Updated 2026-02-01

Best Email Marketing Tools for Gift Shops

Drive seasonal sales, build customer loyalty, and grow your gift shop with the right email marketing platform.

Gift shops thrive on seasonal moments. Holidays, birthdays, graduations, and special occasions drive your business. Email helps you reach customers before these moments, showcase perfect gifts, and remind them you exist when they need to find something special. The shops that stay connected between visits win the sales. Here are 13 email marketing platforms that work for gift shops.

Why Gift Shops Need Email Marketing

Capture Seasonal Sales

Holidays drive gift buying. Email campaigns before major holidays put your shop top of mind when customers are ready to buy.

Showcase New Arrivals

Unique finds and new products deserve attention. Email gets your latest treasures in front of customers who appreciate them.

Promote Special Occasions

Mother's Day, graduations, weddings. Email campaigns around life moments drive gift purchases.

Build Local Loyalty

Local gift shops compete with online giants on service and curation. Email builds the relationship that keeps customers coming back.

13 Best Email Marketing Tools for Gift Shops

Our Top Pick for Gift Shops
#1
Sequenzy

AI-powered email marketing for small businesses.

Visit
Best for
Gift shops wanting automated seasonal marketing
Pricing
$29/month for 50,000 emails

Pros

  • AI writes retail sequences
  • Simple interface
  • Pay per emails sent
  • Direct founder support

Cons

  • Launched in 2025, less track record
  • No built-in SMS
  • Fewer templates
#2
Mailchimp

Popular platform with e-commerce features.

Visit
Best for
Gift shops wanting a well-known platform
Pricing
Free up to 500 contacts, then $13-350/month

Pros

  • Many templates
  • Broad integrations
  • Strong deliverability
  • Good analytics

Cons

  • Gets expensive
  • Not gift-shop focused
  • Support declined
  • Interface overwhelming
#3
MailerLite

Clean and affordable for product emails.

Visit
Best for
Gift shops wanting simplicity
Pricing
Free up to 1,000 subscribers, then from $10/month

Pros

  • Very affordable
  • Clean interface
  • Good landing pages
  • Generous free tier

Cons

  • Strict approval
  • Limited features
  • Basic reporting
  • Approval time
#4
Brevo

Good value with SMS included.

Visit
Best for
Budget-conscious gift shops
Pricing
Free up to 300 emails/day, then from $25/month

Pros

  • SMS included
  • Generous free tier
  • Good automation
  • Transactional email

Cons

  • Daily limits
  • Support slow
  • Limited integrations
  • Branding on free
#5
Constant Contact

Reliable with phone support.

Visit
Best for
Gift shops wanting phone support
Pricing
From $12/month for 500 contacts

Pros

  • Easy to use
  • Phone support
  • Event features
  • Reliable

Cons

  • Limited automation
  • Templates dated
  • Higher prices
  • Not retail-focused
#6
Campaign Monitor

Beautiful templates for visual products.

Visit
Best for
Gift shops prioritizing visual presentation
Pricing
From $9/month for 500 contacts

Pros

  • Beautiful templates
  • Great for products
  • Reliable delivery
  • Professional look

Cons

  • Contact pricing
  • Limited automation
  • Gets expensive
  • Not retail-specific
#7
ActiveCampaign

Powerful automation for growing businesses.

Visit
Best for
Large gift shops with complex needs
Pricing
From $29/month for 1,000 contacts

Pros

  • Excellent automation
  • CRM included
  • Great deliverability
  • Detailed tracking

Cons

  • Steep learning curve
  • Complex interface
  • Price jumps
  • Overkill for most
#8
AWeber

Simple and reliable for newsletters.

Visit
Best for
Gift shops wanting reliability
Pricing
Free up to 500 subscribers, then from $15/month

Pros

  • Reliable
  • Simple
  • Good support
  • Track record

Cons

  • Dated
  • Limited automation
  • Basic templates
  • Little innovation
#9
Drip

E-commerce focused for online sales.

Visit
Best for
Gift shops with heavy online sales
Pricing
From $39/month for 2,500 contacts

Pros

  • Revenue tracking
  • Strong automation
  • E-commerce features
  • Analytics

Cons

  • Built for e-commerce
  • Expensive
  • Learning curve
  • Overkill for local shops
#10
ConvertKit

Built for creators who share content.

Visit
Best for
Gift shops who share gift guides and stories
Pricing
Free up to 1,000 subscribers, then from $29/month

Pros

  • Creator-focused
  • Great newsletters
  • Tag automation
  • Creator community

Cons

  • Minimal design
  • Less visual focus
  • Expensive at scale
  • No free landing pages
#11
GetResponse

All-in-one with webinar capability.

Visit
Best for
Gift shops doing online events
Pricing
From $19/month for 1,000 contacts

Pros

  • Landing pages
  • Automation
  • Webinar hosting
  • Competitive pricing

Cons

  • Busy interface
  • Editor basic
  • Support varies
  • Features scattered
#12
HubSpot

Enterprise solution for large operations.

Visit
Best for
Large retail chains only
Pricing
Free basic, paid from $50/month

Pros

  • Full CRM
  • Great for teams
  • Reporting
  • Integrations

Cons

  • Overkill
  • Expensive
  • Complex
  • Lock-in
#13
Moosend

Budget-friendly with good features.

Visit
Best for
Very price-conscious gift shops
Pricing
From $9/month for 500 subscribers

Pros

  • Very affordable
  • Good automation
  • Responsive support
  • Landing pages

Cons

  • Less known
  • Limited integrations
  • Smaller templates
  • Fewer features

Feature Comparison

FeatureSequenzyMailchimpMailerLiteCampaign Monitor
Seasonal promotions
New arrivals
AI content
Drag-and-drop editor
Automation
Basic
Landing pages
Free tier

Email Sequences Every Gift Shop Needs

These are the essential automated email sequences that will help you grow your business and keep clients coming back.

New Subscriber Welcome

Trigger: When someone joins mailing list

Welcome new customers and introduce your shop.

Immediately
Welcome to {{shop_name}}!

Thank them. Shop story. What makes you special.

Day 3
Our favorite finds right now

Staff picks. Featured products. What is popular.

Day 7
A special welcome gift

First purchase discount. Best sellers. How to visit.

Holiday Campaign

Trigger: Before major holidays

Capture holiday gift-buying.

4 weeks before
Start your {{holiday}} shopping early

Gift guide. Featured products. Early bird perks.

2 weeks before
{{holiday}} gift ideas for everyone on your list

Curated suggestions by recipient. Price ranges.

1 week before
Last chance for {{holiday}} gifts

Urgency. In-stock favorites. Quick gift ideas.

Day after
Thank you and happy {{holiday}}!

Thanks. Gift card reminder. Post-holiday sale preview.

New Arrivals Alert

Trigger: When new inventory arrives

Share exciting new products.

When available
Just in: New treasures at {{shop_name}}

New products. What is special about them. Come see.

Birthday/Anniversary

Trigger: Customer birthday or signup anniversary

Celebrate customers and encourage visits.

On date
Happy birthday, {{first_name}}!

Birthday wishes. Special offer. Treat yourself.

How to Choose the Right Email Tool

Visual presentation matters. Gift products need to look beautiful in emails. Choose platforms with great templates.

Seasonal capabilities. Holiday marketing is essential. Choose tools that make scheduling campaigns easy.

Budget reality. Small retail margins mean you need affordable tools that deliver results.

What Works for Gift Shop Marketing

Seasonal planning wins. Map out holiday campaigns in advance. Be in their inbox before they shop.

Curation sells. Gift guides by recipient, occasion, and price point make shopping easy.

Personal touch matters. The warmth that brings people to your shop should come through in emails.

Getting Started

  1. Collect emails at every checkout
  2. Plan your holiday email calendar for the year
  3. Create gift guide templates for major occasions
  4. Set up new arrival announcement workflow

Start simple and expand later.

Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly minimum. Weekly during holiday seasons. Special sends for new arrivals and events.

New arrivals, gift guides by occasion, staff picks, seasonal promotions, and behind-the-scenes looks at sourcing.

Signup at checkout with incentive. Website popup. Contest entries. Ask every customer.

Yes. Segment by purchase history, occasion types, and frequency. Send relevant gift ideas.

Personal curation. Unique products they cannot find elsewhere. The personal touch email helps convey.

Open rates, store visits after emails, holiday sales from campaigns, and customer return rate.

Start 4-6 weeks before major holidays. Multiple touches with different angles. Last-minute reminders.

Be specific and occasion-focused. 'Mother's Day gifts she'll love' or 'Just arrived: handmade jewelry' work well.

For promotions and price-point gift guides, yes. For new arrivals and inspiration, focus on the items.

Regular new arrivals alerts. Loyalty rewards. Personal service they remember from emails.

Ready to grow your gift shop practice?

Start your free trial today. Set up your first email sequence in minutes with AI-powered content generation.

Related Industries

Sequenzy - Complete Pricing Guide

Pricing Model

Sequenzy uses subscriber-based pricing. You only pay for subscribers active in sequences (automations). Inactive subscribers are free to store.

All Pricing Tiers

  • 0-100 subscribers: Free (Free annually) - 2k emails/month
  • 101-1,000 subscribers: $19/month ($205/year annually) - 15k emails/month
  • 1,001-5,000 subscribers: $29/month ($313/year annually) - 60k emails/month
  • 5,001-10,000 subscribers: $49/month ($529/year annually) - 120k emails/month
  • 10,001-25,000 subscribers: $99/month ($1069/year annually) - 300k emails/month
  • 25,001-50,000 subscribers: $199/month ($2149/year annually) - 600k emails/month
  • 50,001-100,000 subscribers: $349/month ($3769/year annually) - 1.2M emails/month
  • 100,000+ subscribers: Custom pricing (Custom annually) - Unlimited emails/month

Yearly billing: All plans offer a 10% discount when billed annually.

Free Plan Features (0-100 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Paid Plan Features (1,000 - 100,000 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations (Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy)
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Enterprise Plan Features (100,000+ subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Important Pricing Notes

  • You only pay for subscribers who are active in automations/sequences
  • Storing inactive subscribers is free
  • No hidden fees - all features included in the price
  • No credit card required for free tier

Contact

  • Pricing Page: https://sequenzy.com/pricing
  • Sales: hello@sequenzy.com