In the ever-evolving world of e-commerce, building a strong connection with your customers is crucial for success. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is through email marketing automation. But what exactly is it, and how can it benefit your online business? If you’ve ever purchased something online and received a prompt email right after, you’ve experienced email automation in action. This guide will walk you through the process of setting up email marketing automation using a powerful yet simple-to-use platform—Omnisend—all for free. We have also written an article on the top 10 leading email marketing tools for e-commerce.

What is Email Marketing Automation?

Email marketing automation is the process of sending pre-scheduled, targeted emails to your customers without manual intervention. This tool is invaluable for engaging with customers, nurturing leads, and driving conversions, all while saving you time and effort.

Why Do You Need Email Marketing Automation?

For online businesses, abandoned carts are a significant issue, with 75% of shopping carts left behind by customers. Often, customers need a little nudge to complete their purchase. This is where email marketing automation comes in. By automating follow-up emails, you can re-engage potential customers and boost your conversion rates.

Getting Started with Omnisend

Omnisend is one of the world’s leading email marketing platforms, designed to help businesses like yours set up effective email marketing campaigns, create engaging forms, and automate the entire email process. The best part? Omnisend offers a free plan that’s perfect for beginners. You can start using it to automate your emails right away, and as your subscriber list grows, you can explore their paid plans for more advanced features.

Omnisend Pricing

Omnisend offers flexible pricing plans that scale with your business needs:

• Free Plan:
  • Ideal for beginners with a small subscriber base.
  • Includes up to 500 emails per month.
  • Access to basic email marketing automation features, forms, and templates.
• Standard Plan:
  • Starts at $16 per month.
  • Up to 12,000 emails per month.
  • Includes more advanced automation features, audience segmentation, and SMS campaigns.
• Pro Plan:
  • Starts at $59 per month.
  • Unlimited emails and SMS credits.
  • Advanced reporting, priority support, and cross-channel marketing automation.
• Enterprise Plan:
  • Custom pricing based on specific business needs.
  • Includes personalized onboarding, a dedicated account manager, and priority support.

These prices may vary based on the size of your subscriber list and the additional features you require. The free plan is a great way to start and can be upgraded as your business grows.

Supported Platforms

Omnisend supports integration with a wide range of e-commerce platforms, making it a versatile tool for various online stores:

• Shopify: Seamlessly integrates with Shopify, allowing you to sync customer data and product information effortlessly.
• WooCommerce: A popular choice for WordPress users, Omnisend’s plugin for WooCommerce enables easy setup and automation.
• BigCommerce: Direct integration with BigCommerce helps you manage your email marketing campaigns alongside your store operations.
• Magento: For enterprise-level stores using Magento, Omnisend offers powerful tools to automate and optimize your email marketing.
• Wix: Omnisend supports integration with Wix stores, allowing for easy email automation and customer engagement.
• PrestaShop: A dedicated integration for PrestaShop users helps automate email marketing efforts directly from the platform.
• OpenCart: Omnisend’s integration with OpenCart allows for streamlined email marketing campaigns.

Omnisend also integrates with other platforms and custom-built stores through its API, making it a flexible solution for a wide range of e-commerce environments.

Step-by-Step Guide to Automating Your Emails

1. Sign Up and Explore Omnisend

• Begin by creating a free account with Omnisend. The sign-up process is straightforward, and you’ll need to fill in your email, create a password, and provide basic business information. Once you verify your email, you’re ready to explore the platform.
• After signing in, you’ll be directed to the Omnisend dashboard, where you can connect your e-commerce store, manage your campaigns, and view analytics.

2. Create and Customize Forms

• Forms are crucial for capturing customer emails. Omnisend allows you to create various types of forms, including pop-ups, embedded forms, and landing pages. You can use these to collect customer emails, which you can later use for targeted marketing.
• The drag-and-drop builder makes it easy to customize forms. You can add images, adjust the design, and even include features like countdown timers and spin-the-wheel games to make your forms more engaging.

3. Design and Send Emails

• Omnisend’s visual drag-and-drop builder allows you to create fully customized emails. Whether you want to offer coupon codes, showcase new products, or send out newsletters, the builder makes it easy to design eye-catching emails.
• You can also sync your emails with your e-commerce platform to automatically include product listings and other dynamic content.

4. Automate Your Email Marketing

• Automation is where Omnisend truly shines. You can set up workflows that trigger emails based on customer actions, such as signing up for your newsletter or abandoning their cart.
• With Omnisend’s easy-to-use canvas builder, you can visualize and create complex email marketing funnels. Set up welcome emails, follow-up sequences, abandoned cart reminders, and more—all on autopilot.

Why Omnisend?

• Ease of Use: Omnisend’s intuitive interface makes it easy for beginners to set up and manage their email marketing campaigns.
• Pre-Built Templates: With proven high-converting email templates, you don’t need to be a marketing expert to get started.
• Automation: Omnisend automates your email campaigns, freeing up time and resources for other important aspects of your business.
• Free Plan: Start with the free plan and upgrade as your business grows. Omnisend offers a scalable solution tailored to your needs.

How to Integrate Omnisend with Your E-commerce Store

1. Install the Omnisend Plugin: If you’re using WooCommerce, simply install the Omnisend plugin directly from your WordPress dashboard.
2. Connect Your Store: Follow the prompts to connect your WooCommerce store with Omnisend. This integration allows Omnisend to pull in your product data, customer information, and other key metrics.
3. Start Sending Emails: Once your store is connected, you can begin creating and sending emails, setting up automations, and tracking your campaign performance directly from the Omnisend dashboard.

Hire an Agency or E-commerce Expert

If setting up email marketing automation feels overwhelming, consider hiring an e-commerce expert or agency. They can help you with:

• Choosing the Right Strategy: Tailoring your email marketing strategy to your business goals.
• Setting Up Automation: Ensuring your email sequences are correctly set up to maximize engagement and conversions.
• Ongoing Optimization: Continuously improving your campaigns based on analytics and performance data.

FAQs

Q: Is Omnisend really free?
A: Yes, Omnisend offers a free plan that includes basic features suitable for beginners. As your business grows, you can upgrade to a paid plan for more advanced features.

Q: How does Omnisend compare to other email marketing tools like MailChimp?
A: Omnisend is specifically designed for e-commerce, offering features like product-based emails and cart abandonment sequences that are more advanced and user-friendly than what many other tools offer.

Q: Can I use Omnisend if I’m not on WooCommerce?
A: Absolutely! Omnisend integrates with a wide range of e-commerce platforms, including Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, and more.

Q: How do I track the performance of my email campaigns?
A: Omnisend provides detailed analytics and reporting tools that show open rates, click rates, conversion rates, and more, helping you optimize your campaigns over time.

Q: Can I create custom email templates in Omnisend?
A: Yes, Omnisend’s drag-and-drop builder allows you to fully customize your email templates to match your brand and marketing goals.

Conclusion

Email marketing automation is a powerful tool that can significantly boost your e-commerce business’s performance. With Omnisend, you have a user-friendly platform that makes it easy to set up, customize, and automate your email marketing campaigns. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to optimize your existing email strategy, Omnisend provides all the tools you need to engage your customers and drive more sales.

Ready to get started? Sign up for a free Omnisend account today and start automating your email marketing like a pro!