How to Use Omnisend for E-Commerce Automation: Complete Beginner's Guide

Email marketing is one of the highest-ROI channels for e-commerce businesses, but only if you're using the right platform and strategies. Omnisend is specifically built for e-commerce, offering pre-built automation workflows that can increase your revenue by 10-30% with minimal effort.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through exactly how to use Omnisend—from initial setup to creating your first automation workflows and campaigns. By the end, you'll have a fully functional email marketing system running on autopilot.

Why Omnisend for E-Commerce?

Before we dive into the how-to, let's quickly cover why Omnisend is ideal for online stores:

• Built for e-commerce: Unlike general email platforms, Omnisend is designed specifically for online stores
• Pre-built workflows: Activate essential automations (abandoned cart, welcome series, post-purchase) with one click
• Product integration: Add product recommendations to emails with one click
• SMS included: SMS marketing is included in paid plans (not an expensive add-on)
• Affordable: Free plan for up to 250 contacts, paid plans start at $16/month

Now let's get started.

Step 1: Create Your Omnisend Account and Connect Your Store

Sign Up for Omnisend

1. Go to Omnisend.com
2. Click "Start Free Trial" or "Get Started"
3. Enter your email address and create a password
4. Choose your e-commerce platform (Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, etc.)

Connect Your E-Commerce Store

For Shopify:

1. In Omnisend, click "Connect Store"
2. Enter your Shopify store URL
3. Click "Install" to authorize the connection
4. Omnisend will automatically sync your products, customers, and orders

For WooCommerce:

1. Install the Omnisend plugin from WordPress plugin directory
2. Activate the plugin
3. Connect your WooCommerce store to Omnisend using the API key provided
4. Sync your products and customers

For other platforms: Follow the platform-specific integration instructions in Omnisend's dashboard.

Verify Your Domain

To ensure high email deliverability:

1. Go to Settings → Sender Authentication
2. Follow the instructions to add DNS records to your domain
3. This verifies you own the domain and improves inbox placement

Time required: 15-30 minutes for initial setup

Step 2: Import Your Email List (If You Have One)

If you already have an email list from another platform or a CSV file:

1. Go to Audience → Contacts
2. Click "Import Contacts"
3. Choose your import method:
   • Upload CSV file
   • Copy/paste email addresses
   • Import from another email platform (Mailchimp, Klaviyo, etc.)
4. Map your fields (email, first name, last name, phone, etc.)
5. Confirm that contacts have opted in to receive emails (required by law)
6. Click "Import"

Important: Only import contacts who have explicitly opted in to receive emails from you. Importing purchased lists or non-opted-in contacts violates anti-spam laws and will get your account banned.

Time required: 10-20 minutes

Step 3: Set Up Your First Automation Workflows

This is where Omnisend shines. Pre-built automation workflows can be activated with one click and start generating revenue immediately.

Automation #1: Welcome Series

The welcome series is sent to new subscribers and has the highest open rates (50-60%) of any email type.

To set up:

1. Go to Automation → Pre-built Workflows
2. Find "Welcome Series"
3. Click "Use This Workflow"
4. Customize the emails:
   • Email 1 (sent immediately): Welcome message + discount code
   • Email 2 (sent 2 days later): Best-selling products or brand story
   • Email 3 (sent 5 days later): Customer testimonials or helpful content
5. Click "Activate"

Customization tips:

• Offer a 10-15% discount code in the first email to encourage first purchase
• Use your brand voice and personality
• Add product recommendations relevant to your store
• Include social proof (reviews, testimonials)

Expected results: 20-30% of new subscribers will make a purchase from the welcome series.

Automation #2: Abandoned Cart Recovery

Abandoned cart emails recover 10-30% of abandoned carts, making them the highest-ROI automation.

To set up:

1. Go to Automation → Pre-built Workflows
2. Find "Cart Abandonment"
3. Click "Use This Workflow"
4. The default workflow includes 3 emails:
   • Email 1 (sent 1 hour after abandonment): Reminder with cart contents
   • Email 2 (sent 24 hours later): Urgency message or social proof
   • Email 3 (sent 48 hours later): Discount offer (10-15% off)
5. Customize the email content and timing
6. Click "Activate"

Customization tips:

• The first email should be sent within 1-4 hours (while the purchase intent is still fresh)
• Include product images and prices from the abandoned cart
• Add urgency ("Items in your cart are selling fast!")
• Consider offering a discount only in the third email (not the first)

Expected results: Recover 10-30% of abandoned carts, generating significant additional revenue.

Automation #3: Post-Purchase Follow-Up

Post-purchase emails build customer loyalty and encourage repeat purchases.

To set up:

1. Go to Automation → Pre-built Workflows
2. Find "Order Follow-up"
3. Click "Use This Workflow"
4. The default workflow includes:
   • Email 1 (sent 1 day after purchase): Thank you message
   • Email 2 (sent 7 days later): Request for product review
   • Email 3 (sent 14 days later): Product recommendations based on purchase
5. Customize and activate

Customization tips:

• Include order details and tracking information
• Ask for reviews (social proof is powerful)
• Recommend complementary products
• Offer a discount on next purchase to encourage repeat business

Expected results: Increase repeat purchase rate by 15-25%.

Automation #4: Browse Abandonment

Browse abandonment emails target visitors who viewed products but didn't add them to cart.

To set up:

1. Go to Automation → Pre-built Workflows
2. Find "Product Abandonment"
3. Click "Use This Workflow"
4. Customize the email to remind visitors of products they viewed
5. Add social proof and urgency
6. Activate

Expected results: Recover 5-10% of browsers who didn't add to cart.

Time required: 1-2 hours to set up all four essential automations

Step 4: Create Your First Email Campaign

While automations run on autopilot, email campaigns are one-time sends for promotions, announcements, or content.

Create a Campaign

1. Go to Campaigns → Email
2. Click "Create Campaign"
3. Choose a template or start from scratch
4. Name your campaign (internal use only)

Design Your Email

Using the drag-and-drop builder:

1. Add blocks: text, image, button, product, divider, social media icons
2. Customize colors, fonts, and spacing to match your brand
3. Add product blocks by clicking "Add Product" and selecting from your store
4. Include a clear call-to-action button ("Shop Now," "Get 20% Off," etc.)

Email design best practices:

• Keep it simple and scannable
• Use a single-column layout for mobile optimization
• Include at least one clear CTA button
• Add product images for e-commerce promotions
• Use alt text for images (for accessibility and when images don't load)

Write Compelling Copy

Subject line tips:

• Keep it under 50 characters
• Create curiosity or urgency
• Personalize when possible ("Sarah, your exclusive offer inside")
• Test different approaches with A/B testing

Email body tips:

• Start with the most important information
• Use short paragraphs (2-3 sentences max)
• Include social proof (reviews, testimonials, "bestseller" badges)
• Create urgency ("Sale ends tonight!" "Only 5 left in stock!")
• End with a clear CTA

Segment Your Audience

Don't send every email to your entire list. Segment for better results:

1. Click "Select Audience"
2. Choose a segment:
   • All subscribers
   • Engaged subscribers (opened/clicked recently)
   • Customers (made a purchase)
   • Non-customers (haven't purchased yet)
   • Custom segment (based on specific criteria)

Segmentation examples:

• Send new product announcements to customers who bought similar products
• Send win-back campaigns to subscribers who haven't engaged in 90+ days
• Send VIP offers to customers who've spent $500+

Schedule or Send

1. Choose "Send Now" or "Schedule for Later"
2. If scheduling, select date and time
3. Best times to send: Tuesday-Thursday, 10 AM or 2 PM in your audience's timezone
4. Click "Send" or "Schedule"

Time required: 30-60 minutes to create and send your first campaign

Step 5: Add Signup Forms to Your Website

Grow your email list by capturing visitors' email addresses:

Create a Popup Form

1. Go to Forms → Create Form
2. Choose a form type:
   • Popup (appears over your website)
   • Flyout (slides in from corner)
   • Embedded form (placed in your website content)
   • Landing page (standalone signup page)
3. Choose a template or start from scratch
4. Customize:
   • Headline ("Get 15% off your first order!")
   • Description ("Join our email list for exclusive deals")
   • Fields (email, first name, phone for SMS)
   • Button text ("Get My Discount")
5. Set display rules:
   • When to show (immediately, after 10 seconds, on exit intent, after scrolling 50%)
   • Where to show (all pages, homepage only, specific pages)
   • Who to show (all visitors, new visitors only, returning visitors)
6. Offer an incentive (10-15% discount code)
7. Click "Save and Publish"

Form best practices:

• Offer a compelling incentive (discount, free shipping, exclusive content)
• Keep form fields minimal (just email, or email + first name)
• Use exit-intent popups to capture abandoning visitors
• Don't show popups too frequently (once per visitor per 7 days)

Time required: 20-30 minutes

Step 6: Set Up SMS Marketing (Optional but Recommended)

SMS has 98% open rates compared to email's 20-30%, making it incredibly effective for time-sensitive promotions.

Enable SMS

1. Go to Settings → SMS
2. Enable SMS for your account
3. Set up SMS compliance (required by law):
   • Add your business name
   • Create terms and conditions
   • Set up opt-in confirmation

Create SMS Campaigns

1. Go to Campaigns → SMS
2. Click "Create SMS Campaign"
3. Write your message (160 characters max for best results)
4. Include a link to your store or specific product
5. Select your audience
6. Send or schedule

SMS best practices:

• Keep messages under 160 characters
• Include your brand name so recipients know who's texting
• Only send SMS for urgent or high-value offers (flash sales, back-in-stock alerts)
• Don't overuse SMS (1-2 times per month max)
• Always include opt-out instructions ("Reply STOP to unsubscribe")

Add SMS to Automations

You can add SMS messages to your automation workflows:

1. Edit any automation workflow
2. Click "Add SMS" at any step
3. Write your SMS message
4. Save and activate

Example: Add an SMS to your abandoned cart workflow as the second reminder (24 hours after abandonment) for extra urgency.

Time required: 30 minutes to set up SMS

Step 7: Monitor Performance and Optimize

Key Metrics to Track

Email campaigns:

• Open rate (aim for 20-30%)
• Click-through rate (aim for 3-5%)
• Conversion rate (aim for 1-3%)
• Revenue per email sent

Automation workflows:

• Workflow conversion rate
• Revenue generated per workflow
• Number of contacts in each workflow

Overall:

• List growth rate
• Unsubscribe rate (should be under 0.5%)
• Email deliverability rate (should be 95%+)

How to Improve Performance

If open rates are low:

• Test different subject lines (use A/B testing)
• Improve sender name (use your brand name, not "noreply")
• Clean your list (remove inactive subscribers)
• Send at better times (test different days/times)

If click rates are low:

• Make CTAs more prominent and compelling
• Improve email design and layout
• Segment your audience better (more relevant content)
• Add more product recommendations

If conversion rates are low:

• Improve your website and checkout experience
• Offer better incentives (discounts, free shipping)
• Add urgency and scarcity to emails
• Test different offers

Time required: 30 minutes per week to review metrics and make improvements

Advanced Omnisend Features

Once you've mastered the basics, explore these advanced features:

Product Recommendations

Omnisend can automatically recommend products based on:

• Customer's purchase history
• Browsing behavior
• Bestsellers
• New arrivals
• Related products

Add product recommendation blocks to any email or automation.

Advanced Segmentation

Create sophisticated segments based on:

• Purchase behavior (bought specific products, spent $X+, purchased in last 30 days)
• Engagement (opened/clicked specific campaigns)
• Demographics (location, age, gender if collected)
• Custom properties (loyalty tier, preferences)

A/B Testing

Test different versions of your emails:

• Subject lines
• Email content
• Send times
• CTAs

Omnisend will automatically send the winning version to the rest of your list.

Campaign Booster

Automatically resend campaigns to subscribers who didn't open the first time, with a different subject line. This can increase your campaign reach by 20-30%.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Not Segmenting Your List

Sending the same email to everyone results in lower engagement. Segment based on purchase behavior and engagement.

2. Over-Emailing

Don't email your list every day. Aim for 2-4 emails per week maximum (including automations).

3. Ignoring Mobile Optimization

60%+ of emails are opened on mobile. Always preview your emails on mobile before sending.

4. Not Testing Before Sending

Always send a test email to yourself before sending to your list. Check for typos, broken links, and formatting issues.

5. Forgetting to Clean Your List

Remove inactive subscribers (haven't opened in 90+ days) quarterly to maintain good deliverability.

Omnisend Pricing Reminder

• Free plan: Up to 250 contacts, 500 emails/month
• Standard plan: Starting at $16/month, unlimited emails, SMS included
• Pro plan: Starting at $59/month, advanced features

Start with the free plan and upgrade when you exceed 250 contacts or need SMS marketing.

Final Thoughts

Omnisend makes e-commerce email marketing accessible for businesses of all sizes. The pre-built automation workflows can be activated in minutes and start generating revenue immediately. Focus on getting these four automations running first:

1. Welcome series
2. Abandoned cart recovery
3. Post-purchase follow-up
4. Browse abandonment

Then add regular campaigns (1-2 per week) to promote new products, sales, and content. Monitor your metrics, test different approaches, and continuously optimize.

Email marketing is a long-term strategy. The more you grow your list and refine your automations, the more revenue you'll generate on autopilot.

Ready to start using Omnisend for your e-commerce store? Start your free trial here and set up your first automation workflow today.

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The information in this article is based on our research and is provided for educational purposes only. It should not be considered professional, financial, or legal advice. Software features, pricing, and availability may change. Always verify current details with the vendor before making purchasing decisions.