Ranked SaaS shortlist
Best Email Marketing for BigCommerce Stores
We compared email marketing tools for BigCommerce stores by store-data sync, abandoned cart automation, purchase-based segmentation, CRM fit, SMS support, and reporting.
Top pick
Klaviyo
Ranked tools
4
Category
Email Marketing
Quick Summary
1. Klaviyo
E-commerce businesses (especially Shopify stores) that want advanced segmentation, predictive AI, and deeply integrated email + SMS marketing.
2. Mailchimp
Small businesses and solopreneurs who want an easy-to-use, all-in-one email marketing platform with a free plan to get started.
3. ActiveCampaign
Experienced marketers who need powerful, flexible marketing automation with a built-in CRM and don't mind a learning curve.
4. HubSpot
Small to mid-size businesses that want an all-in-one CRM with a generous free tier and an intuitive interface teams can adopt quickly.
Data-backed insight
What our 1,000-site study showed for ecommerce
The DTC/ecommerce cohort had the clearest commerce stack pattern. Shopify and Klaviyo were the strongest visible business-tool signals, which supports evaluating ecommerce email software on store-data depth, lifecycle workflows, and retention infrastructure instead of newsletter features alone.
- Shopify in DTC/ecommerce
- 84%
- 197 of 235 normal-status ecommerce sites showed Shopify signals.
- Klaviyo in DTC/ecommerce
- 61%
- 143 ecommerce sites showed Klaviyo signals.
- Gorgias support signal
- 20%
- 46 ecommerce sites showed Gorgias signals.
- Attentive SMS signal
- 17%
- 41 ecommerce sites showed Attentive signals.
How We Evaluated
BigCommerce stores need more than a newsletter tool. The email platform should understand customers, orders, carts, products, and purchase history well enough to trigger the right follow-up automatically. Some platforms are built around ecommerce behavior. Others can work for BigCommerce but are better when CRM or general email marketing matters more than store-data depth.
We ranked tools by ecommerce automation depth, BigCommerce fit, abandoned cart and post-purchase workflows, segmentation, revenue attribution, SMS support, ease of setup, and how useful the platform remains once the store grows. We favored platforms that can turn store behavior into automated email without heavy manual work.
1. Klaviyo
Top pickPower smarter digital relationships
Klaviyo is the strongest email marketing platform for most BigCommerce stores because it is built around ecommerce data. It supports product and purchase-based segmentation, abandoned cart and browse-style flows, win-back sequences, revenue attribution, and SMS in the same system. The segment builder has a learning curve, and pricing rises as active profiles grow, but BigCommerce merchants that care about email revenue usually get more depth here than from general-purpose tools.
Strengths
- Best-in-class e-commerce integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce
- Powerful predictive analytics including customer lifetime value and churn risk
- Advanced segmentation driven by real-time behavioral and purchase data
- 80+ pre-built automation flow templates for abandoned carts, win-back, and more
Weaknesses
- Pricing gets expensive quickly as active profiles grow (e.g. $150/mo at 10K profiles)
- Steep learning curve with technical jargon in segment builder
- No built-in landing page builder (requires third-party tools)
- No migration support or onboarding assistance on non-Enterprise plans
Verdict: Best overall for BigCommerce stores that want ecommerce-specific automation and reporting.
2. Mailchimp
The #1 AI-powered email marketing and automations platform
Mailchimp is the best BigCommerce email marketing option for smaller stores that want a simpler, cheaper starting point. It is easier to learn than Klaviyo, includes landing pages and forms, and covers basic ecommerce campaigns and abandoned cart follow-up. It is less convincing for stores that need granular purchase segments, predictive analytics, or more advanced lifecycle automation.
Strengths
- Intuitive drag-and-drop editor requiring no technical skills
- Generous free plan with landing pages, forms, and CRM included
- 300+ integrations with popular e-commerce, CRM, and analytics tools
- Extensive template library with hundreds of mobile-responsive designs
Weaknesses
- Pricing escalates sharply as contact lists grow past 500
- Unsubscribed and inactive contacts still count toward billing limits
- SMS marketing requires a separate paid add-on starting at $20/mo
- Advanced automation limited to 4 journey steps on Essentials plan
Verdict: Best budget option for small BigCommerce stores with basic email automation needs.
3. ActiveCampaign
Marketing automation for any business
ActiveCampaign makes sense for BigCommerce stores that also have a sales process, wholesale accounts, or B2B ecommerce motion. Its automation builder and CRM are stronger than Mailchimp's, and it can support lead scoring and sales follow-up alongside customer email journeys. It is not as ecommerce-native as Klaviyo, so it is best when CRM and workflow flexibility matter as much as store-data depth.
Strengths
- One of the most powerful automation builders available (135+ triggers, 500+ recipes)
- Built-in CRM with deal pipelines for marketing-sales alignment
- High email deliverability with built-in list hygiene and spam testing
- 900+ native integrations plus 8,000+ via Zapier
Weaknesses
- Costs scale aggressively with contact count (Pro jumps to $339/mo at 10K contacts)
- Significant learning curve requiring 3-4 training sessions for most users
- Key features like A/B testing and predictive content gated behind Pro tier
- Overkill for simple newsletters or basic email needs
Verdict: Best for BigCommerce stores that need email automation plus CRM or B2B sales workflows.
4. HubSpot
AI-powered customer platform for scaling businesses
HubSpot can work for BigCommerce stores that think in terms of CRM, lifecycle marketing, and sales handoff rather than pure ecommerce email. It is especially relevant for B2B commerce, high-ticket products, or stores with a sales team. For direct-to-consumer abandoned cart and product-based automation, Klaviyo is usually the better fit.
Strengths
- Generous free plan with up to 1M contacts and core CRM features
- Intuitive interface that teams adopt with minimal training
- Strong all-in-one platform combining marketing, sales, and service
- Excellent email tracking, sequences, and Gmail/Outlook integrations
Weaknesses
- Steep price jump from Starter ($20/seat) to Professional ($100/seat)
- Marketing Hub costs scale quickly with per-contact pricing
- Required onboarding fees for Professional ($1,500) and Enterprise ($3,500)
- Advanced reporting and automation gated behind Professional tier
Verdict: Best for BigCommerce businesses where CRM and sales follow-up matter more than ecommerce email depth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Klaviyo is usually the best email marketing platform for BigCommerce because it is built around ecommerce data, segmentation, abandoned cart flows, revenue attribution, and SMS.
Yes. Mailchimp can work for smaller BigCommerce stores that need basic email campaigns, forms, landing pages, and simple ecommerce automation. Klaviyo is stronger for advanced store-data segmentation.
Klaviyo is the strongest choice for abandoned cart and lifecycle email because it is built for ecommerce automation. Mailchimp can handle basic cart recovery for smaller stores.
Most growing stores should consider both. Email is better for product launches, education, and longer campaigns. SMS is better for urgent cart recovery, shipping updates, and time-sensitive offers.
ActiveCampaign is good when the BigCommerce store also needs CRM, lead scoring, B2B sales follow-up, or more flexible non-ecommerce automation. Klaviyo is better for pure ecommerce email depth.