Setting up a professional Shopify business email doesn’t need to be complicated and time-consuming, even if you’re not tech-savvy.
It might seem daunting, but the Shopify email setup is actually simpler than you think, even for beginners. In fact, Shopify makes it easy for total beginners to have their email running smoothly in no time.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process step by step, making it a breeze to complete your Shopify email setup.
In this post:
- Shopify email requirements
- Shopify email setup
- How to add SPF and DKIM records to Shopify
- Shopify email marketing with Omnisend
- Useful resources for Shopify email marketing
Shopify Email requirements
First things first:
You can only use the Shopify Email app if your store has a paid subscription. If you’re on the trial plan, Shopify allows sending test emails to yourself only.
So make sure you buy a paid plan before starting the Shopify email setup. The cheapest subscription costs $39/mo. See Shopify pricing plans here.
Shopify email setup
Go to the Shopify Email app page to begin.
Click ‘Install’ and follow the instructions to start the installation.
You’ll then need to log into your Shopify store to continue.
Once you’re logged in, click ‘Install’ on the Install app screen.
In a few seconds, Shopify Email will be ready to use.
One important note:
Shopify doesn’t host your emails. More specifically: you can’t reply directly to your customers from your Shopify email. Instead, there are two available options: email forwarding and third-party hosting .
Forwarding allows you to direct your received emails to a different email address.
To use this option, go to ‘Domains’ (under Settings) in the Shopify dashboard. Choose the domain you’d like to set up a custom email forwarding address for. Then, click ‘Add forwarding email’ in the Email forwarding section.
To create a forwarding email for your custom domain, you’ll need to add a DMARC record to your domain. Shopify automatically adds this record to the DNS settings for the custom domains it hosts.
If you’re using a third-party domain and haven’t added a DMARC record, or you aren’t using a custom email (meaning your domain ends in .myshopify.com), then your sender emails will have @shopifyemail.com at the end.
Third-party hosting, on the other hand, means using another service to host your emails. It’s a great option that many stores use. With Shopify, you can select between Google Workspace and Zoho Mail .
To add a third-party email hosting service, go to Settings > Domains and click your domain under Shopify-managed domains.
In the Email forwarding section, you’ll find (and click on) the option ‘Switch to email hosting’.
This window will appear, allowing you to make a choice:
The meta tag or TXT that you see in the picture can be obtained from your chosen email hosting provider.
To connect your Shopify store to any of those two email hosting services:
Go to Settings > Domains and click ‘Connect existing domain,’ then type in your store’s URL.
If you bought your domain from GoDaddy, Google Domains, or 1&1 IONOS, an option to connect automatically will appear.
Here’s how it looks:
Click Connect automatically and follow the instructions.
How to add SPF and DKIM records to Shopify
Should you choose a third-party hosting provider when setting up your email , you need to connect to the Shopify Sender Policy Framework (SPF) and Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM) records.
Otherwise, your emails will be shown as being sent from [email protected] or, worse, flagged as spam.
You can connect to the Shopify SPF and DKIM records by adding a DMARC policy and Shopify’s CNAME records to your domain.
Review your domain provider’s requirements to add a DMARC record to your domain. Meanwhile, you can add CNAME records to your third-party domain by following these steps:
- Go to Settings in your dashboard
- Head over to Notifications
- Locate the Sender email section, and click on ‘authenticate your domain’
- Enter your CNAME records into your third-party domain manager per instructions
Once this is done, you can feel confident that your emails will be delivered to customers. If you need more help with this step, see this SPF & DKIM records guide .
Shopify email marketing with Omnisend
Shopify Email is an okay email marketing option with an average rating of 3.9 stars. Users are generally satisfied, but many reviews suggest a lack of automation and too few templates.
If checking out some alternatives is something that has crossed your mind, let us suggest Omnisend .
You get:
- Top-rated customer support
- Free plan with 500 emails/mo
- Best-in-class email automations
- Stunning email templates
- Excellent SMS marketing features
The app has 5,000+ 5-star reviews from Shopify users.
If you’re interested—taking Omnisend for a spin is easy (and free).
The basic steps:
Go to Omnisend’s page on the Shopify App Store and click ‘Install’.
After that, click ‘Install’ on the next page.
In just a few seconds, you’ll see the account registration window.
Create your free account by entering details like email, password, and name. Agree with Omnisend’s Terms of Use and Anti-spam Policy, then click ‘Get started’ to finish.
At this point, your account is created.
You’ll be taken to the page to set your brand assets, where you can upload your logo, colors, fonts, and social links. These are then automatically applied to your emails and forms. You can choose to add these details later, however, if you’re not quite ready.
Next, you’ll arrive at Omnisend’s Dashboard where you’ll see the goals you need to meet to fully operationalize your store. There’s also an Overview and Live View of how your sales and contacts are doing, respectively.
Feel free to explore the Campaigns, Automation, Forms, Audience, and Reports tabs. Omnisend is extremely beginner-friendly, so you’ll be able to get started easily.
That’s it, you’re ready to do email marketing. Browse around, create your first campaigns, and check out the guides below to become better at email marketing.
Should you need any assistance, see the complete guide to integrating Omnisend and Shopify .
Wrap up
Email marketing is one of the most powerful tools in a Shopify merchant’s arsenal. When executed strategically, it can boost sales revenue by as much as 460%, as To’ak Chocolate experienced in a six-month period after starting to use Omnisend.
By following our step-by-step guide, you can easily complete the Shopify email setup process. Beyond setup, it’s critical to optimize deliverability by adding SPF and DKIM records so your messages reach the inbox.
Once done, you’re ready to focus on high-impact email marketing campaigns. With the right email strategy and platform, you’ll be able to enjoy outstanding ROI. Explore our handpicked resources to unlock the full potential of your Shopify business email:
- Omnisend vs Shopify Email: A quick comparison of features
- Shopify email alternatives
- 105 email subject line examples
- Best practices for email marketing
- How to create abandoned cart emails
- How to set up a newsletter on Shopify [3 steps]
- Order confirmation emails: Examples & best practices
- How to set up a Shopify popup in 5 easy steps
- Shopify Email vs Mailchimp: which tool should you choose?