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See FeaturesYour Shopify welcome email is the first message a customer receives after signing up or buying something in your store. These welcome emails are important because they set the tone for your brand relationship, build trust, and encourage future customer engagement.
A well-crafted, engaging welcome email can help connect with customers, boost conversions, improve customer retention, and drive repeat sales.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through five simple steps to create a high-converting Shopify welcome email, share best practices, and provide real-life examples.
Additionally, we’ll show you how to automate your welcome emails using tools like Omnisend to improve customer experience and maximize sales.
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Build an effective welcome email strategy with these resources:
Welcome series: How to create & examples [2025]
20 best welcome email examples + free templates for 2025
Welcome new customers with automated emails
What is a Shopify welcome email?
A Shopify welcome email is an automated message sent to new customers after they sign up, create an account, or make their first purchase. It’s the first interaction between your brand and customers, helping you establish a strong relationship.
These emails typically include a personalized greeting and an introduction to the brand. They also contain actionable next steps, such as browsing products, redeeming a discount, or interacting with your store’s social media channels. This helps boost engagement and increase conversion rates.
They often contain key elements like exclusive offers, order confirmations, or helpful resources to guide a customer’s shopping experience.
A good example is this welcome email from Glossier. Its welcome email excels with its clean design, engaging visuals, and well-structured content.
It introduces the brand’s mission and story, showcases bestsellers, offers an easy return policy, and highlights community-driven inspiration. Strong CTAs guide readers to explore products and connect with the gTEAM:
Types of Shopify welcome emails
The type of welcome email you send customers depends on how they sign up, such as through a newsletter, a product purchase, or a giveaway entry.
Take Black Ember, for instance. Its welcome email doubles as a giveaway entry confirmation. The company provides the reader with something of value before sharing its story and guiding them to take action.
Additionally, having just one welcome email Shopify template may not be enough because different user interactions require tailored messaging.
Shopify’s automation workflows allow you to trigger different welcome emails based on specific customer actions to catch them at the most effective moment.
Here are the types of Shopify welcome emails you can send:
- Welcome email for first-time buyers: In this Shopify welcome email, you thank your customers for their purchase, set expectations for shipping, and suggest related products
- Welcome email for newsletter signup (via a popup or form): Here, you deliver the promised incentive and introduce your brand to interested consumers
- Welcome email for giveaway signups: Welcome emails confirm their entry for your giveaway, explain the next steps, and encourage them to engage with your brand
- Welcome email for account creation: Emails related to account creation highlight the benefits of having an account with your store, such as faster checkout or exclusive offers
- Welcome email for free resource/download signup: You use this Shopify welcome email to provide the promised resource and suggest related content or products your subscribers might be interested in
Expert tip:
“A single Shopify welcome email is effective, but a series delivers even better results. So start with a warm introduction highlighting your brand’s story and values.
In the next email, share personalized product recommendations or a helpful guide to spark interest. Finally, close with a compelling offer, customer success story, or exclusive insider perks.
This strategic approach helps you nurture new subscribers, strengthens trust with your brand, and gradually encourages conversions — without overwhelming your audience.”
Greg Zakowicz
Senior Ecommerce Expert at Omnisend
Why welcome emails matter for Shopify stores
A Shopify welcome email sets expectations, introduces your brand, and encourages further interaction. Here are additional benefits of welcome emails:
Increase revenue
A Shopify welcome email is one of the most effective ways to increase revenue, converting one of every two customers who open it. These high open rates make them a good opportunity to engage customers and drive conversions from the start.
Thoughtfully crafted messaging with personalized product recommendations or exclusive discounts can encourage first-time buyers to take action.
For example, you can send a welcome email with a limited-time 10% discount for their next purchase. This helps you turn new subscribers into loyal customers.
Provide helpful links
A Shopify welcome email isn’t just about greeting customers. You can use it to guide customers with helpful links and resources.
Providing this important information upfront helps you create a seamless shopping experience and reduce post-purchase questions. Plus, it helps them feel supported, which boosts customer satisfaction and increases the likelihood of repeat purchases.
So, think about what your customers might need. This could be sizing guides, product care instructions, return policies, and even product quizzes — anything to help them make informed decisions.
Improve your marketing efficiency
A Shopify welcome email streamlines customer communication. Instead of manually sending follow-ups, you can set up automated workflows to deliver timely, relevant content the minute a customer subscribes or makes a purchase from your store.
For example, Shopify Email tools allow you to create automated welcome email sequences triggered by specific actions, such as signing up for a newsletter or making a first purchase. This way, every customer receives a consistent, high-quality experience while freeing up your time to focus on growing your business.
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Best practices for engaging Shopify welcome emails
A well-crafted Shopify welcome email helps you set the stage for better customer engagement. You can also apply some best practices to create high-converting welcome emails that keep customers interested and drive long-term value:
Introduce your brand, yourself, and your mission
Your Shopify welcome email is a chance to share your story, values, and what makes your products special.
To’ak Chocolate nails this. It’s passionate about rainforest conservation, and the founder talks about how he started the brand with a mission and became obsessed with cacao farming. Plus, there are no discounts or sales links — just a genuine introduction that draws you in.
To’ak’s welcome email has a 47% open rate and an 18% conversion rate. Clearly, this Shopify welcome email strategy pays off.
“Our automated welcome series allows us to share our brand story with anyone who subscribes, which helps us communicate the uniqueness of our brand. We tell the story from the founder’s perspective, the farmer’s perspective, and from other voices… Email automation makes it possible, for a small team like ours, to show customers that we care about building a connection.”
James Le Compte
CEO of To’ak Chocolate
Include trust signals
Your Shopify welcome email should reassure your customers that they’ve made the right choice by shopping with you. Include trust signals, such as customer reviews, support options, and easy return policies, to help build confidence from the very first interaction.
Vape Superstore does this effectively. Its welcome email showcases its excellent Trustpilot rating with over 25,000 reviews, a link to its Help Centre, and key benefits like free UK delivery, rewards, and a lowest-price guarantee. These signals reassure customers that support is available and their purchase is risk-free:
This trust-focused strategy has significantly contributed to the brand’s success, with it seeing a 77% increase in signup rates.
Share an incentive
A well-timed incentive in your Shopify welcome email can turn new subscribers into paying customers. Offer a discount, free shipping, or an exclusive deal to motivate them to take immediate action and strengthen customer loyalty.
In its Shopify welcome email campaign, B-Wear features a 15% discount with a boldly visible promo code. The message is friendly and inviting, making customers feel like a part of the brand’s community:
This strategy delivers impactful results by helping the brand achieve an impressive 66% conversion rate. This highlights that a well-placed incentive can significantly boost first-time purchases.
Make a clear and visible CTA
A strategically placed call to action in your Shopify welcome email directs customers toward their next step. This could be making a purchase, exploring collections, or redeeming a discount. A CTA should be visually distinct, easy to find, and action-oriented.
Amundsen Sports does this well in its welcome email Shopify campaign. It includes “BROWSE” buttons that direct users to men’s and women’s collections. Plus, the message is inspiring and aligns with the brand’s adventurous spirit, encouraging recipients to explore the brand’s products:
This approach works with Amundsen’s welcome email automation, contributing to almost 30% of all sales made via email.
Encourage subscribers to follow you on social media
Social media gives customers a way to engage with your brand beyond the Shopify welcome email. By encouraging customers to follow your brand, you can build a social media followership through email and keep them informed about new products, offers, and updates.
In its well-executed welcome email Shopify campaign, Naked & Famous Denim invites subscribers to follow it on Instagram.
Additionally, it highlights exclusive behind-the-scenes content, live streams, and customer features. The clear CTA and vibrant visuals make it easy for customers to engage, too:
This strategy works. Naked & Famous Denim’s welcome email has a 60% open rate and a remarkable 314% revenue-per-email (RPE) lift. This demonstrates that integrating social media does help you drive engagement and sales.
Use high-quality, engaging visuals
Visuals make your Shopify welcome email more engaging and memorable. You can use high-quality images and videos to draw attention, highlight your products, and make the email more inviting.
Island Olive Oil Company excels at this. Its welcome email Shopify campaign features vibrant lifestyle images and an engaging video introducing the brand. These visuals help its customers connect emotionally, making the email more effective.
This welcome email strategy has been proven effective, with these welcome emails generating a 998% higher click rate than promotional emails. This led to an 11% conversion rate and a 3,274% RPE lift.
Tip: You should activate subscription confirmation (double opt-in) to ensure your Shopify welcome emails reach real, engaged subscribers. This feature requires users to verify their email addresses before joining your list, helping you reduce fake signups and improve list quality.
Enabling this feature helps improve deliverability and ensure your audience is genuinely interested. You can read more on how to set this up here.
How to create a welcome email for Shopify
Setting up a Shopify welcome email is simple when you follow the right steps, which include:
- Choosing an automation workflow
- Customizing the workflow
- Adding engaging subject lines and preheaders
- Personalizing your email content
- Saving and starting the workflow
Please note that we won’t be using Shopify’s default email app for this tutorial. Instead, we’ll use Omnisend because it has more features and delivers better results. In fact, one Shopify store switched from Shopify Email to Omnisend and saw a 77% increase in revenue.
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Alternatively, here’s our app on the Shopify app store.
“Crafting beautiful emails is a breeze with their drag-and-drop editor, and the ability to segment and personalize campaigns ensures messages hit the mark. The pre-built workflows for key customer touchpoints like cart abandonment and welcome emails are particularly valuable, automating tasks that would otherwise be time-consuming.”
Andre L., a review from G2
If you prefer a video, this guide walks you through the process in 60 seconds:
Step 1: Choose an automation workflow
Log into your Omnisend account. In the Automation main menu tab, click Explore all workflows.
Next, in the automation workflow library, as shown below, choose Welcome with one email (x1):
Note: Omnisend offers three different welcome email series options to fit your marketing strategy. You can create:
- A single welcome email for a quick and straightforward introduction
- A welcome sequence with one email + SMS for a multi-channel approach
- A three-email series to nurture new subscribers over time
For this tutorial, we’ll focus on setting up a simple one-email workflow. However, if your marketing strategy would benefit from a more comprehensive welcome sequence, we highly recommend exploring other options to maximize engagement and conversions.
Step 2: Customize the workflow
Here, you need to review the Trigger filters, which should be just right by default. After that, click on the email to open the customization menu on the right of your screen.
Step 3: Add an engaging email subject line and preheader
Once the customization menu opens, add the subject line, preheader text, and sender’s name. You can even use Omnisend’s email subject line tool to generate subject lines that resonate with your audience. Just add a few keywords and a brief description of your email, and the tool will generate personalized, high-converting email subject lines for you.
When you’re done, scroll down a bit to find the section with the email body and click Edit content:
Step 4: Personalize your email content
Now, you can start customizing your welcome email by adjusting colors, fonts, and layouts to match your brand identity. To do this, use the main menu to add images, text, and buttons.
You can also click on any element to open the personalization menu. This allows you to edit content, change fonts, or insert dynamic fields like the recipient’s first name for further personalization:
Tip: Send a test email to an address of your choice to make sure that it displays correctly. Choose the Preview & test button on the right side of the Finish editing button.
Step 5: Save and start the workflow
Once you’re done personalizing your content, go back to the workflow editor. Here, you need to review all the settings again, then click Update to save. Choose Start workflow if you’d like to activate the campaign immediately, and if not, click on Save & Close:
Shopify welcome email templates
Creating an effective Shopify welcome email is easier with ready-to-use templates that help you engage customers, build trust, and drive conversions effortlessly. Here are some templates from which you can draw inspiration:
1. Rachel Riley UK
Subject line: Welcome to the Family! 💜
Rachel Riley UK’s welcome email creates a warm introduction with a personal note from the founder to make new subscribers feel valued. It also seamlessly blends brand storytelling with product discovery by showcasing best-selling styles.
On top of that, it has a clean design and CTAs. This makes it easy for customers to start shopping immediately.
2. Bemoxie Supplements
Subject line: Welcome to Bemoxie Supplements
Bemoxie Supplements’ welcome email is bold and visually engaging. It uses a large “WELCOME” header and a lifestyle product image to grab attention.
What’s more, it effectively combines a friendly greeting, a discount offer, multiple incentives, and a clear CTA. This makes it easy for new customers to take action. Plus, the Instagram section helps boost engagement on social media.
3. Lulu & Georgia
Subject line: Welcome, enjoy your gift
Lulu & Georgia’s welcome email exudes elegance with its minimalist design, heartfelt greeting, and a prominent discount offer. The high-quality lifestyle imagery shows the brand’s aesthetic, while the well-placed CTA directs users to shop immediately.
It comes with segmented product categories and a rewards program link. This creates multiple ways for customers to engage with your brand and convert.
Lulu & Georgia is one of the top Shopify stores to inspire you.
4. LEIF
Subject line: Welcome to LEIF (we’re so happy you’re here)
LEIF’s welcome email uses a clean, aesthetic design that reflects its brand identity. The soft color palette and elegant typography create a refined look, while the 10% discount offer is centered with a direct CTA.
Even more, the Instagram feature at the bottom helps improve social engagement. Plus, it makes it easy for new customers to connect with the brand visually.
5. Memo Paris
Subject line: Welcome to Memo Paris
Memo Paris’ welcome email features a sophisticated design, high-quality imagery, and refined typography. The bold 10% discount code is placed to capture attention, while the content emphasizes the exclusivity of being a part of its subscriber list.
Additionally, the well-structured layout guides readers seamlessly — from product highlights to a strong CTA. This makes it both visually appealing and effective.
Summary
A well-crafted Shopify welcome email is important for engaging new customers, setting expectations, and driving conversions. Whether for first-time buyers, newsletter signups, or giveaway entries, personalized emails help your brand make a lasting impression.
By using strong CTAs, compelling visuals, trust signals, and enticing incentives, you can create emails that boost sales and retention. The best part is that you can use welcome email Shopify automation tools to streamline this process and ensure timely communication.
Lastly, be sure to follow best practices, such as clear messaging and high-quality visuals, to help you maximize the impact of your Shopify welcome email. Plus, it’ll help strengthen customer relationships and improve the overall email marketing performance for your Shopify store.
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No fluff, no spam, no corporate filler. Just a friendly letter, twice a month.