Create & Send Newsletters
Set up newsletter sign-up with double opt-in, write and send newsletters directly from your store, or integrate a service like CleverReach or Mailchimp. Here are the most common questions: pop-ups, sign-up coupons, and missing unsubscribe links.
At a Glance
- Enable: Go to Settings → Interfaces → Email Marketing / CRM → Email Options → Newsletter Function On/Off. It is disabled by default.
- Compose and send: under Tools → Newsletter Manager, with test email, preview, and recipient selection.
- Double opt-in: enabled by default. Subscription, confirmation, and unsubscription are listed in the consent record under Tools → Data Protection Management.
- Unsubscription: Every subscriber receives a personal unsubscribe link in the store newsletter and an unsubscribe button in their email client.
- Advertising only to subscribers: Customers without a newsletter subscription do not receive an unsubscribe link.
- Providers: CleverReach, Mailchimp, and Optimizely Campaign. The store handles sign-ups; the provider handles sending. Brevo is also included. from 4.10
In this guide
Store Newsletter or Provider?
The “Newsletter System” setting determines who sends the newsletter. In both cases, registration and double opt-in are handled through the store.
| Feature | Store Newsletter (shop) | Provider (cleverreach, mailchimp, optimizely) |
|---|---|---|
| Sign-up and confirmation email | in the store | in the store; the store immediately transfers confirmed subscribers to the provider |
| Create and send newsletters | Tools → Newsletter Manager | in the provider’s tool; the “Send” button is missing in the Newsletter Manager |
| Delivery log | "Sent Newsletters" if "Newsletter Tracking On/Off" is enabled | Not in the store |
| Unsubscribe | Link in every email, customer account, newsletter page | Unsubscriptions in the store are sent immediately to the provider; unsubscriptions with the provider are synced to the store |
brevo is also available as an option. from 4.10
Set up newsletter
The default settings are located under Settings → Interfaces → Email Marketing / CRM → Email Options.
| Field | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Newsletter function on/off | Off | Enables the newsletter page, the form in the footer, the checkbox during registration and after placing an order, the newsletter page in the customer account, and the pop-up. |
| Newsletter system | shop | Who sends the newsletter—see Shop Newsletter or Provider? |
| Newsletter Double-Opt-In Process | On | Subscription is only valid after clicking the link in the confirmation email. |
| Newsletter Tracking On/Off | off | Records which newsletter was sent to which address and when. Applies only to the store newsletter; the store does not track opens or clicks. |
| Newsletter Raw HTML Mode | Off | Allows you to enter ready-made HTML code instead of using the editor; the newsletter is sent without the store’s email template. |
| Newsletter Email Attachment (PDF Privacy Policy) | Off | Attaches your privacy policy as a PDF to every newsletter. |
| Test email address for newsletters & templates | blank | Recipients of the test email; list multiple addresses separated by commas. If left blank, the test email will be sent to the “store owner’s email address.” |
The newsletter settings in the email options: Newsletter feature enabled, double opt-in enabled, sending via the “shop” newsletter system, and a dedicated address for test emails. Click to enlarge.
Privacy Consent Checkboxes
Under Settings → Privacy → General → Set Privacy Consents for General Forms, you can specify whether the newsletter page and the footer form require a checkbox: opt-in (default) with a required checkbox, advise with only an informational text, and false without either. “Privacy Notice for Newsletter Boxes” displays an additional notice below the footer form and during registration.
Auto-Subscription After Order
“Newsletter Auto-Subscription After Order” creates a subscription for the customer after every order if their email address does not already have one. With double opt-in, they receive a confirmation email; without double opt-in, the subscription is confirmed immediately. The customer does not need to check any boxes for this; please have the implementation reviewed for legal compliance. This setting is hidden in the backend and is disabled by default. If it is enabled in your store, we will disable it upon your request.
Newsletter Sign-Up for Customers
If the newsletter feature is enabled, the store offers sign-up options in multiple locations. All methods use the same confirmation email.
Newsletter page
Form with email address, title, and name, with “Unsubscribe from newsletter” below. Registered customers only need to enter their email address; their name and title are retrieved from their account.
Footer
An email field in the footer of every page. The sign-up process works the same as on the newsletter page.
Registration
Checkbox “I would like to receive news and offers” in the registration form; see Sign-up & Registration.
Customer Account
In the customer account, under “Email Notifications” → “Newsletter,” the customer can subscribe to or unsubscribe from the “General Newsletter (free).”
After placing an order
On the page that appears after the order is completed, a checkbox for subscribing appears if the email address is not already subscribed.
xoContentEditor
The “Newsletter / Sign-up Form” module places a form on every content page. You can customize the “Heading,” “Description (optional),” “Button Text,” the fields for title and name, and the “Hide upon sign-up” option. Learn more at xoContentEditor.
There’s also the pop-up.
How does double opt-in work?
Without double opt-in, you can hardly prove that the sign-up actually came from the owner of the email address. Keep it enabled.
Sign-up
The customer enters their email address. The store creates an unconfirmed subscription and saves the request in the records.
Confirmation Email
The store sends the “Newsletter Signup” email template with the confirmation link in the language the customer is currently using on the store.
Confirmation
The subscription is confirmed only after the customer clicks the link. The store sets the confirmation date and saves the confirmation in the record.
Done
The customer will now receive your newsletter and, if requested, the sign-up coupon. If using a third-party provider, the store will immediately transfer the subscription to that provider.
You can edit the text of the confirmation email under CMS → Emails & Marketing / Automations in the “Newsletter Signup” template. Leave the placeholder {keylink} in the template; it will become the confirmation link. Unconfirmed subscriptions will not receive the newsletter.
Newsletter Pop-up
After a delay, a window prompts visitors to sign up. You can edit the text and image in the CMS, and configure the behavior in the email options.
Settings
Under Settings → Interfaces → Email Marketing / CRM → Email Options:
- Newsletter Popup: On/Off: Off by default. The newsletter feature must also be enabled.
- Newsletter Popup: Display delay in seconds: default is 20; set to 0 to display immediately.
- Newsletter Popup: Start Date and End Date: Time period, such as for a promotion.
- Newsletter Popup: Display only for customers: only for registered customers.
- Newsletter Popup: Trigger:
delayafter the delay,exit_intentonly on desktop when the mouse pointer leaves the top of the window,exit_intent_delayon desktop when leaving the window and on smartphones after the delay. from 4.10
Text and Image
You can edit the content under CMS → CMS Manager in the entry $cms_newsletter_advice, for each language. You can also replace the image there. {STORE_NAME} is replaced with your store name.
By default, the text promises an “XX €” gift certificate. Replace this with your own offer or remove it. The email field, button, and privacy notice are part of the template. Changing them requires modifying the template.
The newsletter pop-up: You can edit the headings and text in the CMS Manager; the email field, button, and privacy notice are part of the template. Click to enlarge.
When the pop-up does not appear
- In the shopping cart, on the login and registration pages, during the checkout process, after the order is completed, and in the affiliate program.
- For logged-in customers who already have or have requested a subscription, and for search engines.
- After the visitor has closed it or signed up, it will not appear again for one year. Previously, this only applied to the current visit. from 4.9.135
The pop-up does not have a privacy policy checkbox. Instead, a note appears below the form stating that by submitting the form, the visitor consents, along with a link to the privacy policy.
Sign-up Coupon
The store can automatically send a coupon code via email after sign-up. All new subscribers receive the same code.
- Create a coupon under Products → Gift Certificates & Coupons → Coupon Admin. Leave “Coupon Quantity (Total)” blank or enter 0 so that there are enough codes for all subscribers. If you set “Coupon Quantity (Customer)” to 1, each customer can redeem it only once. See Gift Certificates & Coupons for details.
- Select the coupon under Settings → Checkout → Gift Certificates & Coupons → Newsletter Coupon. The list shows only active coupons.
- Review the email text under CMS → Emails & Marketing / Automations in the “Newsletter Signup Coupon” template.
{coupon_code}becomes the code. - Mention the coupon in the pop-up text.
When the email is sent
With double opt-in, after clicking the confirmation link—regardless of which form the customer used to sign up. Without double opt-in, only when signing up via the newsletter page, footer, pop-up, the checkbox after placing an order, or registration—not via the customer account or the xoContentEditor module.
Coupon suddenly inactive?
When logging into the backend, the store deactivates coupons whose “Coupon (valid until)” date has expired, as well as coupons without an expiration date that are more than three years old. An inactive newsletter coupon will no longer be sent out; there is no error message. In that case, create a new coupon and select it as a “newsletter coupon.”
For new customer accounts, there are separate settings in the same group: “Coupon upon New Customer Registration” and “Voucher upon New Customer Registration.”
How do I create a newsletter?
You can write newsletters under Tools → Newsletter Manager, with a separate subject line and content for each language.
Create New
In the Newsletter Manager, open the “Insert” tab.
Module and Subject
Set “Module” to “Newsletter.” The “Newsletter Name” is also the email’s subject line.
Content
In the “Content” field, insert text, images, and links, with each language in its own tab.
Save
"Save & Close" takes you back to the list; "Refresh" keeps the editor open.
A newsletter in the editor: The newsletter name is the subject line, <-SALUTATION-> becomes the salutation, and the “Unsubscribe from newsletter” button links to the placeholder {link_unsub}. Click to enlarge.
Multiple Languages
Each active language has its own tab. An empty newsletter name defaults to that of the default language. Using a key found under Settings → Interfaces → Translation Tools → DeepL → DeepL Authkey, the “DeepL” button translates the name and content from the default language.
If content is missing for a language, subscribers of that language will receive the version in the language you use in the backend. from 4.9.107
Images, Links, and PDFs
You can upload images and files using the editor’s file manager. The shop automatically expands image paths starting with images/ and relative links to the full address of your shop when sending the newsletter. You cannot attach files: for example, upload a PDF and link to it instead. The shop will only send the privacy policy as an attachment if “Newsletter Email Attachment (PDF Privacy Policy)” is enabled. You can design colored buttons as table cells with a background color and a link inside. The editor removes any formatting applied directly to the link when it is opened.
Custom HTML
With “Newsletter Raw HTML Mode,” the editor becomes a text field for finished HTML code, such as that created in a design tool. The shop sends it without its email template, including the header and footer. It will still include the unsubscribe notice. Embed images using the full https address or via images/.
Templates
There is no dedicated template management system. Create a newsletter as a template and select “Duplicate Newsletter” from the action menu. The copy will include all languages and “(Copy)” in the name.
Placeholders
| Placeholders | Will be replaced during sending with |
|---|---|
<-SALUTATION-> | the salutation, such as “Dear Ms. Sample.” If the store only knows the first name: “Hello Erika.” Without data: “Dear Sir or Madam.” |
{link_unsub} | Address of the personalized unsubscribe link, for example, for a custom button. The store automatically adds the unsubscribe notice with a link to the end of every email anyway. |
{newsletter_online_version_de} | Link to the online view in German. For other languages, replace de with the corresponding code, such as en. The online view displays the neutral salutation. |
How do I send a newsletter?
You can only send newsletters using the newsletter system at shop. All steps begin in the newsletter’s action menu within the list.
The newsletter list: Test Email, Preview, Send, and Block are accessed via the action menu; exporting subscribers is done via the button above it. Click to enlarge.
- “Send Test Email”: The test email is sent to the “Test Email Address for Newsletters & Templates”; otherwise, it is sent to the shop owner’s email address. It displays the language version you are using in the backend and a neutral salutation. The unsubscribe link included is only a sample.
- “Preview”: Displays the newsletter in the store’s email frame.
- “Send”: Select recipients (table below) and click “Next.”
- Review: The next page lists the number of emails and displays the content. “Export” downloads the recipient list as a text file.
- “Send” and “Start Sending”: A progress bar shows the status. Keep the window open until 100% is reached. Afterward, the “Sent” column displays a green checkmark.
Select Recipients
| Selection | Who receives the email |
|---|---|
| “Newsletter Subscribers” with “All Newsletter Subscribers” | All confirmed subscriptions, with or without a customer account |
| “Newsletter Subscribers” with “Newsletter Subscribers with a Customer Account” | Confirmed subscriptions with a customer account, filterable via “Customer Groups” (“All” or “Selection”) |
| “Newsletter Subscribers” with “Newsletter Subscribers without a customer account” | Confirmed subscriptions without a customer account |
| “Registered Customers” | All customer accounts in the selected customer groups, even those without a newsletter subscription—see “Contact customers without a subscription?” |
Recipients for a promotional newsletter: only “Newsletter Subscribers”; “Registered Customers” are excluded. Click to enlarge.
The store skips accounts marked as “Newsletter” or “Checkout” and inactive accounts. Who receives which language version is specified under “Subscription Language.”
No newsletter is sent to a customer’s alternative email address because there is neither consent nor an unsubscribe link for that address. from 4.9.123
Want to reach out to customers without a newsletter subscription?
Selecting “Registered Customers” reaches all customer accounts. This is a sensitive issue for advertising.
What the store does
- “Registered Customers” sends messages to every account in the selected customer groups, even without consent.
- These recipients do not receive an unsubscribe link or an unsubscribe button because they do not have a subscription.
- The store does not provide any notice of the right to object to advertising, either during the ordering process or in the email.
What the law requires
Section 7(3) of the German Unfair Competition Act (UWG) permits advertising via email without consent only if all of the following conditions are met: The email address was obtained through a purchase, you are advertising your own similar products, the customer has not objected, and you inform the customer of their right to object both when collecting the address and in every email. The store does not meet this last requirement for customers without a subscription.
Manage Subscribers
Under Tools → Newsletter Manager → Newsletter Subscribers, you’ll find all subscriptions, including those that haven’t been confirmed yet.
Subscriber list
- Columns: “Customer Number,” “Customer,” “Customer Group,” “Email Address,” “Confirmation Date,” and “Last Modified.” For the store newsletter, this also includes “Last Email,” with the provider “ID (external).”
- If the “Confirmation Date” column shows only a dash, the subscription is still awaiting a click in the confirmation email. Subscribers without a customer account have customer number 0.
- Search by customer number, name, or email address.
- In the action menu, “Open Customer Account” opens the customer’s profile. “Remove from Recipient List” deletes the subscription—including from the provider—and records the unsubscription in the log. For subscribers without an account, this button appears directly in the row.
Export
“Export Newsletter Subscribers” at the top of the Newsletter Manager exports all confirmed subscriptions as a CSV file (separated by semicolons). Columns: Email, Subscriber ID, Gender, First Name, Last Name, Customer ID, Customer Group, Subscribed Since, Last Email, Key.
“Key” is the subscription’s unique identifier. It is included in both the confirmation and unsubscribe links. Treat this file as confidential.
Newsletter Block
Under Customers → Customers, edit the customer and toggle the “Newsletter” switch under “Blocked for.” When you save, the store will remove their subscription—including from the provider—and will no longer send them store newsletters.
Sent Newsletters
With “Newsletter Tracking On/Off,” Tools → Newsletter Manager → Sent Newsletters displays the newsletter, recipients, and send date for each email, searchable by newsletter name, email address, and customer number. This applies only to the store newsletter.
The subscriber list: Without a confirmation date, a subscription is still awaiting a click in the confirmation email; subscriptions without a customer account have the customer number 0. Click to enlarge.
Newsletter Unsubscribe
When a subscriber unsubscribes, the store deletes the subscription. Unsubscriptions processed through the store remain in the consent record for ten years.
Link in the Email
At the bottom of every shop newsletter is the text “If you would like to unsubscribe from the newsletter, please click here:” along with a personalized link. One click is all it takes; logging in to the shop is not necessary.
Button in the email client
Every newsletter sent to subscribers includes the header List-Unsubscribe with a one-click unsubscribe link to RFC 8058. Some email programs instead send an email with the subject line “Unsubscribe” to the shop operator’s email address. You’ll need to enter these addresses manually.
In the store
Via “Unsubscribe from Newsletter” on the newsletter page using your email address, or in your customer account under “Email Notifications” → “Newsletter.”
Through the provider
If someone unsubscribes via the provider’s unsubscribe link, the synchronization transfers this to the store:
- CleverReach: Yes.
- Mailchimp: yes. from 4.9.123
- Optimizely Campaign: no, the unsubscription is not transmitted to the store.
By you
"Remove from Recipient List" in the subscriber list, the newsletter block in the customer account, or the deletion of the customer account. Each time, the store also cancels the subscription with the provider.
Unsubscribe link missing?
The store only includes the unsubscribe link for recipients with a newsletter subscription and a valid key. Check these points in order.
- Recipients without a subscription: You can also reach customers without a subscription via “Registered Customers.” There is no unsubscribe link for them. Send to “Newsletter Subscribers.”
- Subscribers without a customer account: In older versions, they did not receive an unsubscribe link or an unsubscribe button. This has been fixed. from 4.9.107
- Subscriptions from a data import: If the “Key” column is empty in the export, the key was missing. The store adds it automatically for confirmed subscriptions. from 4.9.47
- Test email: The link in it is just a sample and does not unsubscribe anyone.
- Marketing automation emails: The template there requires the placeholder
{link_unsub}; see Marketing Automation. - Sending via a provider: You set the unsubscribe link in the provider’s template.
- Newsletter feature disabled: In this case, every unsubscribe link will lead only to the message “You cannot subscribe to any newsletters at this time!”
Subscription Language
Each subscription has a language. This determines which language version of a newsletter the recipient receives. CleverReach stores this in a separate field.
- If a customer changes their account language, their subscription updates accordingly when saved. from 4.9.107
- New subscriptions linked to a customer account are created in the account language; subscriptions without an account are created in the language the person is currently using to browse the store. from 4.9.135
- The confirmation email is sent in the language the person is currently viewing the store in.
- If the appropriate language version is missing, the recipient receives the version in your backend language. from 4.9.107
- The shop sets the salutation from “
<-SALUTATION->” and the unsubscribe notice at the end of the email in the language you use in the backend. For newsletters in other languages, you should therefore include the salutation in the text yourself. - Customers without a subscription whom you reach via “Registered Customers” receive the version in your backend language. In the future, they will receive the version in their account language. from 4.10
Proof of Consent and Protection Against Bots
The store logs every registration, confirmation, and unsubscription and protects the forms from automated sign-ups.
Proof of Consent
Under Tools → Data Protection Management, search for an email address. For newsletters, the following entries are available:
- “Newsletter Request (Double-Opt-In Email)”: Confirmation email sent.
- “Newsletter Sign-Up”: Subscription confirmed. The confirmation type “Email” means confirmed via a link; “Notification” means subscribed without a double opt-in.
- “Newsletter Unsubscribe”: Subscription canceled.
A hash of the email address (instead of the address itself), the IP address, the time stamp, and the deletion date (after ten years) are stored. Contacts that are imported from the provider via synchronization have no record in the store; the provider maintains that record.
Protection Against Bot Sign-ups
- An invisible field and a time check always keep simple bots at bay.
- Google reCAPTCHA v3 provides additional verification as soon as “Google reCAPTCHA V3 SiteKey (Website Key)” and “Google reCAPTCHA V3 SecretKey (Secret Key)” are entered under Settings → Interfaces → Spam Protection → Google reCAPTCHA. This applies to the newsletter page, the footer form, and the xoContentEditor module.
- The strictness of the check is controlled by “Minimum reCAPTCHA Score (0.0 to 1.0)”, which is set to 0.5 by default. from 4.9.47
- With double opt-in, bot registrations remain unconfirmed and do not receive the newsletter. You can delete them from the subscriber list.
Proof of a double opt-in registration: first, the request for the confirmation email; then, the registration confirmed via email; both are scheduled for deletion after ten years. Click to enlarge.
External Newsletter Services
With a third-party provider, you compose and send the newsletter through their platform. Sign-up, double opt-in, and unsubscribe remain within the store; the store synchronizes subscribers with a list maintained by the provider.
- Enter the provider’s login credentials under Settings → Interfaces → Email Marketing / CRM (see table below).
- Select the provider under Settings → Interfaces → Email Marketing / CRM → Email Options → Newsletter System.
- Under Tools → Newsletter Manager → Newsletter Subscribers, run “Synchronize Newsletter Subscribers” once and set up the cron job.
| Provider | Fields | The following are transferred | Unsubscription with the provider |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleverreach | “Cleverreach API (RESTv3) Client ID,” “Cleverreach API (RESTv3) Secret,” “Cleverreach Newsletter List” | Email, first name, last name. Also title, language, and the full title. from 4.9.63 | is imported into the store via data synchronization |
| Mailchimp | “Mailchimp API Key,” “Mailchimp Server Prefix” (blank: taken from the key), “Mailchimp Audience/List ID” | Email, first name, last name | is transferred to the store via the sync from 4.9.123 |
| Optimizely Campaign | “Optimizely Campaign API Base URL,” “… API Username,” “… API Password,” “… Client ID,” “… Audience List ID” | Email, First Name, Last Name, Title | Does not reach the store |
| FromBrevo from 4.10 | “Brevo API Key,” “Brevo List ID” | Email, First Name, Last Name, if the account contains these attributes | is transferred to the store via the synchronization |
What the store does not transfer
The shop does not transfer product, order, or shopping cart data to any provider. It only syncs subscribers.
Deleting Subscribers
If you remove a subscription in the store, the store permanently deletes the contact from Mailchimp and removes it from the lists in CleverReach and Optimizely. In Brevo, the contact remains; only the list loses it.
Synchronization with the Provider
The store immediately sends confirmed sign-ups and unsubscriptions to the provider. Changes made by the provider are only synced back to the store during the synchronization process.
Manually or via cron job
- On the Newsletter Subscribers page, “Synchronize Newsletter Subscribers” initiates a sync.
- The “Cron address for synchronization” field displays the address for a cron job. Running it hourly is sufficient.
- “Generate Token” appends a secret token to the address. The old address without the token will then be rejected; be sure to update the cron job immediately. You can change or clear the token in the email options under “Newsletter Synchronization: Cron Token (optional).” from 4.9.135
- If you do not have access to your server’s task scheduler, please contact our support team.
What the synchronization does
- It processes unsubscriptions with the provider, except for Optimizely.
- It creates confirmed subscriptions in the store for contacts who are listed only with the provider.
- It removes subscriptions from blocked and inactive customer accounts, both with the provider and in the store.
- The “ID (external)” column shows for each subscription whether it has already been transferred.
Without a cron job, unsubscriptions from the provider will not be imported into the store.
Newsletters and Marketing Automation
Emails from marketing automation are often promotional. The same rules apply to them as to the newsletter.
Unsubscribe Link and Recipients
Insert {link_unsub} into the email template for the “Send Email” reaction. Subscribers will receive their personal unsubscribe link there; for customers without a subscription, this field remains blank.
To ensure that a promotional email reaches only subscribers, include the condition “Customer is a newsletter recipient (EU data protection consent for advertising)” in the event. This excludes customers without a confirmed subscription, as well as blocked and inactive accounts. Learn more under Marketing & Automation.
Automatically from 4.10
The setting “Marketing Emails: Automatically Include Unsubscribe Link” in the email options (enabled by default) automatically adds an unsubscribe link and unsubscribe button for subscribers. For each reaction, you can set this to “always” or “never.”
Customers who have unsubscribed or who have the newsletter block enabled will no longer receive promotional emails related to customer, shopping cart, and order events.
Check Before Sending
Once a newsletter is sent, it cannot be recalled. Go through these points.
- “Newsletter Name” (the subject line) and content have been filled out in every language.
- A test email has been sent to multiple addresses at different email providers and viewed on a smartphone.
- Clicked on images and links in the test email.
- Recipients: “Newsletter subscribers,” not “Registered customers,” if the newsletter is promotional.
- The number of recipients on the confirmation page is reasonable.
- Enable “Newsletter Tracking On/Off” if you want to track the delivery later.
- Coupon in the newsletter: Coupon is active and valid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find the Newsletter Manager?
How do I disable newsletter sign-up in the store?
Why is the unsubscribe link missing from the newsletter?
How do I export subscribers, and what does the “Key” column mean?
How can I tell if and when someone signed up via double opt-in?
How do I protect the sign-up form from bots?
Why isn’t the store sending newsletter coupons anymore?
Where can I change the text and image of the newsletter pop-up?
$cms_newsletter_advice,” for each language. You can configure when and for whom the pop-up appears in the email options; see “Newsletter Pop-up.”Can the pop-up be set to appear only when the visitor is about to leave the page?
exit_intent or exit_intent_delay. from 4.10Can I attach a PDF file to the newsletter?
How do I disable the automatic subscription after an order?
What data does Mailchimp receive?
How do I delete a subscriber from the provider’s system as well?
How do I opt a customer out of promotional emails?
Further Guides
We’ll set up your newsletter together with you
We can help with double opt-in, pop-ups, sign-up coupons, and integrating with CleverReach, Mailchimp, or Optimizely.
Contact Support Now