Quick Answer
60-second read
Setting up Omnisend for a Shopify or WooCommerce store takes about 20-30 minutes for the core setup: connect your store, import contacts, and turn on the three pre-built automations that do most of the work (welcome series, abandoned cart, post-purchase follow-up). This guide walks through account creation, store connection, contact import, building your first automation, adding SMS to a workflow, and sending your first campaign — in the order that gets you generating revenue fastest.
Free plan available, no credit card required
This guide was last updated August 2026, based on Omnisend’s current signup flow and dashboard. Steps and menu labels can shift as Omnisend updates its interface — the core sequence (connect store → import contacts → build automations → add SMS → send campaign) stays the same even if a button moves.
Step 1: How Do You Create an Omnisend Account?
Go to omnisend.com and click “Start free.” Sign up with your email or a Google account, then choose your store platform when prompted — Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Wix, or “other” if you don’t have a supported storefront yet. No credit card is required for the free plan, so you can complete the entire setup below before deciding on a paid tier.
Step 2: How Do You Connect Your Store?
From the dashboard, go to Store → Connect Store (this step is often prompted automatically right after signup). For Shopify, you’ll be redirected to install the Omnisend app from the Shopify App Store and approve the requested permissions. For WooCommerce, you’ll install and activate the Omnisend plugin from your WordPress admin, then paste an API key back into Omnisend to complete the link. Once connected, Omnisend begins syncing your product catalog, order history, and customer data automatically — this sync is what powers the pre-built automations in Step 4.
Step 3: How Do You Import or Sync Your Contacts?
If you connected a store in Step 2, existing customers with completed orders sync automatically — no manual import needed. To bring in contacts from elsewhere (a previous email tool, a spreadsheet of newsletter signups), go to Audience → Contacts → Import and upload a CSV, mapping the columns to Omnisend’s contact fields. Only import contacts who’ve actually opted in — Omnisend, like every reputable email platform, enforces consent rules and can suspend accounts that import unverified lists.
Step 4: How Do You Set Up Your First Automations?
Go to Automation → Workflows → Browse Workflow Library. This is where Omnisend’s pre-built ecommerce templates live — the fastest path to real results. Start with these three, all available on every paid plan:
- Welcome series: triggers when someone joins your list, typically a 2-3 email sequence introducing your brand and offering a first-purchase incentive.
- Abandoned cart: triggers when a shopper adds items to cart but doesn’t complete checkout — usually Omnisend’s highest-converting default workflow.
- Post-purchase follow-up: triggers after an order, covering shipping updates, a review request, and a win-back nudge timed for your typical repurchase cycle.
Click a template, review the pre-filled email content and timing, customize the copy and design to match your brand, and click Turn On. Each workflow can be edited later without turning it off, so don’t over-optimize the copy before launching — get it live, then refine using the open/click data that comes in.
Step 5: How Do You Add SMS to a Workflow?
Open any existing workflow (the abandoned-cart automation is a common place to start) and click the + icon between two steps to insert a new action. Choose SMS from the channel options, write your message, and set the delay relative to the previous step — for example, an SMS 2 hours after the first abandoned-cart email if there’s still no purchase. SMS is billed separately from your subscription (pay-as-you-go credits, or an add-on subscription depending on your plan), so check your current SMS balance under Settings → Billing before turning on an SMS-heavy workflow at scale.
Step 6: How Do You Build a Segment?
Go to Audience → Segments → Create Segment. Segments filter your contact list by behavior or attributes — purchase history, total spend, engagement (opened/clicked in the last 30 days), or custom store data. A useful starting segment for most stores: “purchased in the last 90 days” for a loyalty/repeat-purchase campaign, and “never purchased, joined 30+ days ago” for a re-engagement push. Segments update automatically as contact data changes, so you don’t need to rebuild them for each new campaign.
Step 7: How Do You Send Your First Campaign?
Go to Campaigns → Create Campaign → Email Campaign. Choose a recipient list or segment, write your subject line, then use the drag-and-drop editor to build the email — Omnisend’s editor includes ecommerce-specific content blocks (product picker, discount code block, countdown timer) that pull directly from your connected store’s catalog. Preview on both desktop and mobile, send a test email to yourself, and schedule or send immediately. Check performance under Reports → Campaigns after 24-48 hours once open/click data has settled.
Common Setup Mistakes to Avoid
- Turning on every workflow template at once: start with welcome, abandoned cart, and post-purchase — adding more before those three are tuned just adds noise to your reporting.
- Skipping the “Powered by Omnisend” branding removal check on the free plan: it’s cosmetic, but worth knowing it’s there before you screenshot an email for a client or stakeholder.
- Adding SMS to every workflow immediately: SMS credits cost money on top of your plan — start with abandoned cart only, confirm it converts, then expand.
- Importing an old, unverified contact list: stale lists hurt deliverability and can trigger account review. Verify or re-permission old lists before a bulk import.
How long does Omnisend setup take?
Core setup — account creation, store connection, and turning on the three main pre-built automations — takes about 20-30 minutes. Building custom segments, designing campaign templates to match your brand, and adding SMS to workflows will add more time depending on how much customization you want before launch.
Do I need a Shopify store to use Omnisend?
No — Omnisend also natively integrates with WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Wix, Shoplazza, and Ecwid, and can technically be used without a connected store at all. That said, Omnisend’s core value (pre-built ecommerce automations, product-data-driven campaigns) depends on a connected store, so it’s not the right tool if you don’t run an online store.
Is Omnisend’s free plan enough to get started?
Yes, for testing. The free plan covers 250 contacts and 500 emails/month with all core automation features included, which is enough to set up and test the welcome, abandoned-cart, and post-purchase workflows described above. Most active stores outgrow the send limit within the first month or two and move to a paid plan.
Can I import contacts from another email tool?
Yes — export your contact list as a CSV from your current platform (Mailchimp, Klaviyo, etc.) and import it under Audience > Contacts > Import in Omnisend. Only import contacts who’ve actually opted in to your emails; Omnisend enforces consent requirements and can flag or suspend accounts that import unverified lists.
Which automation should I set up first?
Abandoned cart, typically. It’s usually the highest-converting default workflow because it targets shoppers who already showed strong purchase intent. Welcome series and post-purchase follow-up are the next two worth turning on before adding anything more advanced.
Related Resources
- 📊 Omnisend Review 2026 — Full hands-on review of Omnisend specifically
- ⚡ Omnisend vs Klaviyo — How Omnisend compares to the ecommerce category leader
- 🛒 Omnisend vs Mailchimp — How Omnisend compares to the generalist option
- 📧 Best Email Marketing Software 2026 — Full roundup of all platforms compared
