Shopify email setup: a new store’s launch checklist

For a new Shopify store, a useful email setup order is: authenticate the sender, test signup and welcome messages, configure checkout recovery, then send a first campaign. Work through the customer journey before adding a long series of automations.

Email marketer Chase Dimond’s 17 October suggestions provide a starting point for the creative decisions. The checklist below separates those suggestions from Shopify’s current setup instructions, with checks we recommend before switching anything on.

1. Set up the address customers will see

Shopify’s email setup guide distinguishes the store contact address from the customer facing Sender email under Settings → Notifications. Check the latter before testing a campaign.

For a third party domain, follow the authentication records Shopify supplies. Its CNAME records handle SPF and DKIM; Shopify says a separate SPF TXT record is not needed for this authentication. Follow its DMARC instructions too. If another platform also sends email for the business, use that provider’s instructions for its own authentication.

Dimond suggests starting DMARC with a monitoring policy. Our recommendation is to have the person managing the domain review all legitimate senders before changing policy. Do not tighten it simply because a fixed number of weeks has passed.

2. Test signup and the welcome journey together

Dimond recommends a delayed or scroll triggered popup with an easy mobile close button, and putting the founder story in the second welcome email. These are ideas to test, not a required Shopify sequence or a promise of higher sales.

Our launch check: subscribe with a test address, confirm the promised message arrives, open it on a phone and follow every product link. If signup promises an offer, test its restrictions and checkout behaviour. Make sure the popup can be dismissed without covering essential shopping controls.

Shopify’s Messaging automation guide includes welcome templates. On desktop, open Apps → Messaging → Automations → Create automation. Edit and send a test before activating it; a saved automation can remain off while you check it.

3. Decide what checkout recovery should do

Shopify distinguishes abandoned cart from abandoned checkout: the former covers products added without starting checkout, while the latter covers a checkout started without an order. Choose the relevant trigger and inspect recipient eligibility. The default recovery audience is email subscribers.

Dimond’s suggestion is to start checkout recovery without a discount and reserve an incentive for the final message. We recommend first checking whether the message answers a practical concern such as delivery or returns. Do not add an offer unless its cost and conditions make sense for the store.

4. Send when the checks pass

Dimond advocates a first campaign during launch week, even with a small list. Treat that as encouragement to start, not a deadline that overrides testing. Before sending, confirm the intended audience, sender, links, offer and unsubscribe route. A test arriving successfully does not guarantee inbox placement for everyone.

Keep a simple record of what was sent and what needs fixing before adding more flows. Stores preparing seasonal promotions can use our BFCM checklist to connect email readiness with storefront and checkout checks.

The original advice

Chase Dimond’s post, 17 October 2026. Practitioner suggestions, rather than Shopify requirements.

Chase Dimond’s email setup advice, 17 October 2026

Read the original post on X.