To connect Shopify to Mailchimp, install the Mailchimp for Shopify app from Shopify, log in to Mailchimp, click Allow, choose the audience to sync, then click Sync now and turn on the app embed in your theme settings. The connection links one Shopify store to one Mailchimp audience and needs manager access or higher in Mailchimp.
Two jobs to do before you install
Most guides jump straight to the install button. Mailchimp's own help page suggests a little prep first, and it saves your customers from some odd emails.
- Check you've got manager access or higher in Mailchimp. You need it to make changes to the integration.
- Pause any existing welcome email automations tied to the audience. Otherwise Shopify customers can get a redundant welcome email once they sync.
- If you collect contacts at checkout, turn off the preselected sign-up option there.
Mailchimp for Shopify automatically sends Shopify customer and order data to Mailchimp, so you can create targeted ecommerce emails and texts, track results and generate product recommendations. The Shopify App Store listing names abandoned cart, welcome and back-in-stock emails and segment sync as features.
Installing Mailchimp for Shopify
- Open the Mailchimp for Shopify app page and click Get started, log in to your Shopify store, then click Install and Install app.
- Click Login (or Create account), enter your Mailchimp credentials and click Allow.
- Review the sync settings: the Linked Audience, contact types, and optionally tags and data field mapping. You can sync all tags or only selected ones.
- Click Sync now. The initial sync of customers, orders and products starts.
- When the Enable Mailchimp App Embed banner appears, click Turn on.
- In Theme settings, check the Mailchimp for Shopify app embed is enabled, then click Save. The embed supports behaviour tracking on your storefront.
- Recreate any abandoned cart automations and replicate any welcome automation you paused. They aren't carried over automatically.
If you're on the older legacy Mailchimp app, Mailchimp says switching needs extra steps, so check its switch guide before you start.
What travels between the two
| Direction | What syncs | Timing or condition |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify to Mailchimp | Email address, name, order information, custom fields such as birthdays and phone numbers, some behaviour such as pages visited | Real time for everything except discount codes |
| Shopify to Mailchimp | Discount codes | Every few hours; a manual sync can be triggered from the app page |
| Shopify to Mailchimp | Events: product_viewed, product_added_to_cart, cart_viewed, checkout_started, checkout_completed | Can trigger automations |
| Shopify to Mailchimp | SMS subscribers; B2B company info as the Shop B2B Company merge tag | SMS subscribers sync this way only |
| Mailchimp to Shopify | email_received, email_opened, email_clicked, sms_received, sms_clicked | Synced back to the store |
| Mailchimp to Shopify (optional) | New audience contacts created as Shopify customers | Setting on the dashboard Settings tab |
Those Shopify events are what make the good automations possible. A checkout_started with no checkout_completed is your abandoned cart trigger; a product_viewed can drive a browse follow-up.
One store, one audience, and thinner events than you'd expect
Here's the limitation, straight from Mailchimp Help's Connect or Disconnect Mailchimp for Shopify article. The integration links one Shopify store to one Mailchimp audience. If you run a second store, repeat the setup and connect it to a separate audience.
Existing abandoned cart automations on that audience have to be rebuilt after connecting. And Shopify customer events shared with Mailchimp are limited if Shopify's GDPR or CCPA policies are enabled for your store, so triggers based on browsing can look thinner than you'd expect. If a browse automation seems quiet, that's the first thing to check.
Avoiding duplicate order emails
If you use Mailchimp's Order Notifications, turn off order notifications from Shopify and anywhere else. Otherwise customers get two receipts for one order, which looks careless. Pick one sender for transactional emails and stick with it.
Other email tools built for Shopify
Klaviyo's Shopify listing says new stores get a guided setup with a sign-up form, welcome email and abandoned-checkout flow without leaving Shopify Admin. Omnisend's listing names welcome, abandoned cart and post-purchase automation workflows plus popups and signup forms. Shopify Email's listing says you can send email, SMS and WhatsApp campaigns to customers directly from Shopify.
For a head-to-head on the most common choice, see my Klaviyo and Mailchimp comparison, and my pick of Shopify apps for a small store covers what else to install.
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My advice for your first week after connecting
Do the prep before you install: pause the welcome email, check your access and untick the preselected checkout sign-up. Once the sync runs, switch on the app embed straight away, rebuild your abandoned cart automation first because it's usually the one that earns its keep, and choose one tool for order emails. Then let a week of data come through before you build anything clever.
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Frequently asked questions
Can I connect more than one Shopify store to Mailchimp?
Yes. Repeat the setup for the second store and connect it to a separate audience.
How fast does Shopify data reach Mailchimp?
Most fields sync in near real time. Discount codes sync every few hours, and you can trigger a manual sync from the app page in Shopify.
Do I need to do anything in my Shopify theme?
Yes. Turn on the Mailchimp for Shopify app embed in Theme settings and save, or the storefront tracking won't run.
Do abandoned cart automations carry over?
No. Mailchimp says existing abandoned cart automations tied to the audience need to be recreated.
Can I send Mailchimp contacts back into Shopify?
Yes, optionally. An audience setting can create new Mailchimp contacts as Shopify customers.
