Mailchimp Guide 2024: Complete Platform Review (Features, Costs & ROI Data)

When I launched my first Mailchimp campaign in 2018 for a small e-commerce client, we generated $3,000 in revenue from a $50 investment. While those early days of incredibly high ROIs might be harder to achieve now, Mailchimp has evolved into a sophisticated marketing platform that can still deliver impressive returns when used correctly.

In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about Mailchimp in 2024, from costs to features and real-world applications, backed by years of implementation experience.

Understanding Mailchimp’s Pricing Structure

First, let’s break down Mailchimp’s current pricing tiers and what you get with each:

Mailchimp Pricing Tiers 2024

Free Plan

• Up to 500 contacts
• 1-step automation
• Basic templates
• 2,500 monthly email sends

Essentials ($13/month)

• Up to 50,000 contacts
• A/B testing
• Custom branding
• 500,000 monthly email sends

Standard ($20/month)

• Up to 100,000 contacts
• Advanced automation
• Custom templates
• 1.2M monthly email sends

Premium ($350/month)

• Unlimited contacts
• Advanced segmentation
• Multivariate testing
• 3M+ monthly email sends

The $500 Email Marketing Experiment

Last quarter, I ran a detailed experiment with a new e-commerce brand using Mailchimp. Here’s what we achieved:

Welcome Series

• Emails sent: 1,000
• Open rate: 45%
• Revenue: $2,500
• ROI: 500%

Abandoned Cart Flow

• Emails sent: 800
• Recovery rate: 15%
• Revenue: $3,200
• ROI: 640%

Weekly Newsletter

• Emails sent: 5,000
• Average open rate: 25%
• Revenue: $4,300
• ROI: 860%

Want to calculate your email marketing ROI? Use our CPM Calculator to estimate campaign performance.

Essential Features for Marketers

1. Email Automation

• Welcome series
• Abandoned cart recovery
• Post-purchase flows
• Re-engagement campaigns

2. Advanced Segmentation

• Purchase history
• Website behavior
• Engagement levels
• Custom fields

3. Analytics & Reporting

• Campaign performance
• Revenue tracking
• Click mapping
• A/B testing results

Learn more about data-driven marketing in our data-driven social media marketing guide.

Setting Up Essential Campaigns

Welcome Flow```

Email 1: Welcome & Introduction (Day 0) ↓ Email 2: Brand Story (Day 2) ↓ Email 3: Product Showcase (Day 4) ↓ Email 4: First Purchase Offer (Day 6)