A marketing stack for an online store
Online stores win on repeat customers and on knowing which ads pay back. This stack covers the messages that bring buyers back (email and SMS), capturing visitors before they leave, measuring where sales come from, answering questions in chat and rewarding people who refer buyers. Tools tagged for ecommerce come first.
Only tools whose pricing we verified against the vendor's own site are shown. Each has a free plan or a paid plan starting at $100 a month or less. Tools tagged for this audience come first. After that, free plans come first, then the lowest starting price. This is a starting list, not a ranking of the best.
1. Send campaigns and flows from store data
Tool type: Email marketing. Check the store integration and what the price is at your list size.
- OmnisendFree plan · from $16/mo
Email and SMS marketing for online stores.
Best for online stores that send email and SMS, with every feature on the free plan.
- KlaviyoFree plan · from $20/mo
Email and SMS marketing built around store data.
Best for online stores that email and text from their store data.
- Zoho CampaignsFree plan · from $3/mo
Email marketing with a forever free plan for 2,000 contacts and paid plans from $3 a month.
Best for email marketing from $3 a month, with a free plan for 2,000 contacts.
2. Reach customers by text
Tool type: SMS marketing. Add per-message and carrier fees to the plan price.
- OmnisendFree plan · from $16/mo
Email and SMS marketing for online stores.
Best for online stores that send email and SMS, with every feature on the free plan.
- KlaviyoFree plan · from $20/mo
Email and SMS marketing built around store data.
Best for online stores that email and text from their store data.
- Postscriptfrom $49/mo
SMS marketing for ecommerce brands, with per-message pricing and Shopify-data segments.
Best for ecommerce brands that text using their Shopify data.
3. Capture email addresses on your site
Tool type: Popups and forms. Check the pageview limit.
- OptiMonkFree plan · from $19/mo
AI popup builder with a free plan for up to 10,000 pageviews.
Best for AI-built popups, with a free plan up to 10,000 pageviews.
- Privyfrom $24/mo
Popups, email capture, and onsite messaging, popular with online stores.
Best for online stores that need popups, email and SMS capture.
- PlerdyFree plan · from $21/mo
CRO tools with heatmaps, session recordings, pop-ups and A/B testing, with a free forever plan.
Best for heatmaps, recordings, pop-ups and A/B testing, with a free forever plan.
4. See which channels earn their cost
Tool type: Attribution. Check what the price is based on, such as ad spend or visitors.
- TraclyFree plan · from $19.95/mo
Link tracking, attribution, and traffic analytics for marketers.
Best for link tracking, attribution and A/B split testing.
- Triple WhaleFree plan
Ecommerce analytics, attribution and AI for DTC brands.
Best for ecommerce brands that want attribution and analytics in one view.
- DreamdataFree plan
B2B attribution platform with a free plan for B2B web analytics.
Best for B2B revenue attribution, with a free plan for B2B web analytics.
5. Answer shopper questions
Tool type: Chat and chatbots. Check the channels and your helpdesk integration.
- LiveChatfrom $19/mo
Live chat and ticketing software with an AI agent, priced per person.
Best for live chat and ticketing with an AI agent, priced per person.
- Tidiofrom $24.17/mo
Live chat and AI chatbot for small businesses and online stores.
Best for live chat and an AI chatbot for small businesses and online stores.
- Zoho SalesIQFree plan · from $7/mo
Live chat and visitor tracking with a free plan for 3 operators, from $7 per operator a month.
Best for live chat with visitor tracking, free for 3 operators.
6. Pay partners for sales they send
Tool type: Affiliate marketing. Check percentage fees on top of the monthly price.
- RefersionFree plan · from $39/mo
Affiliate management for ecommerce brands, from $39 a month plus a share of affiliate-driven sales.
Best for ecommerce brands that want affiliate tracking without cookies.
- DubFree plan · from $27/mo
Open source link management and analytics.
Best for open source link management and analytics.
- UpPromoteFree plan · from $29.99/mo
Affiliate marketing for Shopify stores with a free plan and plans from $29.99 a month plus a small sales fee.
Best for store affiliate programs with a free plan and falling sales fees.
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More guides: Free marketing tools to start with · A marketing stack for creators · A marketing stack for a small business · Tools for marketing agencies · How to track a marketing campaign from click to customer