Clients often ask us about the difference between Klaviyo and MailChimp and which e-commerce email marketing tool they should use for their ecommerce store.
Many of our clients start with Shopify email and then outgrow it very quickly and look for better solutions, Klaviyo and Mailchimp, and two email marketing solutions. While Mailchimp is quite popular and probably one of the most popular email marketing tools, Klaviyo is designed for ecommerce stores.
Klaviyo and Mailchimp are two of the most popular email marketing platforms for ecommerce businesses. Both platforms offer powerful tools for managing email campaigns, but they differ significantly in features, pricing, ease of use, and support and resources.
Klaviyo is a data-driven platform that specializes in email marketing for ecommerce businesses. It offers advanced segmentation, personalization, and automation features that allow businesses to deliver highly targeted and personalized email campaigns.
Klaviyo also integrates with popular ecommerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento, making it easy for businesses to connect their store data and automate their email marketing.
Mailchimp, on the other hand, is a more general email marketing platform that offers a range of marketing tools including email, social media, landing pages, and more.
While Mailchimp also offers ecommerce integrations, it doesn’t specialize in ecommerce as Klaviyo does. However, Mailchimp is known for its user-friendly interface, easy setup process, and extensive resources and support for businesses of all sizes.
Klaviyo and Mailchimp have their strengths and weaknesses, and choosing the right platform for your ecommerce business depends on your specific needs and goals.
In the next sections, we’ll compare the features, pricing, ease of use, and support and resources of these two platforms to help you make an informed decision.
Introduction to Ecommerce Email Marketing
Email marketing is a powerful tool for ecommerce businesses to communicate with their customers and build lasting relationships.
Emails help us create automated flows as well as design campaigns for our D2C ecommerce clients.
As an agency, we rely on ecommerce email marketing to improve retention and also boost profit margins for our clients by recovering revenue through retention channels like email.
It involves sending promotional emails, newsletters, and other content to a targeted list of subscribers who have opted in to receive communications from the business.
Email marketing is important for ecommerce businesses because it allows them to:
- Nurture customer relationships: By sending relevant and personalized content to subscribers, ecommerce businesses can build trust and loyalty with their customers.
- Drive sales: Email campaigns can drive sales by promoting products and services, offering discounts and promotions, and showcasing new arrivals.
- Increase website traffic: By including links to the business’s website in email campaigns, businesses can drive traffic and increase engagement on their site.
- Gather customer feedback: Ecommerce businesses can use email marketing to gather customer feedback, conduct surveys, and understand customer preferences and behaviors.
Overall, email marketing is a cost-effective and efficient way for ecommerce businesses to reach their customers and drive growth.
Differences in Features between Klaviyo vs Mailchimp
When it comes to features, Klaviyo and Mailchimp offer similar core email marketing capabilities such as list management, email design, and campaign automation. However, Klaviyo specializes in ecommerce features while Mailchimp has a broader set of marketing tools beyond email.
Klaviyo Features:
- Advanced segmentation: Klaviyo allows businesses to create highly targeted segments based on customer behavior, purchase history, and other data. This helps businesses deliver personalized and relevant email campaigns that drive engagement and revenue.
- Personalization: Klaviyo allows businesses to personalize emails with dynamic content, product recommendations, and more. This can help increase customer loyalty and sales.
- Automation: Klaviyo’s automation features allow businesses to set up complex workflows that trigger emails based on customer actions, such as abandoned cart reminders, win-back campaigns, and post-purchase follow-ups. This helps businesses save time and increase revenue by automating repetitive tasks.
- Ecommerce integrations: Klaviyo integrates with popular ecommerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento to allow businesses to sync their store data and automate their email marketing.
Mailchimp Features:
- Landing pages: Mailchimp offers a landing page builder to help businesses create and publish landing pages for specific campaigns. This feature can help increase conversions and drive traffic to the business’s website.
- Social media: Mailchimp has social media integration and can be used to create social media ads and organic posts to complement email campaigns.
- Marketing CRM: Mailchimp’s marketing CRM allows businesses to manage their contacts, track customer interactions, and view customer data in one place.
- Email templates: Mailchimp offers a variety of customizable email templates to help businesses design their campaigns quickly and easily.
Which Platform is Better for Your Ecommerce Store in Terms of Features?
If your business is focused primarily on ecommerce, Klaviyo’s advanced segmentation, personalization, and ecommerce integrations make it the better choice.
Klaviyo’s automation features also make it a good choice for businesses that want to save time and automate their email marketing.
If your business has a broader marketing focus beyond email and needs additional marketing tools like social media and landing pages, Mailchimp may be a better fit.
Mailchimp’s user-friendly interface, extensive resources and support, and customizable email templates make it a good choice for businesses of all sizes and technical expertise levels.
You can also extend features of both Klaviyo and Mailchimp using Integrations:
| Third-party tool integration | Direct (native) integration |
| Both Klaviyo and Mailchimp are part of Zapier’s integration tools. That means you can connect Klaviyo and MailChimp to hundreds of other software available in Zapier’s library. | Mailchimp direct (native) integrations: list of the integrations Klaviyo direct (native) integrations: list of the integrations. |
MailChimp vs Klaviyo Pricing
Pricing is an important consideration when choosing an email marketing platform, and both Klaviyo and Mailchimp offer different pricing plans based on the number of subscribers.
| # of Subscribers | Klaviyo | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| 0-500 | $25 | $0 |
| 501-2,500 | $50-$125 | $30.00 |
| 2,501-5,000 | $125-$200 | $50.00 |
| 5,000-10,000 | $200-$325 | $75.00 |
| 10,001-25,000 | $325-$450 | $150.00 |
Klaviyo Pricing:
Klaviyo offers a free plan for businesses with up to 250 subscribers, which includes unlimited emails and basic features.
For businesses with larger lists, Klaviyo’s pricing starts at $20/month for up to 500 subscribers and goes up to $1,700/month for up to 150,000 subscribers.
Klaviyo’s pricing is based on the number of contacts, and businesses can choose to pay monthly or annually.
Mailchimp Pricing:
Mailchimp also offers a free plan for businesses with up to 2,000 subscribers, which includes basic email marketing features.
For businesses with larger lists, Mailchimp’s pricing starts at $9.99/month for up to 500 subscribers and goes up to $299/month for up to 50,000 subscribers.
Mailchimp’s pricing is based on the number of contacts, and businesses can choose to pay monthly or annually.
You can find their ecommerce pricing below:
Which Plan is Better for Your Business?
Both platforms offer affordable pricing plans for small businesses, but Klaviyo’s pricing can quickly become expensive as your list grows.
If your business has a small list of subscribers and wants basic email marketing features, Mailchimp’s free plan is a good option.
For businesses that focus on ecommerce and have a larger list of subscribers, Klaviyo’s advanced segmentation, personalization, and automation features may justify the higher pricing.
Klaviyo also offers more value for money with its ecommerce integrations and specialized features.
Klaviyo vs MailChimp: Ease of Use
Ease of use is an important consideration when choosing an email marketing platform. Klaviyo and Mailchimp both offer user-friendly interfaces, but they differ in terms of the setup process, integrations, and customization options.
Klaviyo Ease of Use:
Klaviyo’s interface is designed for ecommerce businesses and is easy to navigate. The setup process involves syncing your ecommerce store with Klaviyo, which can be done using one of Klaviyo’s many ecommerce integrations.
Once set up, Klaviyo’s automation features and pre-built templates make it easy for businesses to create and send email campaigns quickly and efficiently.
ALSO SEE: Klaviyo case study: $700k+ in revenue generated with email marketing
Mailchimp Ease of Use:
Mailchimp’s interface is user-friendly and intuitive, making it easy for businesses to set up and manage their email campaigns.
Mailchimp also offers a drag-and-drop email builder that allows businesses to create visually appealing campaigns quickly.
Mailchimp’s integration with third-party apps and services allows businesses to automate workflows and save time on repetitive tasks.
Which Platform is Better for Your Business for being more User-Friendly?
Both Klaviyo and Mailchimp offer user-friendly interfaces that make it easy for businesses to create and manage email campaigns. Klaviyo is better suited for ecommerce businesses that require specialized features and integrations, while Mailchimp is a good fit for businesses that need a broader range of marketing tools beyond email.
Klaviyo may be more challenging for businesses with little technical expertise, but its advanced features and integrations make it a better choice for businesses with more complex needs. Mailchimp’s user-friendly interface and customization options make it a good fit for businesses of all sizes and technical expertise levels.
Overall, Mailchimp is a great option for beginners and those looking for a simple, easy-to-use email marketing platform, while Klaviyo is better suited for experienced marketers who need more advanced features and customization options.
ALSO SEE: [CASE STUDY] $34,000 in 30 days with Klaviyo Ecommerce Email Marketing
Differences between Klaviyo and MailChimp: Support and Resources
Support and resources are important considerations when choosing an email marketing platform. Both Klaviyo and Mailchimp offer documentation, customer support, and community resources to help businesses get started and troubleshoot issues.
Klaviyo Support and Resources:
Klaviyo offers a knowledge base with articles and guides on how to use their features and integrations, as well as a community forum where users can ask questions and share best practices. Klaviyo also offers email and chat support for their paid plans, with a dedicated account manager for larger accounts.
Mailchimp Support and Resources:
Mailchimp offers a knowledge base with articles and guides, as well as a community forum where users can ask questions and share best practices. Mailchimp also offers email and chat support for all plans, with phone support available for higher-tier plans.
Which one has better support?
Klaviyo’s dedicated account manager and personalized support may be beneficial for larger ecommerce businesses, while Mailchimp’s phone support for higher-tier plans may be beneficial for businesses that prefer phone support.
In terms of community resources, both platforms offer active user communities with a wealth of knowledge and best practices.
Klaviyo’s community is more focused on ecommerce and may be more beneficial for ecommerce businesses, while Mailchimp’s community is broader and may be more beneficial for businesses with a wider range of marketing needs.
Conclusion: Klaviyo OR Mailchimp?
In conclusion, both Klaviyo and Mailchimp are popular email marketing platforms with their own unique features, pricing models, ease of use, and support resources.
Klaviyo is better suited for larger ecommerce businesses that require advanced automation and segmentation features, personalized support, and a community focused on ecommerce.
Mailchimp is better suited for smaller to medium-sized businesses that require a simpler and more affordable email marketing solution with phone support available for higher-tier plans.
Why Mapplinks Uses Klaviyo for Ecommerce Clients
As an ecommerce marketing agency, Mapplinks has extensive experience working with various email marketing platforms.
After thorough evaluation and testing, we have chosen Klaviyo as our preferred platform for our ecommerce clients.
One of the main reasons we use Klaviyo is its advanced automation and segmentation features, which allow us to create highly personalized and targeted campaigns for our clients.
This results in increased engagement, conversions, and revenue for their businesses.
Additionally, Klaviyo’s robust analytics and reporting features provide us with valuable insights into our clients’ email performance, allowing us to optimize their campaigns for even better results.
Finally, Klaviyo’s dedicated support and community resources have been instrumental in providing our team with the necessary resources and expertise to effectively use the platform and troubleshoot any issues that may arise.
In summary, as an ecommerce marketing agency, we have found Klaviyo to be the best email marketing platform for our client’s needs.
Its advanced features, analytics, and support resources have consistently delivered strong results for our clients, making it our preferred platform for email marketing campaigns.
Getting Started with Klaviyo for Ecommerce Email Marketing
If you’re interested in getting started with Klaviyo, you’ll find the following checklist handy:
here are 10 steps for ecommerce brands who want to get started with Klaviyo email marketing:
- Create a Klaviyo account: The first step is to sign up for a Klaviyo account and start exploring the platform.
- Connect your ecommerce platform: Klaviyo integrates with many popular ecommerce platforms, including Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento. Connect your ecommerce platform to Klaviyo to start syncing customer data and purchase history.
- Set up email lists: Organize your email subscribers into different lists based on their interests, purchase behavior, or any other relevant criteria.
- Create email templates: Klaviyo offers a variety of pre-designed email templates that you can customize to match your brand’s look and feel.
- Segment your email lists: Use Klaviyo’s advanced segmentation features to create targeted campaigns based on customer behavior, interests, and demographics.
- Set up automation: Create automated email workflows that trigger based on specific customer actions, such as abandoned carts, first-time purchases, or post-purchase follow-ups.
- Design and send campaigns: Use Klaviyo’s drag-and-drop email builder to design and send one-time campaigns to your email list.
- Monitor campaign performance: Keep track of your email campaign performance through Klaviyo’s analytics and reporting features, which provide insights into open rates, click-through rates, and revenue generated.
- Optimize campaigns: Use Klaviyo’s analytics to optimize your campaigns over time by testing different subject lines, content, and calls to action.
- Continuously improve: Keep improving your email marketing strategy by regularly analyzing your campaign performance, testing new tactics, and incorporating customer feedback.
By following these 10 steps, ecommerce brands can get started with Klaviyo email marketing and start reaping the benefits of personalized, targeted, and automated campaigns that drive revenue and customer engagement.
At Mapplinks, we understand the power of email marketing for ecommerce businesses. That’s why we have made it our mission to help our clients maximize their email marketing potential with Klaviyo.
Over the years, we have recovered over $16M in revenue for our clients using ecommerce retention marketing and email marketing has been one of the key retention channels for our ecommerce clients.
If you need help with Klaviyo setup or boosting your email marketing results, you can book a call with our Klaviyo experts here. Our team will be happy to help you out.
