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Any good eCommerce business owner knows that email is everything. Sure, social media platforms are important to your brand, but your email marketing forms your business’s lifeblood.
In a time when we’re increasingly talking about relationship marketing, it’s paramount that you see your emails as the #1 way to connect with your customers. Often in eCommerce, you won’t meet your clients face-to-face; email is how you foster your relationships. This isn’t only about how you communicate with them; it’s also about the data that email marketing provides you with.
This data gives you priceless insights into customer behavior. It shows you their likes and dislikes, how they interact with your product and content, what prompts them to act, and what might pass them by. Having this data allows you to meet their needs and strengthen your relationship. As in any healthy relationship, you need to know them well!
With all this in mind, having the right mail platform is vital. When shortlisting platforms for eCommerce marketing automation, two names that will, without a doubt, be on your list are Klaviyo and MailChimp. You’re already using MailChimp, the older of these two platforms. For us, the one we find ourselves recommending to clients, particularly eCommerce clients, is Klaviyo.
That’s not to say it’s 100% the right choice for your business, and you should always take the time to try any new options before fully committing to them. If you’ve got a substantial email list, you must make good decisions to complement your marketing efforts.
Let’s look at Klaviyo & Mailchimp
Active since 2001, MailChimp was built for email marketing and is probably what many of us started out using. It’s affordable and easy to use, ideal for small business owners just starting to make their way in the world. The free option allows you up to 2000 contacts and the pricing tiers are cheaper than Klaviyo.
There are also tons of integration options on MailChimp – up to 200 – although when it lost its integration with Shopify in 2019, it was a blow. You can still publish to almost any social media account, and it works with Google’s application suite.
In short, MailChimp is not a poor email marketing platform by any stretch of the imagination, and if you’re working with a small email list, just starting in business, or have a limited budget, it will work well for you. However, if you want to grow your business, Klaviyo will help you push that.
A considerable advantage Klaviyo has is that it was designed specifically for eCommerce, so every feature has those priorities in mind. It allows eCommerce businesses to combine in-depth customer data with seamless marketing.
Let’s start with the data features because, as discussed above, data reporting and analytics are everything to marketers: it informs our decisions, help us innovate, and show what emails impact us.
Klaviyo’s customizable analytics dashboard shows data cards with crucial metrics such as unsubscribe rates, opened or received emails, and spam complaint rates. You can also choose how you view this information – in graph, chart, or number form. One feature we love is that you can see what customers do in real-time, and it’s such valuable information that helps you pinpoint the emails driving purchases and the most active customers. You can also tell which subscribers click on which links in your emails.
MailChimp lacks this ‘deep data analysis. It will report on some basic analytics (and is a little less overwhelming for newbies!) but is nowhere near as sophisticated as Klaviyo. It can provide you with precise data, including predictive analysis, allowing you to predict specific subscribers’ actions on an email or newsletter. Amazing, right? This will enable you to tailor content to specific subscribers.
As we all know, personalized content is a huge trend in marketing that will only keep growing. To stand out from the crowd, you need to think about how you’re personalizing your customers’ experience. The deep data Klaviyo provides helps you do this.
It also helps you achieve this aim with its advanced email segmentation tool. Here you can make email lists segmented by behavioral, transactional, or event data, getting as in-depth as ‘people in their 20s who looked at necklaces on the weekend’. Seriously, it’s amazing how detailed you can be in your customization. This kind of thing helps you get to know your customers, even when you never meet them.
The automated workflows in Klaviyo are comprehensive and can integrate with your existing marketing data. It’s a little tricky to navigate at first. Still, once you get the hang of adding flows together, editing the range of pre-made templates, and even designing from scratch, you’ll wonder how you ever did email automation any other way!
Compared to the enormous benefits of Klaviyo’s reporting and analytics tools, its other advantages are bonuses. The customized design keeps your emails looking cohesive and visually appealing. They’ve also got a great support team if you encounter any problems.
For business owners who want to see their company grow, Klaviyo is the innovative platform you need to invest in. Few things will have a more positive impact on your customer relationship and, therefore, your sales.
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