Create a newsletter, check it with a test mailing, then select the correct subscribers for the real mailing.
This guide is for shop administrators with Abicart Plus or Pro. The built-in newsletter function is included at no extra cost. It uses the customer register and the Wants newsletters setting. A purchase alone is not a newsletter subscription.
1. Check recipients and sender
Open Customers → Customers and filter for customers who want newsletters. A subscriber can enter the register through the shop's newsletter form without creating a login account. Customers can also enter through account registration or import. A guest order does not automatically create an ordinary customer account.
Import only addresses you are entitled to use for the purpose and retain subscription and unsubscribe information. Customer records may have lawful purposes other than marketing; an address in the register is not automatically eligible for newsletters. Import is under Customers → Import.
Check the sender address under Settings → Email and the correct SPF/DKIM/DMARC for the service actually sending. A correct address and authentication improve delivery conditions but do not guarantee inbox delivery.
2. Create the content
Open Customers → Newsletters → New newsletter.
Select a logo from the file archive and set the maximum width. The default is 800 pixels. Adapt images to the layout; a simple starting point is to keep content images within roughly 580 pixels wide.
Select a language and enter Subject, Heading and Opening text. The subject appears in the recipient's inbox; the heading is inside the newsletter.
Select products if required. A short selection is easier to read; around eight products is an editorial guideline rather than a technical maximum. Prefer linking to a larger selection in the shop.
Choose prices including VAT, excluding VAT or no prices, and check the currency and current product prices.
Enter Closing text. Opening and closing text can contain text and images. Use reasonable image sizes and working links.
3. Preview and test
Click Save and preview.
Check text, prices, VAT, currency, images and links. The preview does not promise identical layout in every email application.
Open Prepare mailing and select Test mailing.
Enter a test address you can access and click Start mailing. This sends a real test email to the specified address.
Read the email on desktop and mobile before selecting a larger audience.
4. Select recipients and start the mailing
Under Prepare mailing, choose either All who wish to receive the newsletter or Customers who wish to receive newsletters in selected customer groups. Group selection includes subscribers in those groups; a group does not automatically give every member newsletter consent. Also check the No customer group option if used.
Check the recipient count, language, content and whether the intended mailing is already queued. Only then click Start mailing. Starting a mailing is a real sending action, rather than a preview.
Sending limit and unsubscribe
The normal limit is 2,000 newsletter emails per shop per day. The actual limit and today's count appear in the newsletter area; older or special subscriptions can differ. Larger selections are split over several days. Queued does not mean all emails have already been delivered. Do not restart the same newsletter merely because the whole selection was not sent on the first day.
The newsletter normally includes automatic unsubscribe text and a link at the bottom. Unsubscribing clears the customer's Wants newsletters setting. Check that the link appears in the test email and retain a working unsubscribe function. Do not replace it with an ordinary customer login link.
Export and external newsletter services
If you need a file, first filter the customer register for the correct subscribers and use its export function. Check the selection and newsletter flag in the file before using it. Do not export every buyer's address as a ready-made marketing list. A customer group, a newsletter flag and an external service tag are different things.
For larger or different mailings, use an external service such as Mailchimp or Rule, with the correct integration and your own agreement. The Mailchimp connection has no extra Abicart integration cost; the service's own prices and terms are separate. Follow each integration guide for the events, recipients and tags actually transferred. Do not assume all Abicart customer groups automatically become the same external segments.
Quick start
Check subscribers and sender.
Create content and choose language, VAT and currency.
Preview and send a test to yourself.
Check the recipients and start the real mailing once.
Subscription
Abicart's built-in newsletters are included at no extra cost in Plus and Pro. Go does not include that function. External mailing services have their own terms, costs and sending limits.