Omnisend vs Shopify Email Compared

Last Updated on December 4, 2023 by Ewen Finser

In recent years, email marketing has become one of the most effective ways to reach and engage customers. According to recent studies, $1 spent on email marketing, yields an average return of $44. That’s about 4400% return on investment.

Ecommerce businesses have especially come to rely on email marketing to drive sales. But to be effective, they need an email marketing service that can accommodate their needs.

Omnisend and Shopify email stand out as two of the most comprehensive email marketing services for ecommerce businesses. While Omnisend can integrate with several platforms, including Shopify, Shopify Email is explicitly designed for Shopify users.

This article will compare Omnisend vs Shopify Email and discuss the features and benefits of each.

Bottom Line Up Front

The main difference between Omnisend and Shopify is that Omnisend is a more general marketing automation service or tool capable of integrating with other ecommerce platforms.

In contrast, Shopify email is specifically designed for Shopify users and limits its functionality around email marketing. The best of the two is Omnisend because of its more comprehensive features, automations, and integrations, but Shopify email is cheaper and easier to use, especially for Shopify users.

Main Differences Between Omnisend vs Shopify Email 

The main differences between Omnisend vs Shopify Email are:

• Shopify email is specially designed for Shopify users, whereas Omnisend is a more general marketing service that integrates with Shopify and other e-commerce services.
• Omnisend features A/B testing, allowing users to test different email content and see which versions generate the best results, whereas Shopify email does not.
• Omnisend provides SMS marketing capabilities, whereas Shopify centers its marketing efforts on email marketing.
• Omnisend allows for more sophisticated segmentation of email lists, including location, purchase history, and other factors, whereas Shopify email has limited list segmentation options.
• Omnisend has advanced reporting and analytics that factor in audience growth trends and all KPIs to help users improve their email marketing, whereas Shopify email reporting only tracks results on click-through rates and conversion rates.

Omnisend Overview 

Omnisend, previously Soundest, is a marketing automation platform that enables businesses to create, send, and track email and SMS campaigns. It stands out as a compelling platform with a wide range of features capable of changing how businesses interact with their customers.

Since its inception in 2014 as an email marketing tool, Omnisend has evolved over the years to become a leader in the marketing automation space. We can attribute its growth to the company’s commitment to continuous innovation and its dedication to meeting the needs of businesses of all sizes.

Unlike other automation tools, Omnisend has a particular focus on ecommerce businesses. It provides marketing automation services to ecommerce businesses of all sizes and integrates with a variety of ecommerce platforms, including Shopify. 

Omnisend allows businesses to do everything from facilitating omnichannel marketing to automating customer lifecycle management. Users can build exciting email campaigns using drag-and-drop features and then track how well they perform using Omnisend’s built-in analytics.

As an all-in-one marketing automation platform, Omnisend allows you to keep an eye on your marketing efforts. It centralizes SMS messages, social media, and your business’ entire online presence in one place. By doing this, Omnisend helps you better understand how each marketing effort impacts your business as a whole.

Omnisend Pros 

• It comes with a user-friendly design that is easy to navigate
• It integrates with a variety of platforms, including Shopify
• Omnisend provides businesses with an all-in-one marketing automation platform 
• It has a wide range of features, including segmentation, automation, and A/B testing 
• It comes with ready-made responsive email templates 
• The automatic product picker tool makes it easy to add products to your campaigns 
• Users can send up to 2,000 complimentary messages every month
• Its customer service is excellent 
• Seamless integration with more than 30 applications 
• The centralized dashboard gives you a holistic view of your marketing efforts

Omnisend Cons 

• The email templates are somewhat limiting 
• iOS doesn’t support web push technology
• Some users report limited information on log changes whenever there’s an update

Omnisend Key Features 

Omnisend and Shopify email are both excellent marketing automation tools. However, they differ in their focus and features. Below is a detailed comparison of the features of Omnisend and Shopify email. 

Marketing Automation

Omnisend provides email and SMS marketing automation for e-commerce businesses of all sizes. Companies can drive sales on autopilot with triggered emails and SMS messages. 

They can increase sales and conversions through automatic personalized recommendations and dynamic content while freeing up time. It features pre-built workflows for abandoned carts, cross-sells, shipping confirmation, order confirmation, and product abandonment.

Email Marketing 

Email marketing is at the core of Omnisend. The platform offers an easy-to-use drag-and-drop email builder, ready-made responsive email templates, and an automatic product picker. It also allows you to segment your audience, automate email marketing, and do A/B testing.

Its campaign targeting features include targeting by location, demographics, and interests. You can send targeted content to specific subscribers on your list through segmentation.

SMS Marketing

Integrating SMS right next to email separates Omnisend from other marketing automation tools. SMS automation allows you to reach customers on their preferred communication channel. Merchants can create personalized omnichannel marketing campaigns through SMS, email, and Facebook Messenger. 

Automated Push Notifications

Including push notifications as a core marketing channel gives you an edge over the competition. According to Omnisend, the conversation rate from push notifications stands at 30.3%. 

Automated push notifications allow you to instantly reach your customers on their mobiles with timely and relevant messages. Merchants can drive sales with promotional agency-specific push notifications and abandoned cart notifications. 

Actionable Reports and Insights

Omnisend gives you the chance to stay on top of your ROI with actionable reports and insights. It offers a centralized dashboard that gives you a holistic view of your marketing efforts, including email, SMS and push notifications. You can track the performance of each campaign and check their impact on your business strategically.

Cross-channel tracking features make it possible to perfect your omnichannel marketing strategy. It’s also possible to monitor audience trends and analyze customer behavior. 

Data Segmentation

Data segmentation is a process that allows you to divide your customer data into meaningful groups. You can create segments based on any customer attribute, including location, demographics, purchase history, and more. 

This feature allows it to monitor customer lifecycle stages, shopping, on-site behavior, and purchase history. You can also create custom segments to target specific customers with tailored content. 

Shopify Email Overview

Shopify email is a feature-rich email marketing service that allows you to create, send, and track your email campaigns. As a specific design for Shopify store owners, it offers an easy-to-use email builder, a library of email templates, and automatic product picks. 

Shopify released the Shopify email app in April 2020 as a standalone app for merchants to manage their email marketing. It comes with all the features of Shopify email marketing, including automated product picks (Shopify automated emails), an easy-to-use email builder, and a library of email templates. 

Shopify also offers powerful data analysis tools that allow you to track the performance of your email campaigns. It allows you to set up different customer groups and track their behavior over time. By doing this, you can identify the customers who are most likely to purchase from you and focus your marketing efforts on them. 

Shopify Email Pros

• Fast load times 
• Responsive templates 
• No coding experience is required to use Shopify email 
• Omnichannel nature ensures all customer data is in one place 
• Ability to track the performance of email campaigns 
• Its flexibility ensures you can create any campaign you want 

Shopify Email Cons

• Only available for Shopify store owners
• Limited email marketing automation 
• Lacks detailed customer segmentation 

Shopify Email Key Features 

Below are features that make Shopify email marketing a powerful tool for online businesses:

Email Builder and Templates 

The email builder allows you to create beautiful and responsive emails without any coding experience. It comes with a range of templates to use or create your designs. 

Merchants can choose from a list of products, newsletters, holidays, events, and more. Shopify email also comes with illustrations for every template, so you can create emails that look great on all devices.

Campaign Results and Reporting 

Shopify email’s reporting features provide a detailed view of your email marketing performance. You can track the number of emails sent, opened, and clicked. 

You can also see how much revenue each campaign generated and the ROI for each one. This data allows you to optimize your campaigns and improve your overall marketing strategy. 

Segmentation

Although limited, Shopify email has the essential ability to group customers by location, demographics, and purchase history. This feature allows you to target specific customers with tailored content. You can also see how different customer groups interact with your brand. This information helps you identify the most likely customers to purchase from you and focus your marketing efforts on them. 

Personalization

The Shopify email app allows you to personalize your emails by adding a first name, last name, or company name. You can also personalize your subject line, email content, and footer. This personalization helps to create a more engaging experience for your customers.

Email Scheduling 

Email scheduling is an invaluable feature that allows you to schedule your email campaigns in advance. This feature makes sure that your emails are delivered at the right time and that they reach your customers when they’re most likely to open them. 

Omnisend and Shopify Email Compared 

When looking at Omnisend vs. Shopify email marketing, there are a few key factors that you should consider. 

Here’s how they compare:

1. Customer Support 

Omnisend offers customer support through live chat and email. However, it encourages customers to first check on the help center to solve their problem. For those on the Pro and Enterprise plans, Omnisend offers dedicated account managers.

Shopify boasts an extensive library of help articles and video tutorials. Besides, it offers 24/7 customer support through phone, email, and chat. Shopify’s team of experts is always available to help if you get stuck. 

Verdict: Shopify has a more engaging customer support system. 

2. Ease of Use 

Ease of use is essential for any marketing software. Omnisend is easy to use and navigate, even for those without a lot of experience with marketing automation. It has a user-friendly design and comes with ready-made responsive email templates.

Shopify is also easy to use and doesn’t require any coding knowledge or experience. It offers a library of email templates and an easy-to-use email builder. While it doesn’t provide the level of customization that Omnisend does, it’s still more than enough for most businesses. 

Verdict: Both platforms are equally easy to use.

3. Integrations

Omnisend integrates with more than 30 applications, including BigCommerce, Shopify, and Volusion, among many others. This feature lets you connect your email marketing with your other marketing and sales channels, providing a more holistic view of your marketing efforts.

Shopify email only provides integrations with Shopify. However, this integration is enough for most businesses that use Shopify. 

Verdict: Omnisend provides more integration options.

4. Pricing 

Pricing is an important consideration when choosing a marketing automation platform.

Omnisend Pricing

Omnisend has two pricing plans and a free plan. 

• Standard: $16/month
• Pro: $59/month

The Free plan allows for up to 250 contacts alongside 500 emails and 60 international SMS every month.

With the Pro plan, you get everything included in the Free plan with up to 6,000 emails per month and 60 international SMSs.

The pro plan gives access to unlimited emails and free international SMS. For a detailed breakdown of what’s included in each plan, see Omnisend’s pricing page.

Shopify Email Pricing

Shopify email is free to install and use for all Shopify store owners. It awards 2,500 emails free for the first month. Users have to pay $1 for every 1,000 emails for the following months. 

Verdict: Shopify is cheaper but has limited features. 

5. Feature Set

When looking at Omnisend vs. Shopify email marketing, it’s important to consider each platform’s features. 

Omnisend offers a wide range of features that go far beyond basic email marketing. These features include: 

• Market automation
• Email marketing
• SMS
• Web push notifications 
• Reports 
• Data segmentation

Omnisend’s features are tailored to help businesses grow their customer base and increase sales. 

Shopify email is solely an email marketing tool. For this reason, its features revolve around basic email marketing needs, such as creating and sending newsletters, automating email sequences, and tracking the success of your emails. 

Verdict: Omnisend is the winner when it comes to features. 

6. Customization 

Omnisend provides an immense level of customization, letting you tailor your email marketing to fit your unique needs. You can customize everything from the email templates to the automated workflows.

Shopify email also allows for an excellent level of customization. From customizing the email layouts, texts, and buttons to adding images and videos, you can make your emails look and feel exactly how you want. 

Verdict: It’s a tie. Both tools win when it comes to customization and personalization. 

Other Email Marketing Automation Tools to Consider 

If neither Omnisend nor Shopify email meet your needs, here are a few other email marketing automation tools to consider: 

1. Mailchimp
2. Drip
3. Active Campaign 
4. Mailjet
5. Convertkit 
6. Constant Contact 
7. Wishpond 

FAQs

Conclusion: Is Omnisend or Shopify Email Best?

When choosing between Omnisend and Shopify email, it’s important to consider your business needs.

If you’re looking for a wide range of features that go beyond basic email marketing, Omnisend is the better choice. If you’re looking for a tool specifically tailored to email marketing needs, Shopify email is a good option.

Bottom Line Summary: Overall, I recommend Omnisend for its more advanced features and high personalization level.

As an all-in-one marketing solution, businesses can grow their customer base and sales with Omnisend. Its pricing is also fair, making it a great value for the features offered.

Omnisend Compared to Others

If you aren’t quite decided yet, check out some of the related Omnisend head-t0-head comparisons conducted by our team below.

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