to the email platform. If needed, clicks, enquiries or subscriber status can be sent back to the CRM. If businesses and end customers have different prices, the rule must be clear so that you do not send the wrong offer.
For a project involving several systems, see how API integrations and software connectivity work. If the store itself has issues with its catalogue, payments, cash on delivery, warehouse or couriers, first stabilise the foundation through online store development.
What costs should you budget for?
The cost usually consists of the platform subscription, initial setup, content and integration. The subscription for the specific email tool is determined by its plan and is therefore stated in the quotation. The number of contacts, sending frequency, languages and data complexity affect the final workload.
| Cost | How it is determined |
|---|---|
| Email platform | Stated in the quotation based on the chosen provider, number of contacts and sending volume |
| Campaigns, copy and automated emails | €250-€2,500; depends on the number of campaigns, content, design and analysis |
| Online store development or changes | €840-€6,300; depends on the catalogue, payments, couriers and admin functions |
| ERP, CRM or specific business logic | €3,000-€29,300; depends on the processes, roles, reports and number of integrations |
| Connection to external systems | Stated in the quotation when API, webhooks, middleware or custom checks are required |
Do not assess the investment solely by the number of emails sent. Allow time for database cleaning, consent checks, order testing and maintaining the connection between systems.
What should you check before the first send?
- 01Document the data sources
Make a list of the store, ERP, CRM, courier system and forms from which contacts come. Note which field indicates marketing consent and which is only a transactional email for an order.
- 02Prepare the domain
Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC according to your platform and domain. Use a recognisable sender address and monitor replies to it.
- 03Create a mobile-first template
Use a short subject line, one primary call to action, readable text, and a visible unsubscribe link. Check the email in real email apps.
- 04Test the scenarios
Go through a test order, cancellation, return, purchase from a segment, and unsubscribe. Check for duplicate emails and incorrect products, prices, or stock levels.
- 05Send a limited test batch
Start with internal addresses or a small segment. Monitor undelivered messages, unsubscribes, and post-click behavior before scaling up the send.
How do you comply with the rules and maintain deliverability?
Send marketing messages only when you have a valid legal basis and clear consent, where required. Do not buy lists. State who is sending the message, provide a visible unsubscribe option, and keep proof of consent.
A transactional order email is not automatically permission to send a promotional newsletter. Separate service messages from marketing messages, and do not include advertising in them without checking the applicable rules.
Gradually clean up inactive contacts. Monitor hard bounces, spam complaints, and unsubscribe reasons. Sending abruptly to an old database can damage your domain reputation.
How do you measure whether emails drive sales?
Set up tracking before the first campaign. Use UTM parameters, connect orders to their source, and define clear rules for the attribution window. This will help you distinguish actual results from a last click that simply occurred before the purchase.
Include revenue, margin, cancelled orders, average order value, repeat purchases, unsubscribes, and spam complaints in the monthly report. Separate automated flows from newsletter campaigns. If automation drives sales but also leads to many discounts or cancellations, it is not necessarily successful.
Your first tests should change one element at a time: the subject line, offer, product recommendation, or send time. That way, you will know what affected the result instead of changing everything at once.
What does a sensible first-month plan look like?
First, document the data, consents, and events from the store. Then choose a platform and verify the domain. Set up welcome, abandoned cart, and post-purchase flows. Finally, add segmentation, testing, and order reporting.
If the catalogue, checkout process, or order tracking is unreliable, do not add more marketing tools. Email can direct customers to the store, but it cannot fix missing stock, an incorrect price, or unclear delivery.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best email platform for an online store?
- It depends on the catalogue, number of contacts, automations, and connection to the store. Klaviyo and Omnisend are strong for e-commerce scenarios, while Mailchimp and Brevo may be enough for simpler needs.
- How often should I send a newsletter?
- There is no one-size-fits-all frequency. Choose a schedule you can maintain with useful content, and track orders, unsubscribes, and spam complaints-not just opens.
- Can I send marketing emails to my customers?
- It depends on the purpose of the message, how the data was collected, and the applicable rules. Separate transactional order emails from marketing messages and ensure you have valid consent or another applicable legal basis.
- How can I tell whether email marketing drives sales?
- Set up order tracking and attribution rules before launch. Track revenue, margin, cancelled orders, unsubscribes, and repeat purchases-not just clicks and opens.
