Choosing the right email marketing platform

Thinking of moving to a new email marketing platform? Here are 5 things you should know to make sure you choose the right one for your business.

When you’ve lived somewhere for years, you get used to its layout, the little quirks, and even the flaws — like knowing exactly which switch controls the lights or ignoring the boiler’s buzz because it’s just part of the place.

But when it’s time to move, it can feel daunting. You start by making a list: what you absolutely need in your new home, what you’d rather leave behind, and what would make life easier.

Switching from one ESP to another is no different. It’s about carrying forward what works, leaving behind what doesn’t, and finding a platform that fits your future needs — not just your current ones.

1.  Non-negotiables and core requirements

• Define what you must have (e.g., advanced segmentation, automation, multi-brand support, deliverability tools, compliance features)
• Make sure the platform ticks every box before committing.
  

2.  Integration with your tech stack

• Ensure seamless connections with your CRM, e-commerce system, data warehouse, and analytics.
• Confirm APIs or native integrations cover your needs without hidden costs.
  

3.  Support and onboarding

• What level of support is included (dedicated CSM, migration help, 24/7 chat, SLA guarantees)?
• Assess the quality of documentation, training, and community resources so your team can get up to speed.

4.  Cost and ROI

• Look beyond base subscription costs — factor in contact tiers, automation limits, API calls, and potential add-ons.
• Compare to current performance: will better deliverability, targeting, or analytics offset the spend?

5.  Scalability and future growth

• Can the platform grow with your business (e.g., advanced personalisation, multi-channel messaging, AI features, or enterprise-grade capabilities)?
• Ensure you won’t outgrow it in 12–18 months.

Before committing, choose 3–5 email marketing platforms that meet your core requirements. Schedule meetings or demos with each one so you can:

• See the platform in action
• Ask specific questions about integrations, automation, and reporting
• Evaluate usability for your team
• Compare costs, support, and scalability

Experiencing the platform firsthand is the best way to understand if it will truly fit your business — not just on paper, but in daily use.

Once you have chosen the right platform, make sure you have a strong migration plan, here is an idea of what this can look like:

Pre-migration preparation

•  Audit and clean your email list (remove bounces, inactives, duplicates).
• Export all contact data (including segments, tags, preferences, suppression lists).
• Document all active automations/workflows (welcome flows, cart abandonment, re-engagement).
• Export historical campaign reports (open/click rates, revenue attribution).
• Decide on timing of switch (ideally during a lower-volume period).

Platform setup

• Configure sending domains (SPF, DKIM, DMARC authentication).
• Warm up IP/domain if needed (gradual ramp-up in sends).
• Import contacts, segments, and suppression lists into the new platform.
• Rebuild and test automation workflows.
• Set up integrations (CRM, ecommerce, analytics, CDP, etc.).

Testing and validation

• Send internal test campaigns to check formatting, personalisation, and links.
• Validate automation triggers and timing.
• Monitor deliverability (inbox placement, bounce rates, sender score).

Rollout and optimisation

• Gradually shift campaigns from old to new platform.
• Monitor key metrics during the first 30–60 days (deliverability, engagement, conversions).
• Provide team training on new platform features.
• Decommission old platform once all data/reports are safely archived.

There are some amazing ESP’s in the market and some of our favourites would be Klaviyo, Attentive, Dot Digital & Bloomreach. 

They all have great capabilities see below are the three top features of each platform 

Klaviyo

E-commerce-focused with powerful segmentation

Klaviyo excels at connecting with e-commerce platforms like Shopify, Magento, and BigCommerce. It allows highly granular segmentation based on purchase history, browsing behaviour, engagement, and customer lifetime value, which helps deliver personalised, targeted campaigns. 

Automation and personalisation

Klaviyo offers robust automation workflows for welcome series, abandoned carts, post-purchase flows, and re-engagement campaigns. Dynamic content and predictive analytics (like expected product recommendations) help increase conversions. 

Analytics and revenue tracking

Klaviyo provides strong reporting on campaign performance, revenue attribution, and ROI. It helps marketers understand not just opens and clicks, but actual sales impact, which is critical for e-commerce businesses. 

Attentive

AI-driven personalisation across channels

Attentive leverages advanced AI to deliver personalised experiences across SMS, RCS, and email. This enables brands to create tailored messages that resonate with individual customers, enhancing engagement and conversion rates. 

Comprehensive cross-channel analytics

The platform offers robust analytics tools that provide insights into campaign performance, revenue attribution, and subscriber growth. These features allow marketers to track engagement and optimise strategies across different messaging channels. 

Seamless integration with e-commerce platforms

Attentive integrates smoothly with major e-commerce platforms like Shopify, enabling businesses to capture and convert leads effectively. Its user-friendly interface and customizable templates facilitate the creation of engaging campaigns that drive sales. 

Dot Digital

Comprehensive cross-channel marketing

Dotdigital offers a unified platform that integrates email, SMS, push notifications, and more, allowing businesses to engage customers across multiple channels from a single interface. Dotdigital

Advanced personalisation and automation

The platform provides robust tools for creating personalised customer journeys, utilising behavioural triggers, dynamic content, and automation workflows to deliver targeted messages at scale. Dotdigital

Seamless integration with e-commerce platforms

Dotdigital integrates smoothly with major e-commerce platforms like Shopify, Magento, and BigCommerce, enabling businesses to synchronise customer data and tailor marketing efforts effectively. Dotdigital

Bloomreach

Unified customer data + real-time segmentation

Bloomreach Engagement unifies data from all customer touchpoints — website, CRM, offline sources, etc. — into a single customer view. That means decisions (e.g. what email to send, when, to whom) can be based on the latest behaviour.

 AI-powered personalisation and automation

Bloomreach’s “Loomi AI” features help predict behaviour (e.g. churn, best channel to reach a customer), pick recommendations, optimise send times, etc.

Strong deliverability, compliance, and scalability

Security, compliance (GDPR, etc.), and enterprise features like user-group permissions, single-sign-on, project segmentation, etc.

It can scale: they have many integrations, you can start small and add more modules/channels, and it handles large data volumes.

With so many capable ESPs on the market, the key is choosing one that aligns with your business needs, growth plans, and team capabilities. We partner with these leading platforms and are here to make your migration smooth and stress-free. 

Whether you’re just starting to explore your options or already in the middle of a move, get in touch with Embryo today — let’s ensure your transition is seamless and sets you up for future growth.

Contact us