5 Reasons Businesses Switch from Wix Email Marketing to Gumbamail

Posted on September 3, 2021September 3, 2021 by Kara McCartney

If you’re a business owner, there are a number of intuitive platforms that allow you to build a website without an ounce of code — Wix being one of them. Since Wix offers a built-in email marketing service, it often seems as an optimal solution for small businesses.

That is, until you dive further beneath the surface. 

While Wix email marketing comes with a number of valuable features, there are a few shortcomings you should know about. First, Wix’s email marketing platform is only available to those with a Wix website. If your site is built on Squarespace or WordPress, you’re out of luck. Secondly, Wix has a number of limitations — particularly related to customer service and the number of campaigns you can send — within its free plan, pigeon-holing business owners into an upgrade.

Below, we dive into Wix email marketing, including the features offered, limitations you should know about, and an alternative solution for small business owners.

What Is Wix Email Marketing? 

Wix email marketing is an email automation platform owned by Wix, a drag-and-drop website builder. Wix email marketing is only available to Wix website customers. 

Wix comes with a drag-and-drop editor, where marketers can add their own colors, fonts, backgrounds, and other elements to an existing theme. Once an email is created, emails can be sent to a list of subscribers (uploaded from a .CSV file or Google Contacts). 

Navigating Wix email marketing can actually be quite difficult to understand — mainly because it’s not really a Wix product. Instead, it’s a feature within a suite of business and marketing services known as Wix Ascend, which we explain below. 

Understanding Wix Ascend: Wix’s Marketing Solution for Business Owners

In 2018, Wix announced the launch of Ascend, a suite of marketing services designed for small business owners. Ascend includes opt-in forms, email marketing, chat, social media posts, SEO tools, an e-commerce dashboard, a lightweight CRM platform, and a video maker. While this suite of services is robust — particularly for the price — it’s often a bit over-the-top for business owners who need a simple, intuitive email automation solution. 

Wix’s email marketing campaign service is just one feature underneath Ascend’s marketing umbrella. If you’re a business owner working with a small marketing budget (er, zero marketing budget), you’ll opt for the free plan. Ascend’s Limited (i.e., free) plan comes pre-installed with all Wix accounts. 

Limitations of the Wix Ascend Free Plan 

Ascend offers a free plan, but it comes with serious limits. For example, with Wix’s free email marketing you can only:

• Send three email campaigns per month 
• Send 5,000 total emails per month 
• Choose from 11 different themes
• Choose from 27 different backgrounds 
• Create five forms
• Create two marketing automation workflows 
• Import contacts from a .CSV file for Google Contacts 

These parameters can be frustrating for business owners (particularly if you got roped in through Ascend’s landing page, which advertises a much more robust suite of services). In addition, on Ascend’s free plan the following features are not included: 

• Remove the Ascend branding from any collateral (email campaigns, chat features, or opt-in forms)
• Call, email, chat, or otherwise access customer support 
• Schedule email campaigns (they must be sent immediately)
• Customize the sender’s name, email address, or campaign URL

To access basic features, such as removal of the Ascend branding or campaign scheduling, you must upgrade to a paid plan (starting at $10 per month). To access all of Wix’s functionality without limitations, you’ll need to upgrade to a premium plan, which costs $49 per month. 

Introducing Gumbamail: The Better Email Marketing Software for Business Owners 

Wix’s Ascend platform offers a number of advanced features like a video maker, social media publishing, and email marketing automation workflows. However, its lack of customer support, confusing pricing structure, and limited free plan can be frustrating to business owners.

If you’re looking for an alternative to Wix email marketing, download the Gumbamail Chrome extension. Gumbamail is an email marketing solution that allows you to create, design, send, and schedule effective marketing campaigns — all without leaving your existing inbox. 

Here are five reasons business owners are making the switch from Wix to Gumbamail.

1. It Works With Any Website Provider 

Gumbamail works with any website provider, whether your site is built on Squarespace, Wix, WordPress, Shopify, or GoDaddy Website Builder. Therefore, if you ever go through a website redesign process — i.e., migrating your site from Wix to another platform — your email marketing software won’t be interrupted. 

2. It Keeps All of Your Emails in One Place 

With Gumbamail, you can send your marketing collateral from your existing inbox — which is a powerful tool for small business owners. Rather than jumping between your customer support inbox, your personal inbox, and your marketing automation platform, you can manage all three in one place.

Plus, Gumbamail works with your existing email list, allowing you to easily import subscribers from Google Contacts, Google Sheets, or a .CSV file. To take advantage of segmentation, you can upload multiple lists to your Gumbamail dashboard. Best of all, Gumbamail keeps all business contacts in one place — thereby eliminating the need for a hefty migration process. 

3. It Offers Seemingly Limitless Creativity 

One of the most frustrating aspects of Wix’s email marketing features is the design limitations within the free plan. With Gumbamail, you get access to 800+ gorgeous email templates (compared to Wix’s 27) — even when paying $0 per month. Plus, Gumbamail’s free plan allows you to customize the branding to your name, logo, colors, and typography — a feature that requires an upgrade with Wix. 

4. You Can Schedule Emails on Your Own Time 

With Wix’s free plan, you must physically send an email with the click of a button (you cannot schedule it for later). With Gumbamail, you can schedule automated emails for whenever fits your schedule — a must-have feature for business owners with busy lives. 

5. You Always Get Customer Support 

Most email service providers (including Wix, Mailchimp, and ConvertKit) force you to purchase a paid plan to access customer support. Fortunately, Gumbamail allows you to access a customer support person with all plans. 

Gumbamail vs. Wix Email Marketing: How They Stack Up 

Wondering if Gumbamail offers the right email marketing tools for your business? Here’s how Wix and Gumbamail measure up: 

Note: Comparisons are for the free plan of Gumbamail and Wix Ascend. 

Make the Switch from Wix to Gumbamail 

Wix is a drag-and-drop website builder often used by small business owners. Beginning in 2018, Wix launched Ascend, which includes a suite of marketing tools — email marketing included. 

Ascend poses a number of benefits for small business owners, including ease of use, a drag-and-drop email editor, video maker, and connection to your online store. However, it’s lack of pricing transparency, customer service, scheduling tools, and design services can be frustrating to business owners.

If you’re looking to make the switch to a new email marketing provider, try Gumbamail. Gumbamail is a Chrome extension that allows you to send effective marketing campaigns from your existing inbox. With top-notch customer support, hundreds of templates, an intuitive email builder, and the ability to work with any website, it’s the best choice for small business owners.

Ready to see how Gumbamail can transform your marketing efforts? Download the extension to launch your free account today.