Interested in Shopify email hosting? Not sure whether you need email hosting for your store or not? Read on…
If you’ve ever ordered something online, you know the drill: you order, you pay, you get an email confirmation. But, some stores are taking it further by using email marketing, abandoned cart messages and notifications on related orders. And, in the world of eCommerce, communication is key.
To start developing these interactive relationships with your customers, you’ll need a professional email hosting account. Because, while there are many free, generic options like Gmail or Yahoo, no successful store uses these. Instead they opt for a custom email address that corresponds to the Shopify store and domain name.
In order to market your products and services professionally you need to look at Shopify email hosting options.
What is Shopify Email Hosting?
Email hosting, in the simplest of terms, is a service where the hosting provider rents an email server to a user who needs a custom address and these generally come in both free and paid options. Now, although your first instinct might be to go for free email hosting option to save money, there’s a reason why the majority of business professionals prefers paid options.
Shopify do not offer email hosting. You cannot host your email with Shopify. Instead you need to explore the paid options available for email hoisting. Shopify only host your website.
With professional, paid email hosting, someone is there to help if something goes wrong and provide that extra level of support if you need it. Particularly if you’re prone to forgetting your login details or you encounter any issues with your shop’s email.
Is There a Difference Between Hosted Email & Email Hosting?
Fundamentally no. They are simply different uses of terminology but there is no difference between them and they’re used to describe the same service.
Do I Need Email Hosting For My Shopify eCommerce Store?
Yes, absolutely. If you want to run a professional store you do. You’ll need some sort of means to communicate with your customers and email is the best choice. However, most eCommerce platforms don’t offer email hosting services. Instead, they focus their resources around hosting your store. If you opt for Shopify, this is also the case because there is no Shopify email hosting option. The only way to get email hosting with Shopify is to choose a dedicated 3rd party Shopify email hosting service, like Shopped email.
What is The Difference Between Web and Email Hosting?
Web hosting is a dedicated hosting service for websites. If you want to have a website, or an online store, you will need a web hosting service for it. Email hosting is for emails only. Some web hosting services also offer email hosting, but not all of them.
Who Hosts Shopify’s Emails?
Many services host emails, but Shopify don’t host emails. Many people get confused here and wonder why not. We don’t have an answer for this but Shopify never have hosted email.
However, there are dedicated Shopify email hosting providers to help you get the service. While there are web hosting services that also offer email hosting, having a separate email and web hosting provider is the better option, as you get much more storage space , and if something goes wrong with one, the other won’t be affected.
For those with a Shopify store you have two options for Shopify email hosting. Either, set up email with a free email provider (which doesn’t offer branded email on your domain) or opt for a paid option that will let you host the email on your own domain. While some Shopify stores opt for the free option, most professional stores will go for the paid Shopify email hosting option because it looks more professional in the eyes of the customer.
We are currently the only service that offers dedicated email hosting specifically for Shopify. Of course, this doesn’t mean we’re the only viable option. You can easily set up hosting with Google too and use your Gmail address.
Our email hosting service was built by official Shopify Experts and we’re working behind the scenes to fully integrate mail into the backend of Shopify with an app.
Free Shopify Email Hosting vs. Paid Shopify Email Hosting Services
When deciding whether you want free or a paid Shopify email hosting, make sure to do your research. As with anything else, both free and paid versions have their advantages and disadvantages that may affect your business so it’s important to look at the best option for you. Here are some of the more obvious advantages and disadvantages of free email hosting vs paid.
With free Shopify email hosting (e.g. Gmail & Yahoo), you will get:
A free service: There’s no contract or commitment
Enough storage space for an individual or a small business
Not enough storage if your business is growing
Weaker security
No dedicated customer support
No disaster recovery options
No personalization options (no custom domain names)
With paid Shopify email hosting, you will get:
Custom Domain Name: this helps you build your brand and credibility
More storage
Great security options: antivirus, spam filters, fraud detection
Email filtering
Disaster recovery in case of outage
Lower costs than having your own email server
Full control and overview
Full Protocols: IMAP/POP and SMTP
Dedicated Customer Support
Monthly/Quarterly/Yearly Subscription
Contract
As mentioned above, if you use your Gmail account, you will save a few bucks a month. However, your customers will then see that you are sending your email from Gmail, and many will be wary of ordering because they might see it as unprofessional and less secure, especially if they pay with their credit cards.
How about Shopify forwarding Emails
Shopify offer forwarding emails. If you’ve purchased your domain through Shopify you may be tempted to use them. But remember that your customers will always see the final email address & if that email address is not on your main domain – they will probably start to get a bit suspicious. No successful store uses email forwarding – it’s for amateurs. Suppliers may be reluctant to deal with you and mail may not always be delivered.
Professional Shopify Email Hosting
There’s a vast number of providers who offer professional, dedicated email hosting and you can choose any of them to address the lack of Shopify email hosting. But, setting up and integrating that email may be a bit tricky with Shopify so make sure that the provider you chose knows how to help you.
If you want to be absolutely sure they do, choose a dedicated Shopify email hosting company, like us (Shopped email). Because we focus on Shopify only, we will easily set up your custom email to work with your Shopify store and specialise in doing exactly that!
How Do I Get an info@myshopname.com Email Address If I Am Hosted With Shopify?
Because there is no Shopify email hosting option just yet, you will have to sign up with a 3rd party email hosting provider. Simply sign up with Shopped email, or another email hosting provider of your choosing, that lets you have custom, professional looking email addresses at affordable rates.
Can I Host My Shopify Emails on My Own Server?
In short: Yes, you can. However, this is a very expensive and complex option. Large enterprises often have their own email servers, but small companies prefer email hosting instead, as it’s more affordable and much MUCH less hassle.
Shopify Email Hosting Conclusion
There are far more advantages to having a dedicated Shopify email hosting service than using a free option. The prices are reasonable, and any store owner can afford this option, no matter whether you’re a one-man gig, or a large enterprise – there are options that will satisfy both, and all those that fall in-between. Our advice is to opt for paid email hosting: it’s the most reliable option and looks the most professional, if you really want your store to be successful.
Our Shopify email hosting solution is built by official Shopify experts. And behind the scenes we’re working on a full integration with Shopify – offering dedicated email from within your store admin.
Built by Official Shopify Developers.
