ChatGPT answers, unedited

If you already have an ecommerce store selling physical products and you're adding courses, I’d think about this differently from someone starting a course business from scratch.

The key question is: where should the customer journey live?

The main options

For your particular model

I'd seriously consider Shopify + Thinkific if your existing ecommerce store is important.

Thinkific specifically supports Shopify along with integrations such as ActiveCampaign and Mailchimp, and its current sales tooling includes things like bundles, upsells, order bumps and promotions. Thinkific Thinkific

That gives you a structure like:

Shopify
→ physical products
→ bundles
→ existing customers
→ ecommerce checkout

Thinkific
→ courses
→ memberships
→ digital products
→ student experience

Email/automation
→ post-purchase sequences
→ abandoned-cart follow-up
→ physical-product → course cross-sells
→ course → physical-product cross-sells

The advantage is that you don't have to rip apart the ecommerce operation you've already built.

When I'd choose Kajabi instead

If your long-term business is becoming more like:

Physical product → educational content → course → coaching/membership → higher-ticket offer

then Kajabi becomes particularly interesting.

Kajabi combines courses, digital products, checkout, funnels, email automation, landing pages and customer/product automation in one system. Kajabi Kajabi

So you could have:

Customer buys product
→ automatically tagged
→ education email sequence
→ free mini-course
→ paid course offer
→ upsell/membership
→ ongoing product offers

That's a very clean physical product → knowledge product funnel.

The catch is that Kajabi isn't really intended to replace a full ecommerce platform like Shopify. For a store with a substantial physical-product catalog, I'd generally keep the ecommerce engine separate rather than trying to force everything into Kajabi.

One interesting budget option

Systeme.io is worth looking at if you want to minimize the number of subscriptions. It combines funnels, email, checkout and course delivery, with a free tier and relatively inexpensive paid plans. OnlineCourseTools SiteGrowth

I'd be more inclined to use it for a digital-first business than for an established ecommerce operation with a sophisticated physical-product store.

My architecture suggestion

If you already have meaningful ecommerce infrastructure, I'd look at:

Shopify → Thinkific → email automation

rather than migrating your whole business to an all-in-one course platform.

If you're willing to make the course/education business the center of the customer journey, then:

Shopify → Kajabi

with Shopify remaining the physical-product store and Kajabi becoming the education/marketing engine.

If you tell me what ecommerce platform you're currently using (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.), roughly how many physical SKUs you have, and whether your courses are low-ticket ($20–100) or higher-ticket ($200+), I can narrow this down to the architecture that makes the most sense for your funnel.

For an ecommerce store that is adding digital courses, the best setup depends on whether your main business is still physical products or whether courses will become the main revenue engine.

Here are the strongest options:

My typical recommendation for an ecommerce brand

If you already have customers buying products, I would usually not replace your ecommerce platform. I would build an education layer on top:

Customer journey:

1. Product purchase

→

2. Automated email sequence

→

3. Free mini-course / education lead magnet

→

4. Paid course upsell

→

5. Membership, coaching, bundles, repeat product purchases

Example stack:

• Store: shopify.com
• Email + segmentation: klaviyo.com
• Course delivery: kajabi.com, thinkific.com, or a Shopify-compatible course app
• Automation: zapier.com or native integrations

If you want the simplest all-in-one

Choose Kajabi if:

• Your courses are high-margin ($100–$2,000+ offers)
• You sell expertise, transformation, coaching, or memberships
• You want fewer integrations

Kajabi includes course hosting, email marketing, funnels, checkout, and community tools in one system. Kajabi

If you want the strongest ecommerce engine

Choose Shopify + Klaviyo + course integration if:

• You have physical products
• You rely on ads, SEO, bundles, repeat purchases
• You need inventory, shipping, variants, and retail workflows

Shopify generally fits better when the store remains the center of the business, while course platforms tend to be stronger when education is the main product. Ruzuku

A few details would change the recommendation:

1. What platform is your store currently on (Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, etc.)?
2. Are your courses going to be a bonus with products, or a separate paid product line?
3. What price range are you thinking for the courses ($49, $199, $999+)?

1. What platform is your store currently on (Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, etc.)?
2. Are your courses going to be a bonus with products, or a separate paid product line?
3. What price range are you thinking for the courses ($49, $199, $999+)?

If your existing business is ecommerce/product sales and you’re adding courses, I’d generally avoid moving your whole business into a course-first platform. Keep your ecommerce store as the commercial hub and make the course platform plug into it.

A practical stack

Shopify → email/CRM → course platform

My shortlist would be:

• Shopify + Thinkific + Klaviyo — probably the cleanest fit if physical/product sales are already important.
• Shopify + LearnWorlds + Klaviyo — worth considering if the courses themselves are going to become a major part of the business.
• Shopify + Kajabi — attractive if you want an all-in-one marketing/course system, but it makes less sense when Shopify is already central to your product business.

Why I like Thinkific for your situation

Thinkific has a direct Shopify integration. Your courses can appear as Shopify products, and when somebody buys a course through Shopify, Thinkific automatically creates the student account and grants course access. Thinkific App Store Thinkific Support

That gives you a particularly useful funnel:

Physical product → educational content → course → higher-value product/course

For example:

Customer buys $79 product → receives onboarding email → free mini-course → course offer → advanced product bundle

Thinkific also supports integrations with email platforms such as ActiveCampaign and Kit, giving you more sophisticated lifecycle automation than relying solely on Thinkific's native email capabilities. Thinkific Support Thinkific Support

One important limitation: Thinkific's Shopify integration currently has restrictions around things such as subscriptions/memberships and course bundles, and Shopify handles the transaction data for Shopify-originated course purchases. Thinkific Support

LearnWorlds is interesting if courses become central

LearnWorlds currently positions its Shopify connection as a native payment-gateway integration, with Shopify handling payments and LearnWorlds handling the learning experience. It also emphasizes automated workflows and deeper learning-business functionality. LearnWorlds LearnWorlds

So I'd think about it this way:

The key decision isn't really the course platform—it’s the customer-data/funnel architecture. You want to know that someone who buys Product A can automatically enter a particular email sequence, receive a course offer, and then be segmented differently once they purchase the course.

If you tell me what ecommerce platform you currently use (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.), your approximate product price range, and whether the course will be one-time or subscription, I can map out the exact stack and funnel I'd use.

Yes. For an ecommerce store expanding from physical products into courses, I’d prioritize a platform that can keep product buyers, course students, email segmentation, funnels, upsells, and automation connected.

My shortlist

1. 🥇 Systeme.io — probably the best match

systeme.io is unusually well aligned with what you're describing.

It combines funnels + email automation + courses + physical products + payments + order bumps/upsells in one system. Its automations can use purchases, tags, course enrollment and other events to trigger email sequences. Systeme.io Systeme.io

That means you can build something like:

Physical product buyer → email segmentation → educational content → course offer → course enrollment → upsell/coaching

For example:

Customer buys your $49 physical product
↓
Gets product-use email sequence
↓
7 days later: "Want to get better results?"
↓
Free mini-training
↓
$197 course
↓
Course enrollment happens automatically
↓
Course completion triggers advanced product/course offer

Systeme.io specifically supports connecting a course to a funnel's order form and automatically enrolling the buyer after purchase. Systeme.io Help Systeme.io Help

This is the one I'd investigate first if you want one relatively simple stack.

2. Kajabi — better if the course business becomes the star

kajabi.com is excellent for the knowledge-product side: courses, memberships, coaching, email, funnels, community and digital products.

Its email/automation system can react to things like purchases and student behavior, and its funnels, checkout and course delivery are integrated. Kajabi Kajabi

The issue for your particular situation is that you're starting with ecommerce product sales. Kajabi is fundamentally more oriented around selling expertise/digital products than being a full-blown ecommerce operating system.

So I'd choose Kajabi if your eventual model is:

Physical product → course → membership → coaching/community

rather than:

Large ecommerce catalog → physical-product marketing → course as an additional revenue stream.

3. Shopify + specialized course/email tools

If your existing store is already substantial on Shopify, I wouldn't necessarily rip it out just to get an all-in-one platform.

I'd potentially keep:

Shopify = commerce/customer orders

and connect it to:

Email platform = customer segmentation/automation
Course platform = course delivery

This gives you a more powerful ecommerce foundation, but you lose some of the simplicity of the all-in-one approach.

What I'd do in your position

If you're testing courses for the first time, I'd go:

Shopify/current ecommerce store → Systeme.io for funnels + email + courses

rather than immediately rebuilding your entire ecommerce business.

The important thing is to design your customer database around what somebody has bought, not simply whether they're "an email subscriber."

For example, create segments/tags such as:

• Physical Product Customer
• Product A Customer
• Product B Customer
• Course Prospect
• Course Buyer
• Course Completed
• VIP / High LTV
• Repeat Customer

Then you can build much more interesting cross-sells.

Example: someone buys Product A → automatically receives a 5-email usage sequence → after 14 days, receives a case study → gets offered your beginner course → course buyer gets a complementary Product B offer.

That's where the real value of an integrated system comes in.

My ranking for your specific business:
1. Systeme.io → best balance of ecommerce + funnels + email + courses
2. Shopify + specialized tools → best if ecommerce is already large/complex
3. Kajabi → best if courses/education are going to become the primary business

If you tell me what you're selling, what ecommerce platform you're currently on (Shopify/WooCommerce/etc.), your approximate monthly revenue, and your course price, I can recommend the exact stack and funnel I'd use.

For example:

Customer buys your $49 physical product
↓
Gets product-use email sequence
↓
7 days later: "Want to get better results?"
↓
Free mini-training
↓
$197 course
↓
Course enrollment happens automatically
↓
Course completion triggers advanced product/course offer

Systeme.io specifically supports connecting a course to a funnel's order form and automatically enrolling the buyer after purchase. Systeme.io Help Systeme.io Help

This is the one I'd investigate first if you want one relatively simple stack.

2. Kajabi — better if the course business becomes the star

kajabi.com is excellent for the knowledge-product side: courses, memberships, coaching, email, funnels, community and digital products.

Its email/automation system can react to things like purchases and student behavior, and its funnels, checkout and course delivery are integrated. Kajabi Kajabi

The issue for your particular situation is that you're starting with ecommerce product sales. Kajabi is fundamentally more oriented around selling expertise/digital products than being a full-blown ecommerce operating system.

So I'd choose Kajabi if your eventual model is:

Physical product → course → membership → coaching/community

rather than:

Large ecommerce catalog → physical-product marketing → course as an additional revenue stream.

3. Shopify + specialized course/email tools

If your existing store is already substantial on Shopify, I wouldn't necessarily rip it out just to get an all-in-one platform.

I'd potentially keep:

Shopify = commerce/customer orders

and connect it to:

Email platform = customer segmentation/automation
Course platform = course delivery

This gives you a more powerful ecommerce foundation, but you lose some of the simplicity of the all-in-one approach.

What I'd do in your position

If you're testing courses for the first time, I'd go:

Shopify/current ecommerce store → Systeme.io for funnels + email + courses

rather than immediately rebuilding your entire ecommerce business.

The important thing is to design your customer database around what somebody has bought, not simply whether they're "an email subscriber."

For example, create segments/tags such as:

• Physical Product Customer
• Product A Customer
• Product B Customer
• Course Prospect
• Course Buyer
• Course Completed
• VIP / High LTV
• Repeat Customer

Then you can build much more interesting cross-sells.

Example: someone buys Product A → automatically receives a 5-email usage sequence → after 14 days, receives a case study → gets offered your beginner course → course buyer gets a complementary Product B offer.

That's where the real value of an integrated system comes in.

My ranking for your specific business:
1. Systeme.io → best balance of ecommerce + funnels + email + courses
2. Shopify + specialized tools → best if ecommerce is already large/complex
3. Kajabi → best if courses/education are going to become the primary business

If you tell me what you're selling, what ecommerce platform you're currently on (Shopify/WooCommerce/etc.), your approximate monthly revenue, and your course price, I can recommend the exact stack and funnel I'd use.

Yes. If your existing business is primarily ecommerce/product sales and you’re adding courses, I’d prioritize a platform that can handle physical products + funnels + email automation + courses without forcing you to stitch together five different systems.

My shortlist

1. My pick: HighLevel

For your particular model, HighLevel is probably the most interesting option.

It now supports physical products, digital products, subscriptions, ecommerce stores, funnels, email/SMS automation, and courses in the same ecosystem. Its Shopify integration can also sync products, contacts, orders and transactions into HighLevel. HighLevel Support Portal HighLevel Support Portal

More importantly, you can build something like:

Physical product → email capture → educational sequence → course offer → upsell → recurring offer

without moving the customer between completely different systems.

HighLevel also recently added the ability to put an ecommerce store directly inside a funnel, including product browsing, cart, checkout and order confirmation. HighLevel Support Portal

And its course functionality is now built into the platform rather than requiring a separate course-hosting service. HighLevel Support Portal

gohighlevel.com

I'd choose this if: your goal is to make the marketing funnel and customer journey the center of the business.

2. Best value/simple option: systeme.io

systeme.io is particularly compelling if you don't need the sophistication of HighLevel.

It combines:

• Funnels
• Email marketing
• Automation
• Courses
• Memberships/community
• Digital products
• Physical products
• Upsells/order bumps
• Checkout

It can sell physical products directly through funnels, including variants, inventory and shipping. Systeme.io Systeme.io Help

And courses can be attached directly to an offer/order form, so someone purchasing your course can automatically receive course access. Systeme.io Help

systeme.io

I'd choose this if: you're a relatively lean operation and want one inexpensive system rather than maximum enterprise functionality.

3. Keep Shopify if your physical products are already doing well

If you're already running a substantial Shopify store, I wouldn't automatically migrate it just because you're adding courses.

I'd consider:

Shopify → email/CRM automation → course platform

instead.

That's especially true if you have a significant product catalog, inventory, shipping, fulfillment, apps, subscriptions, etc.

HighLevel's current Shopify integration is actually interesting here because you can keep Shopify as the commerce engine while bringing customer/order information into HighLevel for marketing automation. HighLevel Support Portal

So you could have:

Shopify
→ physical products
→ fulfillment
→ inventory

HighLevel
→ funnels
→ email/SMS
→ customer segmentation
→ automation
→ course
→ upsells

That's arguably the safest architecture for an established ecommerce business.

What I'd build for your business

Imagine you sell a physical product for $49, then want to turn those customers into course buyers.

I'd structure the funnel like:

$49 Product
↓
Purchase
↓
Post-purchase email sequence
↓
Educational content / how-to videos
↓
"Want to master X?"
↓
$199–$499 Course
↓
Order bump / upsell
↓
Membership or advanced course

Then segment customers based on what they bought.

For example:

Bought Product A → send Product A education → introduce Course A
Bought Product B → send Product B education → introduce Course B
Bought both → offer premium course

This is where HighLevel or systeme.io becomes much more attractive than simply adding Teachable/Kajabi to a Shopify store.

My recommendation

If I were setting this up today:

Existing Shopify store + meaningful product revenue:
→ Keep Shopify + add HighLevel for funnels/CRM/email + courses

Starting relatively fresh / want everything in one place:
→ systeme.io

Want sophisticated automation and expect the marketing funnel to become a major revenue engine:
→ HighLevel

Courses are eventually going to become the primary business:
→ Kajabi

The key question is how big/complex your existing ecommerce operation is. If you tell me (1) what you're selling, (2) whether you're currently on Shopify/WooCommerce/etc., (3) approximate monthly revenue, and (4) expected course price, I can recommend the exact stack and show you the funnel architecture I'd use.

Yes. Since you already have an ecommerce store selling physical products and you're adding digital courses, I’d prioritize a platform that can handle product sales + funnels + email automation + course delivery without forcing you to stitch together five systems.

My shortlist

1. systeme.io — my first choice for your situation

This is probably the closest match to what you're describing.

systeme.io combines sales funnels, checkout, email marketing/automation, courses, memberships, affiliates and even physical-product selling in one platform. Its funnels can automatically connect a purchase to the product/course and email automation. Systeme.io Systeme.io

That means you could build something like:

Facebook/Google/Instagram → lead magnet → email sequence → physical product → order bump → course upsell → course onboarding emails → advanced course

And the customer can move through that ecosystem without you having to maintain separate funnel, email and LMS systems.

It also explicitly supports physical products with variants, inventory, shipping and order bumps, which makes it unusually relevant to your hybrid business. Systeme.io

I'd choose this if: you're willing to make systeme.io your primary sales/marketing system rather than keeping your existing ecommerce platform as the center of everything.

2. kajabi.com — best if courses become the high-ticket side

Kajabi is excellent for the marketing → email → funnel → course → upsell side.

It has built-in email sequences, behavioral automation, landing pages, funnels, checkout, upsells and course access tied to purchases. Kajabi

The issue for you is that you're already an ecommerce business. I'd be less inclined to move your physical-product operation into Kajabi.

So I'd view Kajabi as:

Great course business + marketing engine

rather than:

Great replacement for an established ecommerce stack.

3. learnworlds.com + Shopify — best hybrid architecture

This is the one I'd investigate if your existing Shopify store is important and you don't want to disrupt it.

LearnWorlds has native ecommerce/course functionality and specifically integrates with Shopify. It supports courses, bundles, memberships, upsells/cross-sells and 1-click funnels, while its integration ecosystem includes Shopify and major email platforms. LearnWorlds LearnWorlds

You could essentially keep:

Shopify = physical products/store

LearnWorlds = courses/learning

Email platform = customer lifecycle

That's a more sophisticated architecture, but potentially the better long-term choice if your physical ecommerce business is already substantial.

What I'd do in your shoes

If you're early in the course expansion, I'd start with:

systeme.io → funnel + email + courses + digital products

and keep your existing ecommerce store where it is until you have a reason to consolidate.

The killer opportunity isn't simply selling a course. It's creating a product-to-course ascension funnel:

Physical product buyer
↓
Post-purchase email education
↓
Free mini-course / training
↓
Paid course
↓
Course bundle / membership
↓
More physical products

That lets your existing customer base become your course audience rather than having to acquire an entirely new audience.

systeme.io supports exactly this sort of connection between purchases, tags, email sequences and course access. Systeme.io Help Systeme.io

One caveat: if your existing store is Shopify and you're doing meaningful volume, I wouldn't automatically rip Shopify out. In that case, I'd compare Shopify + LearnWorlds against Shopify + systeme.io before migrating anything.

If you tell me what ecommerce platform you're currently using (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.) and roughly how many products/orders you have per month, I can recommend the exact stack and funnel architecture I'd use.

Yes. Since you already sell physical products and want to add courses, I’d prioritize a platform that treats the course as another product in the same customer journey—not just a standalone LMS.

My shortlist

• Kajabi — best for sophisticated funnels.

Kajabi combines courses, landing pages, email sequences, automation, checkout, upsells, and funnels. Its automations can react to purchases and student behavior, which is excellent if your strategy is product → lead → course → upsell/cross-sell. Kajabi

• Podia — best for simplicity/value.

Podia is particularly interesting for your situation because it can sell courses, digital downloads, coaching, memberships, etc. alongside email and ecommerce. It also supports upsells, bundles, payment plans, and customer segmentation based on purchases. Podia Podia

• Thinkific — best if courses become the major business.

Thinkific has strong course functionality plus checkout, subscriptions, bundles, upsells, order bumps and commerce features. Its email/marketing side isn't as all-in-one as Kajabi, though, so you may pair it with a dedicated email/CRM platform. Thinkific

What I'd choose for an existing ecommerce store

If your physical products are already doing significant volume:
I'd lean toward your existing ecommerce platform + Kajabi or Thinkific, rather than moving the entire store.

For example:

Physical product customer
→ post-purchase email sequence
→ free mini-course / educational content
→ paid course
→ course completion
→ relevant physical-product bundle
→ membership/subscription

That lets you use the course as an LTV engine for your existing customers, rather than treating courses as a separate business.

If you want everything under one roof: Podia is probably the easiest starting point. It explicitly connects the store, customer list, email, courses and digital products, and its purchase data can drive email segmentation. Podia Podia

If funnel sophistication and automation are the priority: Kajabi is my pick.

One important question changes my recommendation substantially: what ecommerce platform are you currently using (Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, etc.)? If you tell me that, I can map out the best store → funnel → email → course → upsell stack for your specific setup.

For an ecommerce store that is adding digital courses, the best setup usually depends on whether your business is still mainly products or becoming more education/content-led.

Here are the strongest options:

1. Shopify + Klaviyo + Course App (best for product-first brands)

Best if: your physical products are still your main revenue source.

Stack:

• Store: Shopify
• Email/SMS: Klaviyo
• Courses: Tevello, Thinkific, or another Shopify-connected course solution

Why it works:

• Your customer data stays tied to purchases.
• You can trigger emails based on product behavior: - bought product → offer course
• abandoned cart → nurture sequence
• completed course → upsell advanced products
• Strongest choice if courses support your products (examples: fitness equipment + training, skincare + education, crafts + tutorials).

Shopify is generally stronger for inventory, checkout, and product operations, while course-focused platforms tend to be stronger for learning delivery. Ecommerce Website Create Business Software Finder

Typical funnel:

Product purchase → welcome email → education sequence → course offer → membership/community → repeat product sales

2. Kajabi + Shopify (best premium hybrid)

Best if: courses are becoming a major profit center.

Stack:

• Ecommerce: Shopify
• Courses/funnels/email: Kajabi

Why:

• Kajabi combines courses, email automation, landing pages, funnels, and memberships in one system. Verdict Lane Zapier
• Shopify handles the retail side.

Good for:

• A brand selling products + coaching
• High-ticket courses
• Certifications
• Communities
• Membership programs

Downside:

• More expensive.
• You manage two ecosystems.

3. Kajabi only (best if products become secondary)

Choose this if your future looks like:

Audience → email list → course → membership → coaching

rather than:

Traffic → product page → checkout → fulfillment

Kajabi is built around digital offers, funnels, and audience monetization. Ruzuku

4. Systeme.io (best budget all-in-one)

If you want:

• funnels
• email automation
• courses
• simple checkout

without a large monthly stack, Systeme.io is worth considering. It is popular among smaller creators who want an inexpensive all-in-one system. OnlineCourseTools Infinite Agent

My recommendation for most ecommerce brands adding courses

I would usually build:

Existing ecommerce store → keep Shopify → add Klaviyo → connect a course platform

Specifically:

• Under ~$10k/month: Shopify + course app + Shopify Email/Klaviyo starter
• $10k–$100k/month: Shopify + Klaviyo + dedicated course platform
• Course revenue becoming equal to product revenue: Shopify + Kajabi hybrid

The key question is: Is the course meant to sell more products, or are the products meant to introduce people to the course?

If you tell me:

1. what you sell physically,
2. your average product price,
3. your expected course price, and
4. whether you use Shopify/WooCommerce/etc.,

I can suggest the exact stack and funnel flow.

Yes. Since you already sell physical/ecommerce products and are adding courses, I’d prioritize a system that can handle product sales + email segmentation + funnels + course delivery, rather than choosing a course platform in isolation.

My shortlist

1. Systeme.io — probably the first one I'd investigate

systeme.io

This is unusually well suited to the model you're describing because the funnel, email automation, checkout, digital products, physical products, and course delivery can live in the same ecosystem. Its funnels can sell a digital product/course and automatically trigger email sequences and course access. Systeme.io Systeme.io

For example:

Physical product buyer → email sequence → educational content → course offer → course → advanced product/upsell

That's a very natural funnel for an ecommerce brand expanding into education.

Systeme.io also supports physical-product sales alongside courses, and its email system is integrated with funnels and purchases. Systeme.io Systeme.io

I'd pick this if you want to keep the tech stack lean and don't want to stitch together 4–5 different platforms.

2. Kajabi — best if the courses become a major business

kajabi.com

Kajabi is stronger if your long-term strategy is something like:

Products → audience → course → membership/community → coaching/high-ticket offer

It has courses, email sequences, behavior-based automation, landing pages, funnels, payments, upsells and community built together. Kajabi

The downside for an existing ecommerce store is that I'd be less inclined to replace your established ecommerce infrastructure with Kajabi. I'd use it when the educational/creator side is becoming a major revenue channel.

3. Thinkific — excellent if Shopify is already your foundation

thinkific.com

If your existing store is Shopify, Thinkific becomes particularly interesting. Thinkific has a Shopify integration that lets your courses appear as Shopify products alongside your physical goods. Thinkific Support

You can then connect Thinkific with email platforms such as ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp and Kit, and it supports further automation through Zapier. Thinkific Support Thinkific

So your architecture could be:

Shopify
→ physical products + checkout

Thinkific
→ courses

ActiveCampaign / Klaviyo / Kit
→ customer segmentation + email

That's more modular, but also more moving parts.

What I'd choose for your business

If you're already doing meaningful ecommerce volume, I wouldn't automatically move the store onto an all-in-one course platform.

I'd think about it this way:

• Want simplicity and one system: Systeme.io
• Want to build a premium education business: Kajabi
• Already heavily invested in Shopify: Shopify + Thinkific + your existing email platform
• Courses are going to become as important as physical products: Kajabi or Systeme.io

The most important question, though, is what you're selling. If you tell me what your physical products are, what the courses will teach, and whether you're on Shopify/WooCommerce/etc., I can map out the exact funnel I'd use—including which platform, email sequences, upsells, and how I'd move a physical-product buyer into the course.

1. Systeme.io — probably the first one I'd investigate

systeme.io

This is unusually well suited to the model you're describing because the funnel, email automation, checkout, digital products, physical products, and course delivery can live in the same ecosystem. Its funnels can sell a digital product/course and automatically trigger email sequences and course access. Systeme.io Systeme.io

For example:

Physical product buyer → email sequence → educational content → course offer → course → advanced product/upsell

That's a very natural funnel for an ecommerce brand expanding into education.

Systeme.io also supports physical-product sales alongside courses, and its email system is integrated with funnels and purchases. Systeme.io Systeme.io

I'd pick this if you want to keep the tech stack lean and don't want to stitch together 4–5 different platforms.

2. Kajabi — best if the courses become a major business

kajabi.com

Kajabi is stronger if your long-term strategy is something like:

Products → audience → course → membership/community → coaching/high-ticket offer

It has courses, email sequences, behavior-based automation, landing pages, funnels, payments, upsells and community built together. kajabi.com

The downside for an existing ecommerce store is that I'd be less inclined to replace your established ecommerce infrastructure with Kajabi. I'd use it when the educational/creator side is becoming a major revenue channel.

3. Thinkific — excellent if Shopify is already your foundation

thinkific.com

If your existing store is Shopify, Thinkific becomes particularly interesting. Thinkific has a Shopify integration that lets your courses appear as Shopify products alongside your physical goods.

You can then connect Thinkific with email platforms such as ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp and Kit, and it supports further automation through Zapier.

So your architecture could be:

Shopify
→ physical products + checkout

Thinkific
→ courses

ActiveCampaign / Klaviyo / Kit
→ customer segmentation + email

For an ecommerce store expanding into digital courses, I would choose a platform based on whether your courses are an add-on to your physical products or becoming a major revenue stream.

The strongest fits are:

1. Kajabi — best if courses become a core business line

kajabi.com

Best for: product sales + courses + email marketing + funnels in one system.

Why it fits ecommerce brands:

• Built-in landing pages, checkout, email campaigns, automations, and course delivery
• Can create funnels like: - Product buyer → email sequence → free mini-course → paid course
• Course student → upsell physical product bundle
• Product customer → invite to premium education/community
• Customer tagging and automations help connect buying behavior with learning behavior

Tradeoff:

• Higher monthly cost than course-only platforms
• Less ideal if your ecommerce store already has a sophisticated Shopify/email stack you want to keep

Kajabi is usually the cleanest “replace a bunch of tools” option. Kajabi Kajabi

2. Shopify + course platform — best if physical products remain your main business

shopify.com

Best for: brands that already sell products and want courses as an extension.

Typical stack:

• Shopify = storefront, inventory, payments
• Course platform = education delivery
• Email platform = customer lifecycle marketing

Good course integrations include:

• Thinkific
• Teachable
• LearnWorlds

This approach keeps your ecommerce engine intact and lets you build education around your products. Thinkific, for example, emphasizes integrations with ecommerce and marketing tools rather than trying to replace your entire commerce stack. Thinkific

Example:

Sell fitness equipment → customer buys product → gets access to beginner training course → upgrade to coaching membership

3. Podia — best simpler all-in-one option

podia.com

Best for:

• Smaller catalogs
• Courses + downloads + memberships
• Less technical setup

It is easier to operate than a larger marketing platform, but has fewer advanced ecommerce funnel capabilities than Kajabi. CourseProfit Lab

My recommendation by scenario

For most ecommerce brands adding education, I would lean toward:

Keep Shopify → add a strong course platform → connect email automation.

For a brand that wants education to become a major profit center:

Move toward Kajabi as the customer journey hub.

A few details would change the recommendation:

1. Are you currently on Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, or another store platform?
2. Are your courses meant to teach customers how to use your products, or are they a separate education business?
3. Roughly how many products and courses do you expect (1–5 vs dozens)?

For most ecommerce brands adding education, I would lean toward:

Keep Shopify → add a strong course platform → connect email automation.

For a brand that wants education to become a major profit center:

Move toward Kajabi as the customer journey hub.

A few details would change the recommendation:

1. Are you currently on Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, or another store platform?
2. Are your courses meant to teach customers how to use your products, or are they a separate education business?
3. Roughly how many products and courses do you expect (1–5 vs dozens)?

For an ecommerce store adding digital courses, the best setup depends on whether your main business is still physical products or whether courses will become the main revenue engine. There are three common winning stacks:

Option 1 — Keep ecommerce as the core: Shopify + course app + email automation (best for product brands)

Best if: you sell physical products and want courses to increase customer lifetime value.

Stack:

• Store: shopify.com
• Courses: tevello.com, courses.plus, or thinkific.com
• Email automation: klaviyo.com or activecampaign.com
• Funnel pages: shopify.com or clickfunnels.com

Example customer journey:

Buy product → receive email education → take free mini-course → upgrade to paid course → buy more products

This works especially well for:

• Fitness equipment + training programs
• Beauty products + masterclasses
• Hobby products + tutorials
• Supplements + education
• Crafts/tools + skill courses

Shopify is stronger when inventory, fulfillment, and product sales are central, while course platforms are usually better at education delivery. Ruzuku Business Software Finder

Option 2 — All-in-one creator commerce: Kajabi (best for high-ticket courses)

Best if: your courses will become a major part of the business.

Use:

• kajabi.com

You get:

• Course hosting
• Landing pages
• Email sequences
• Sales funnels
• Checkout
• Upsells
• Membership/community features

Kajabi’s funnels connect landing pages, email campaigns, and purchases in one system, which is useful for automated course sales. Kajabi Kajabi

Example:

Free guide → email nurture → webinar → course offer → coaching upsell

Good fit if your courses are:

• $200–$5,000+
• Membership based
• Coaching related
• Expertise driven

The downside: it is not designed to run a large physical-product catalog. Kajabi

Option 3 — Hybrid powerhouse: Shopify + Kajabi

This is often the strongest long-term setup for established brands.

Use:

Shopify

• Products
• Inventory
• Checkout
• Retail operations

-

Kajabi

• Courses
• Community
• Education funnel
• Email sequences

Connect with:

• zapier.com
• make.com

Example:

1. Customer buys your physical product on Shopify
2. Customer enters email automation
3. They receive a free training series
4. They are offered your premium course
5. Course buyers get product bundles or subscriptions

My recommendation based on your description

Since you said "I run an ecommerce store branching into digital courses", I would usually not replace your ecommerce platform.

I would choose:

If products are 70%+ of revenue:

Shopify + Klaviyo + Thinkific/Tevello

If courses may become 50%+ of revenue:

Shopify + Kajabi

If you are becoming a personal brand/education company:

Move toward Kajabi

A few details would change the answer:

1. What do you sell physically (fashion, beauty, supplements, tools, etc.)?
2. Are your courses low-ticket ($20–$200) or premium ($500+)?
3. Are you already on Shopify, WooCommerce, or another platform?

Yes. If you already have an ecommerce store selling physical products and are adding courses, I’d prioritize platforms that can connect product purchases → email segmentation → course offer → upsell/cross-sell, rather than choosing a course platform in isolation.

My shortlist

🥇 I'd lean toward Thinkific if you're already on Shopify

Thinkific has a Shopify integration specifically designed for this model. Your courses can appear as Shopify products, and when someone buys a course through Shopify, Thinkific automatically creates the student and grants course access. Thinkific Support Thinkific App Store

That gives you a pretty clean architecture:

Shopify
→ physical products
→ course purchases
→ checkout/payment
→ customer data

Thinkific
→ course delivery
→ student progress
→ memberships/bundles
→ course upsells

Email/CRM
→ abandoned-cart sequences
→ post-purchase sequences
→ segment customers by product purchased
→ course promotion
→ cross-sells

Thinkific also supports integrations with ActiveCampaign, Kit, Mailchimp, etc., so you don't have to rely on its relatively basic native email functionality. Thinkific Support Thinkific Support

🥈 LearnWorlds is very interesting if funnels are central

LearnWorlds may actually be the stronger choice if you're planning to build sophisticated course sales funnels.

It has built-in sales funnels, one-click sales, upsells/cross-sells and customizable checkout, while also having a native Shopify integration. It supports 50+ integrations including Shopify, HubSpot, Mailchimp and Stripe. LearnWorlds LearnWorlds

Its funnel functionality is particularly relevant to your model: it explicitly supports lead-generation funnels, course-sales funnels, upsell/cross-sell funnels and coupon funnels. LearnWorlds Help Center

🥉 Kajabi if you want simplicity

Kajabi is probably the most polished all-in-one funnel + email + course solution.

It combines landing pages, email sequences, behavioral automation, funnels, checkout, upsells and course delivery. Kajabi

The catch for you is that you already have an ecommerce operation. Kajabi makes the most sense when you want to move a large portion of the business into Kajabi. If Shopify is going to remain the center of your physical-product business, Thinkific or LearnWorlds can fit around it more naturally.

What I'd build for your business

If your existing store is Shopify, my preferred setup would be:

Shopify + Thinkific + Klaviyo/ActiveCampaign

For example:

Customer buys $50 physical product
↓
Email sequence: "How to get more out of your [product]"
↓
Educational content
↓
Offer $99 beginner course
↓
Course purchase
↓
Thinkific enrollment
↓
Course completion trigger
↓
Offer advanced course / membership
↓
Cross-sell physical products relevant to the course

That's where this becomes much more powerful than simply having "a course platform." You're essentially turning your physical-product customers into a learning → repeat-purchase → higher-LTV funnel.

If you tell me what ecommerce platform you're currently using (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.), roughly how many products you sell, and whether your courses will be <$100 or $100–$1,000+, I can recommend the exact stack and funnel architecture I'd use.

Yes. Since you already have an ecommerce store and are adding courses, I’d choose differently than I would for a pure course creator.

My shortlist

1. Systeme.io — probably the best fit

For a store branching into courses, I'd seriously look at Systeme.io first.

It combines funnels, email marketing, checkout, physical/digital products, courses, automation and affiliate management in one system. It can also automatically enroll someone in a course after they purchase. Systeme.io Systeme.io

That gives you a structure like:

Existing product → email capture → product purchase → course upsell → course → advanced course/membership

For example:

Customer buys your $49 physical product
↓
Thank-you page offers $19 mini-course
↓
Email sequence teaches them how to get better results from the product
↓
Offer $199 flagship course
↓
Course completion triggers offer for membership/coaching

That's exactly the kind of cross-selling I'd want from the platform.

Systeme.io also explicitly supports physical products alongside digital products and courses, which makes it more relevant to your situation than many course platforms. Systeme.io

2. HighLevel — consider this if marketing automation is the priority

gohighlevel.com has become much more interesting for ecommerce.

Its current ecommerce functionality lets you combine stores with funnels, including product pages, cart, checkout, upsells and order confirmation. It also supports Shopify data synchronization, including products, customers, orders and transactions. HighLevel Support Portal HighLevel Support Portal

I'd lean toward HighLevel if you eventually want things like:

• sophisticated customer segmentation
• SMS + email
• abandoned-cart/recovery sequences
• complex post-purchase automation
• CRM/pipelines
• multiple brands or stores
• detailed behavioral automations

It's potentially more powerful than you need today, though.

3. Kajabi — fantastic, but I'd put it third for you

kajabi.com is excellent if the course/education business becomes the main business.

It has courses, email sequences, funnels, checkout, upsells, automation and community integrated together. Kajabi

But if your existing ecommerce operation remains significant—with lots of physical products, SKUs, shopping behavior, etc.—I wouldn't automatically move the ecommerce side into Kajabi.

What I'd actually do in your position

I'd think of your business as one customer journey, rather than "ecommerce over here + courses over there":

Traffic
→ Ecommerce/product landing page
→ Email capture
→ Physical product
→ Post-purchase education
→ Mini-course
→ Flagship course
→ Membership/advanced offer

The really valuable part is being able to say:

"Customers who bought Product A but haven't bought Course B get this 5-email sequence."

and:

"Customers who completed Course B get an offer for Product C."

That's where the integration starts making money rather than simply reducing the number of software subscriptions.

My ranking for your specific use case:

1. 🥇 Systeme.io — best balance of ecommerce + funnels + email + courses + simplicity
2. 🥈 HighLevel — best if you expect sophisticated CRM/automation
3. 🥉 Kajabi — best if courses eventually become the core business

If you tell me what ecommerce platform you're currently using (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.), your average product price, and roughly what you plan to charge for the courses, I can recommend the exact stack and funnel architecture I'd use.

It has courses, email sequences, funnels, checkout, upsells, automation and community integrated together. Kajabi

But if your existing ecommerce operation remains significant—with lots of physical products, SKUs, shopping behavior, etc.—I wouldn't automatically move the ecommerce side into Kajabi.

What I'd actually do in your position

I'd think of your business as one customer journey, rather than "ecommerce over here + courses over there":

Traffic
→ Ecommerce/product landing page
→ Email capture
→ Physical product
→ Post-purchase education
→ Mini-course
→ Flagship course
→ Membership/advanced offer

The really valuable part is being able to say:

"Customers who bought Product A but haven't bought Course B get this 5-email sequence."

and:

"Customers who completed Course B get an offer for Product C."

That's where the integration starts making money rather than simply reducing the number of software subscriptions.

My ranking for your specific use case:

1. 🥇 Systeme.io — best balance of ecommerce + funnels + email + courses + simplicity
2. 🥈 HighLevel — best if you expect sophisticated CRM/automation
3. 🥉 Kajabi — best if courses eventually become the core business

If you tell me what ecommerce platform you're currently using (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.), your average product price, and roughly what you plan to charge for the courses, I can recommend the exact stack and funnel architecture I'd use.

Yes. Since you already have physical product sales and are adding courses, I’d prioritize a platform that can handle product → email → funnel → course → upsell rather than choosing a course platform in isolation.

My shortlist

1. ClickFunnels — probably my first choice

If your existing ecommerce business is already generating sales, ClickFunnels is particularly interesting because it's designed around the funnel rather than just course delivery.

Its current course product can sit directly inside your sales funnel, and courses can be sold separately, bundled with other products, or used as upsells. ClickFunnels

Even more importantly for you, ClickFunnels has a current Shopify integration that can send order information to Shopify for fulfillment of physical products. ClickFunnels Support

A funnel could look like:

Facebook/Google/organic traffic → product page → physical product → order bump → course upsell → email sequence → higher-ticket course

That is a very natural fit for an ecommerce brand expanding into education.

clickfunnels.com

2. Systeme.io — best if you want everything inexpensive

This is the one I'd investigate before spending heavily.

Systeme.io combines funnels, email marketing, automation, courses, affiliates and physical products in one system. Its checkout can automatically enroll someone into a course after purchase, and it supports digital-product order bumps. Help System.io Help System.io

The big advantage is that you don't need to assemble:

Shopify + Klaviyo + ClickFunnels + Teachable/Thinkific + Zapier

into one Frankenstein stack.

Systeme.io is explicitly built around connecting the funnel, email list, payment and course access. Systeme.io

systeme.io

3. Kajabi — best if courses become the main business

Kajabi is excellent if you're ultimately building an education/creator brand rather than primarily an ecommerce brand.

It has courses, email sequences, funnels, checkout, subscriptions, order bumps, upsells and behavioral automations integrated together. Kajabi

The downside for your particular situation is that Kajabi's center of gravity is courses and knowledge products, whereas your starting point is ecommerce.

kajabi.com

What I'd do in your situation

I'd narrow it to ClickFunnels vs. Systeme.io.

Choose ClickFunnels if:

• Physical products are still your core revenue.
• You want sophisticated upsells/order bumps.
• You want funnels specifically optimized around ecommerce conversion.
• Shopify is your existing store.
• You're willing to pay more for stronger funnel functionality.

Choose Systeme.io if:

• You want to consolidate your tech stack.
• You're launching your first few courses.
• Keeping monthly software costs down matters.
• You want funnel + email + course + automation in one place.
• You don't need Shopify-level ecommerce functionality inside the course platform.

The key question is actually how you envision the course interacting with your existing products.

For example, if you sell a $100 physical product, you could have:

$100 product → $19 order bump → $149 course → $499 advanced course

and use email to repeatedly move existing customers through that ladder.

If that's the model you're contemplating, I'd lean ClickFunnels + your existing ecommerce platform rather than moving your entire store to a course platform.

If you tell me what ecommerce platform you're currently using (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.), your average product price, and roughly what you'll charge for the course, I can recommend the exact stack and funnel I'd use.

2. Systeme.io — best if you want everything inexpensive

This is the one I'd investigate before spending heavily.

Systeme.io combines funnels, email marketing, automation, courses, affiliates and physical products in one system. Its checkout can automatically enroll someone into a course after purchase, and it supports digital-product order bumps. Help System.io Help System.io

The big advantage is that you don't need to assemble:

Shopify + Klaviyo + ClickFunnels + Teachable/Thinkific + Zapier

into one Frankenstein stack.

Systeme.io is explicitly built around connecting the funnel, email list, payment and course access. systeme.io

systeme.io

3. Kajabi — best if courses become the main business

Kajabi is excellent if you're ultimately building an education/creator brand rather than primarily an ecommerce brand.

It has courses, email sequences, funnels, checkout, subscriptions, order bumps, upsells and behavioral automations integrated together.

The downside for your particular situation is that Kajabi's center of gravity is courses and knowledge products, whereas your starting point is ecommerce.

For an ecommerce store adding digital courses, the best platform depends on whether your courses are an add-on to physical products or becoming the main business. The strongest options are usually the ones that combine:

• Product checkout
• Upsells/order bumps
• Email automation
• Customer segmentation
• Course delivery
• Membership/community
• Abandoned cart recovery

Here are the platforms I’d shortlist:

OnlineCourseTools SavingSec## My recommendation by business model

1. You already sell physical products and want to add courses

I would usually keep your ecommerce store and add a marketing/course layer:

Shopify + Kajabi (premium route)
or
Shopify + Systeme.io (budget/growth route)

Your physical products stay optimized for shopping, while courses get better onboarding, lessons, email sequences, and upsells.

2. Your goal is to turn buyers into students and repeat customers

A strong funnel might look like:

Product purchase → email sequence → free mini-course → paid course → membership → repeat product purchases

For this model, Systeme.io or Kajabi are attractive because the customer journey can live together. OnlineCourseTools SaaS Fit Guide

3. You sell high-ticket courses ($500–$5,000+)

I’d lean toward:

• Kajabi for a premium customer experience
• GoHighLevel if sales calls, SMS follow-up, and CRM pipelines matter
• Kartra if you want an all-in-one marketing engine

Asset Academy OnlineCourseTools## A practical stack I’d choose for most ecommerce brands

Under ~$10k/month revenue

• Shopify (store)
• Systeme.io (courses + funnels + email)
• Stripe/Shopify Payments
• Email automation sequences

Growing brand ($10k–$100k/month)

• Shopify
• Kajabi (courses/community)
• Klaviyo or Kajabi email depending on complexity
• Customer segmentation between product buyers and students

Advanced/high-ticket education brand

• Shopify
• Kajabi or GoHighLevel
• CRM + automated sales funnels

One key question changes the answer: Are your courses meant to teach customers how to use your products (education/upsell), or are they a separate standalone business?

Yes. Since you already sell physical products and are adding courses, I’d choose a platform based on whether you want the course business to become a second major revenue engine or simply an add-on to your store.

My shortlist

1. HighLevel — probably my pick for your situation

HighLevel is particularly interesting because it can handle physical products, digital products, funnels, checkout, email automation, CRM and courses in the same ecosystem. Its current product system supports physical products, digital products, subscriptions and funnel-based checkout. HighLevel Support Portal GoHighLevel

And its course system has gotten substantially better: you can create courses/offers and even put funnel experiences directly inside course lessons. HighLevel Support Portal HighLevel Support Portal

That makes a funnel like this possible:

Facebook/Google/Instagram ad → product landing page → physical product purchase → email sequence → course offer → course upsell → membership/coaching

Or:

Buy physical product → automatically tag customer → educate them by email → offer course → enroll them automatically

That's a very good model for an ecommerce brand expanding into education.

I'd choose HighLevel if: you want sophisticated segmentation, upsells, abandoned-cart/lead follow-up, CRM, SMS, multiple funnels and eventually more complex customer journeys.

2. systeme.io — best if you want inexpensive and straightforward

This is the one I'd seriously consider if you don't want HighLevel's complexity.

systeme.io puts funnels + email + checkout + courses + digital products together. A purchase can automatically add the customer to your email list, apply segmentation, and give course access. Systeme.io Help Systeme.io

It also explicitly supports selling digital products and courses through funnels with order bumps and upsells. Systeme.io

For example:

$29 physical product → $17 digital guide → $197 course → $497 advanced course

with the email automation connecting the entire sequence.

I'd lean toward systeme.io if you're a relatively small team and don't want to spend weeks configuring software.

3. Kajabi — best course experience, but I'd rank it third for you

Kajabi is excellent if your primary business becomes courses, coaching, memberships and digital products. It has courses, checkout, email sequences, automation, landing pages, funnels, upsells and community integrated. Kajabi Kajabi

The issue is that you're starting from ecommerce/product sales rather than starting as a course creator.

So I'd rather use Kajabi if your business eventually looks like:

Content → email list → course → coaching → membership

rather than:

Physical products → ecommerce customers → digital products → courses → upsells

For your particular hybrid model, HighLevel/systeme.io make more sense to me.

What I'd do in your shoes

I'd build the customer journey around your existing product customers, rather than treating the course as a completely separate business.

For example:

Product purchase
↓
Post-purchase education emails
↓
Free mini-course / training
↓
$49–99 digital product
↓
$197–497 flagship course
↓
Advanced offer / membership

The really powerful part is that the email system knows what physical product someone bought, so you can send different course offers based on their purchase.

My ranking for your situation:

1. 🥇 HighLevel — best overall if you're serious about sophisticated funnels and ecommerce/customer automation.
2. 🥈 systeme.io — best if you want to keep costs and complexity down.
3. 🥉 Kajabi — best course platform, but less compelling as the central system for an established physical-product ecommerce operation.

If you tell me what ecommerce platform you're currently using (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.), roughly how many customers/email subscribers you have, and your course price range, I can narrow this down to the best stack and show you exactly how I'd connect store → funnel → email → course → upsells.

1. HighLevel — probably my pick for your situation

HighLevel is particularly interesting because it can handle physical products, digital products, funnels, checkout, email automation, CRM and courses in the same ecosystem. Its current product system supports physical products, digital products, subscriptions and funnel-based checkout. HighLevel Support Portal GoHighLevel

And its course system has gotten substantially better: you can create courses/offers and even put funnel experiences directly inside course lessons. HighLevel Support Portal HighLevel Support Portal

That makes a funnel like this possible:

Facebook/Google/Instagram ad → product landing page → physical product purchase → email sequence → course offer → course upsell → membership/coaching

Or:

Buy physical product → automatically tag customer → educate them by email → offer course → enroll them automatically

That's a very good model for an ecommerce brand expanding into education.

I'd choose HighLevel if: you want sophisticated segmentation, upsells, abandoned-cart/lead follow-up, CRM, SMS, multiple funnels and eventually more complex customer journeys.

2. systeme.io — best if you want inexpensive and straightforward

This is the one I'd seriously consider if you don't want HighLevel's complexity.

systeme.io puts funnels + email + checkout + courses + digital products together. A purchase can automatically add the customer to your email list, apply segmentation, and give course access. Systeme.io Help Systeme.io

It also explicitly supports selling digital products and courses through funnels with order bumps and upsells. Systeme.io

For example:

$29 physical product → $17 digital guide → $197 course → $497 advanced course

with the email automation connecting the entire sequence.

I'd lean toward systeme.io if you're a relatively small team and don't want to spend weeks configuring software.

3. Kajabi — best course experience, but I'd rank it third for you

Kajabi is excellent if your primary business becomes courses, coaching, memberships and digital products. It has courses, checkout, email sequences, automation, landing pages, funnels, upsells and community integrated. Kajabi Kajabi

The issue is that you're starting from ecommerce/product sales rather than starting as a course creator.

So I'd rather use Kajabi if your business eventually looks like:

Content → email list → course → coaching → membership

rather than:

Physical products → ecommerce customers → digital products → courses → upsells

For your particular hybrid model, HighLevel/systeme.io make more sense to me.

What I'd do in your shoes

I'd build the customer journey around your existing product customers, rather than treating the course as a completely separate business.

For example:

Product purchase
↓
Post-purchase education emails
↓
Free mini-course / training
↓
$49–99 digital product
↓
$197–497 flagship course
↓
Advanced offer / membership

The really powerful part is that the email system knows what physical product someone bought, so you can send different course offers based on their purchase.

My ranking for your situation:

1. 🥇 HighLevel — best overall if you're serious about sophisticated funnels and ecommerce/customer automation.
2. 🥈 systeme.io — best if you want to keep costs and complexity down.
3. 🥉 Kajabi — best course platform, but less compelling as the central system for an established physical-product ecommerce operation.

If you tell me what ecommerce platform you're currently using (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.), roughly how many customers/email subscribers you have, and your course price range, I can narrow this down to the best stack and show you exactly how I'd connect store → funnel → email → course → upsells.

Yes. Since you already have an ecommerce store selling physical products and want to add courses, I’d prioritize a system that can handle product sales + email segmentation + funnels + course delivery, rather than a course platform alone.

My shortlist

*Kajabi is particularly strong for digital products, courses, memberships and knowledge businesses; I'd be more inclined to keep Shopify as the physical-product storefront if that's already where your ecommerce operation lives. Kajabi provides connected products, payments, marketing, funnels, checkout, email and automation. Kajabi Kajabi Kajabi

For your particular situation, I'd look at systeme.io first

systeme.io is unusually well matched to what you're describing because it combines funnels, email automation, checkout, digital products and courses in one system. Its funnel can capture a lead, sell a product, trigger email automation and automatically grant course access. Systeme.io Help Systeme.io

More importantly, it isn't limited to courses: its current feature set includes physical products as well as digital products, courses, email, funnels, affiliates and automation. Systeme.io

That opens up some very useful ecommerce → course funnels.

Example

Someone buys your physical product:

Product purchase → customer tag → educational email sequence → free mini-course → course offer → upsell

Or:

Instagram/ad → free guide → email sequence → physical product → post-purchase education → premium course

Or even:

Physical product buyer → "how to get better results with X" mini-course → $97 course → $297 advanced course

The important thing is that you're not treating your course business and ecommerce business as two completely separate businesses. The existing customer database becomes the audience for your courses.

systeme.io specifically supports automated enrollment into courses after a purchase, and its email system supports sequences, broadcasts, tags and purchase-triggered automation. Systeme.io Systeme.io Help

When I'd choose Kajabi instead

I'd pick Kajabi if the course side is likely to become a major business in its own right—particularly if you're going toward:

• $500–$2,000+ courses
• coaching
• memberships
• communities
• sophisticated launches
• a premium branded student experience

Kajabi is very polished for this type of knowledge business and has built-in funnels, email, landing pages, checkout, automation and course/product delivery. Kajabi Kajabi

But if your core business remains ecommerce and courses are an additional revenue stream, I wouldn't automatically migrate the whole operation to Kajabi.

The architecture I'd consider

If you're already on Shopify, my preferred setup may actually be:

Shopify
→ physical products / primary store

systeme.io or Kajabi
→ courses / course funnels

Email platform
→ potentially shared customer segmentation

But before building that stack, I'd investigate whether you can make systeme.io the digital-sales engine while keeping Shopify as the storefront. That can give you a relatively inexpensive way to test whether courses actually sell before creating a complicated technology stack.

If you tell me what ecommerce platform you're currently using (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.), roughly how much you sell per month, and your expected course price ($50 / $200 / $1,000+), I can recommend the exact stack and show you the funnel I'd build.

Instagram/ad → free guide → email sequence → physical product → post-purchase education → premium course

Or even:

Physical product buyer → "how to get better results with X" mini-course → $97 course → $297 advanced course

The important thing is that you're not treating your course business and ecommerce business as two completely separate businesses. The existing customer database becomes the audience for your courses.

systeme.io specifically supports automated enrollment into courses after a purchase, and its email system supports sequences, broadcasts, tags and purchase-triggered automation.

When I'd choose Kajabi instead

I'd pick Kajabi if the course side is likely to become a major business in its own right—particularly if you're going toward:

For an ecommerce store branching into digital courses, the best stack depends on whether your courses are an add-on to your products or becoming a major revenue stream.

Here are the strongest options:

1. Best overall for product + course sales: Shopify + Kajabi

Best if you already have a Shopify store and want a premium education funnel.

Stack:

• Store: Shopify
• Courses + funnels + email: Kajabi
• Automation connector: Zapier or native integrations

Customer journey:

1. Customer buys a physical product
2. They enter your email list
3. Automated emails educate them
4. They get offered a related course
5. Course buyers receive upsells, memberships, coaching, or advanced products

Example:

• Sell skincare products → course: "Build a Professional Skincare Routine"
• Sell fitness equipment → course: "90-Day Home Fitness Program"
• Sell cooking tools → course: "Master Meal Prep"

Kajabi is strong here because it combines courses, email marketing, landing pages, funnels, checkout offers, and automations in one system. Kajabi Kajabi

2. Best if your ecommerce is already on Shopify: Shopify + Thinkific

Best if your physical products remain the main business.

Stack:

• Store: Shopify
• Course delivery: Thinkific
• Email: Klaviyo or ActiveCampaign

Thinkific integrates with Shopify so courses can be sold alongside products while course delivery happens inside Thinkific. Thinkific Support

Pros:

• Better ecommerce separation
• Strong learning experience
• More flexibility with your marketing stack

Cons:

• More tools to manage
• Funnels and automation usually require extra integrations compared with Kajabi Thinkific

3. Best all-in-one if you want to become a "knowledge brand": Kajabi only

Choose this if your future looks like:

• Courses
• Memberships
• Coaching
• Communities
• Digital downloads
• Webinars
• Email marketing

Kajabi is built more like a digital business operating system rather than just a course host. Kajabi

4. Budget-friendly stack

If you are testing demand:

• Shopify (products)
• Teachable or Thinkific (courses)
• MailerLite (email)
• Zapier (connections)

Lower cost, but more moving parts.

My recommendation for most ecommerce brands

If you have:

<10,000 customers and courses are a new experiment
→ Shopify + Thinkific + Klaviyo

If you have:

A strong brand, repeat customers, and want courses to become a major profit center
→ Shopify + Kajabi

If you are:

Selling expertise more than products
→ Move toward Kajabi as the main platform

A very effective funnel structure would be:

Product purchase → education emails → free mini-course → paid flagship course → membership/community → premium products

One question would change my recommendation significantly: are your courses meant to teach customers how to use your products, or are they a separate education business?

Yes. Since you already have an ecommerce store selling physical products, I’d choose differently than I would for someone starting a pure course business.

My shortlist

1. I'd seriously consider systeme.io

This is probably the first one I'd test for your situation.

It combines sales funnels, email automation, courses, checkout, order bumps and upsells rather than making you stitch together a funnel builder + email platform + LMS. Systeme.io Systeme.io

The important part for an ecommerce business is that you can create a funnel like:

Physical product → email capture → educational content → course → higher-ticket product/service

or:

Course buyer → product recommendation → bundle/upsell → repeat physical-product purchase

systeme.io specifically supports selling a course through an order form and automatically enrolling the buyer after purchase. Systeme.io Help

systeme.io

2. Kajabi if you want a more sophisticated marketing machine

kajabi.com is stronger if you're building a substantial education + brand + community business.

It has integrated checkout, one-time payments, subscriptions, payment plans, coupons, order bumps, upsells, email sequences, behavior-based automation and funnel pipelines. Kajabi

So you could have:

Shopify/product customer
→ enters email segment
→ receives educational sequence
→ gets course offer
→ course completion triggers product recommendation
→ repeat purchase sequence

The downside is that if your physical ecommerce operation is already heavily invested in Shopify, you may not want Kajabi becoming a second "center of gravity."

3. LearnWorlds if the course itself is the priority

learnworlds.com is worth considering if you want a particularly strong learning experience while keeping your ecommerce store.

It has a Shopify integration, and supports email platforms such as ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp, Kit and others. It can also trigger automation based on enrollment, progress, inactivity and purchases. LearnWorlds LearnWorlds

That makes it attractive if your architecture is:

Shopify = physical products
LearnWorlds = courses
ActiveCampaign/Kit = customer intelligence + email

rather than trying to replace your existing ecommerce infrastructure.

What I'd do in your shoes

If your goal is "I want my existing product customers and my new course customers to become one audience", I'd rank them:

1. systeme.io — easiest all-in-one funnel/course/email approach
2. Kajabi — best if you're building a premium education business
3. LearnWorlds + your existing ecommerce + email platform — best if keeping ecommerce separate is important

But there's one major question that could change my recommendation:

Are you currently using Shopify, WooCommerce, or another ecommerce platform?

If you tell me that and roughly how much you do in monthly sales, I can map out the exact stack I'd use—including funnel → email → course → product upsell → CRM, and which platform I'd avoid paying for.

Yes. Since you already have an ecommerce store selling physical products and are adding digital courses, I’d prioritize a platform that can handle product sales + funnels + email automation + course delivery without forcing you to stitch together 4–5 systems.

My shortlist

🥇 For your situation: Systeme.io

systeme.io is particularly interesting because it explicitly supports physical products, digital products, courses, funnels, email marketing, automation, affiliates and payments in the same ecosystem. Systeme.io Systeme.io

That gives you a funnel like:

Instagram/Google/your store → lead magnet → email sequence → physical product → course upsell → membership/community

And importantly, a purchase can trigger course enrollment and email automation automatically. Systeme.io Help Systeme.io Help

For example:

$39 physical product
↓
Post-purchase email sequence
↓
"Want to learn how to get better results with it?"
↓
$149 mini-course
↓
$499 full course
↓
$29/mo membership

That's exactly the kind of product ladder I'd build for an ecommerce company moving into education.

🥈 Kajabi if you're serious about the course business

kajabi.com is the more polished/premium option. It combines courses, checkout, email sequences, funnels, upsells, payments and community. Kajabi Kajabi

I'd choose Kajabi if your strategy is becoming:

Ecommerce brand → education brand → high-ticket courses/coaching/community

rather than primarily:

Ecommerce store → add courses as another product category.

The downside is cost: Kajabi's current pricing is substantially higher, with its Pro plan listed at $399/month when billed annually. Kajabi

One important distinction

If your Shopify store is already doing significant revenue, I wouldn't necessarily move your ecommerce operation into a new platform.

I'd seriously consider:

Shopify → physical products
Klaviyo → customer/email marketing
Systeme.io or Kajabi → courses + course funnels

But if you're still early enough that you don't have a complicated ecommerce infrastructure, Systeme.io can be attractive because you can consolidate much of the stack.

What I'd do in your shoes

I'd start with Systeme.io, build one complete customer journey, and only move to Kajabi if the course side proves itself.

The key isn't really the course platform. It's designing the product ladder and customer journey so your existing ecommerce buyers become course buyers.

If you tell me what you sell, your average order value, and roughly how much your store does per month, I can map out the exact ecommerce → email → course funnel I'd recommend, including the offers and automated emails.

Yes. Since you already have an ecommerce/product-sales business and are adding courses, I’d prioritize platforms that can handle physical products + funnels + email automation + courses without forcing you to bolt together five different systems.

My top picks

1. systeme.io — probably your best fit

This is the one I'd investigate first for your situation.

Systeme.io now supports physical products, inventory, variants, shipping, checkout, funnels, email marketing, automation, and online courses in one platform. Systeme.io Systeme.io

More importantly, you can connect the two sides of your business:

Physical product → email list → course offer

or

Free course/content → physical product → paid course

It also supports order bumps, upsells and downsells for both physical and digital products. Systeme.io Help Systeme.io Help

systeme.io

I'd choose it if: you want one relatively simple system and don't want your existing ecommerce operation to become dramatically more complicated.

2. HighLevel — best if funnels/automation are the priority

HighLevel has become particularly interesting for this use case.

It can sell physical products, digital products, subscriptions and one-time offers, including directly through funnels. HighLevel Support Portal

It also has courses/memberships, and purchases can automatically grant course access. HighLevel Support Portal

The really interesting part is the ability to put funnel experiences inside courses, meaning you can potentially have:

Lesson → exercise → offer → checkout → upsell

without sending the student all over the place. HighLevel Support Portal

gohighlevel.com

I'd choose it if: you're serious about sophisticated segmentation, email/SMS automation, upsells, abandoned-cart flows, lead nurturing, etc.

3. Kajabi — best course experience, but not my first choice for you

Kajabi is excellent for courses, memberships, email, funnels, checkout and automated customer journeys. Kajabi

The problem is that your starting point is ecommerce, rather than being primarily a course creator.

So I'd be more inclined to use Kajabi if your business eventually becomes:

Courses/memberships 70% + physical products 30%

rather than:

Physical products 70% + courses 30%

kajabi.com

What I'd build in your case

I'd structure the ecosystem something like this:

Existing product customer
↓
Purchase physical product
↓
Email segmentation
↓
Educational content related to product
↓
Free mini-training / lead magnet
↓
Paid course
↓
Course completion
↓
Advanced course / membership / product bundle

And the reverse:

Course customer
↓
Course onboarding emails
↓
Relevant physical product recommendation
↓
Bundle / order bump
↓
Repeat purchase sequence

That creates something much more valuable than simply adding a course checkout: your physical-product customers become course prospects, and your students become physical-product customers.

My ranking for your particular business

1. Systeme.io — best balance of ecommerce + courses + funnel + email
2. HighLevel — best if you want sophisticated marketing automation
3. Kajabi — best if courses become the dominant business
4. Keep your existing Shopify store + add a course platform — potentially best if your physical-product operation is already substantial and you don't want to disrupt it

One important distinction: if you already have a large Shopify catalog, complex inventory, multiple fulfillment channels, etc., I wouldn't necessarily replace Shopify just to get courses. Systeme.io itself says its physical-product functionality is better suited to limited product lines than large-scale retail operations. Systeme.io

If you tell me what you're selling, roughly how many physical SKUs you have, your course price ($50/$500/$2,000+), and whether you're currently on Shopify/WooCommerce/etc., I can narrow this down to the best exact stack and funnel architecture for your store.

Systeme.io now supports physical products, inventory, variants, shipping, checkout, funnels, email marketing, automation, and online courses in one platform. Systeme.io Systeme.io

More importantly, you can connect the two sides of your business:

Physical product → email list → course offer

or

Free course/content → physical product → paid course

It also supports order bumps, upsells and downsells for both physical and digital products. Systeme.io Help Systeme.io Help

systeme.io

I'd choose it if: you want one relatively simple system and don't want your existing ecommerce operation to become dramatically more complicated.

2. HighLevel — best if funnels/automation are the priority

HighLevel has become particularly interesting for this use case.

It can sell physical products, digital products, subscriptions and one-time offers, including directly through funnels. HighLevel Support Portal

It also has courses/memberships, and purchases can automatically grant course access. HighLevel Support Portal

The really interesting part is the ability to put funnel experiences inside courses, meaning you can potentially have:

Lesson → exercise → offer → checkout → upsell

without sending the student all over the place. HighLevel Support Portal

gohighlevel.com

I'd choose it if: you're serious about sophisticated segmentation, email/SMS automation, upsells, abandoned-cart flows, lead nurturing, etc.

3. Kajabi — best course experience, but not my first choice for you

Kajabi is excellent for courses, memberships, email, funnels, checkout and automated customer journeys. Kajabi

The problem is that your starting point is ecommerce, rather than being primarily a course creator.

So I'd be more inclined to use Kajabi if your business eventually becomes:

Courses/memberships 70% + physical products 30%

rather than:

Physical products 70% + courses 30%

kajabi.com

What I'd build in your case

I'd structure the ecosystem something like this:

Existing product customer
↓
Purchase physical product
↓
Email segmentation
↓
Educational content related to product
↓
Free mini-training / lead magnet
↓
Paid course
↓
Course completion
↓
Advanced course / membership / product bundle

And the reverse:

Course customer
↓
Course onboarding emails
↓
Relevant physical product recommendation
↓
Bundle / order bump
↓
Repeat purchase sequence

That creates something much more valuable than simply adding a course checkout: your physical-product customers become course prospects, and your students become physical-product customers.

My ranking for your particular business

1. Systeme.io — best balance of ecommerce + courses + funnel + email
2. HighLevel — best if you want sophisticated marketing automation
3. Kajabi — best if courses become the dominant business
4. Keep your existing Shopify store + add a course platform — potentially best if your physical-product operation is already substantial and you don't want to disrupt it

One important distinction: if you already have a large Shopify catalog, complex inventory, multiple fulfillment channels, etc., I wouldn't necessarily replace Shopify just to get courses. Systeme.io itself says its physical-product functionality is better suited to limited product lines than large-scale retail operations.

If you already have an ecommerce store selling physical products and are branching into digital courses, I’d choose the stack differently than I would for a pure course creator.

My top recommendation: Shopify + Thinkific + email platform

If your physical-product store is already on Shopify, I’d keep Shopify as the commercial hub and add Thinkific for the courses.

Thinkific has a Shopify app that lets your courses appear as Shopify products alongside your physical products. When someone buys a course through Shopify, Thinkific automatically creates the student account and grants course access. Thinkific Support Thinkific

The architecture would look like:

Shopify → checkout → customer segmentation → email automation → Thinkific course delivery

That gives you some powerful cross-selling opportunities:

• Buy physical product → email sequence → offer relevant course
• Buy course → email sequence → recommend physical products
• Buy both → VIP/customer sequence → membership or advanced course
• Abandoned cart → product-specific recovery sequence
• Course completion → product bundle/advanced course offer

If you want everything under one roof: Kajabi

Kajabi is probably the strongest funnel + email + course system.

It has courses, checkout, landing pages, email automation, funnels, upsells, order bumps and digital downloads integrated into one system. Kajabi Kajabi

The catch: Kajabi is not the obvious replacement for an established ecommerce store. If your physical-product business is already working well on Shopify, I'd hesitate to move the entire commerce operation just to get Kajabi's marketing automation.

So I'd use Kajabi if your business is becoming primarily:

physical products + education + coaching + memberships + digital products

rather than primarily an ecommerce store.

Thinkific vs Kajabi for your situation

*Assuming you pair Shopify/Thinkific with a proper email platform such as Klaviyo.

The setup I'd personally build

If you're already doing meaningful physical-product sales, I'd lean toward:

Shopify + Thinkific + Klaviyo

rather than trying to replace Shopify.

Thinkific handles the learning experience, Shopify handles commerce, and Klaviyo becomes the customer/marketing brain connecting the two.

That's especially attractive because your real opportunity isn't simply selling a course. It's building a product ladder:

$30–$100 physical product
↓
free guide / quiz / email sequence
↓
$50–$200 introductory digital product
↓
$200–$1,000+ course
↓
membership / advanced course / coaching
↓
repeat physical-product purchases

If, however, you're starting the ecommerce side from scratch and expect courses/digital products to become a major part of revenue, I'd look much harder at Kajabi.

If you tell me what you sell physically, your average order value, your expected course price, and whether you're already on Shopify, I can recommend the exact stack and funnel I'd use—including which platform should own the customer/email data.

For an ecommerce store that is adding digital courses, the best setup depends on whether your physical products or courses will become the main revenue driver.

Here are the strongest options:

1. Shopify + a course platform (best if you already sell physical products)

Best fit: Product brands adding education as an upsell.

A typical stack:

• shopify.com — storefront, inventory, checkout, customer accounts
• klaviyo.com — email marketing, segmentation, abandoned carts, product-based flows
• teachable.com or thinkific.com — course delivery
• zapier.com — connects purchases → course access → email sequences

Why it works:

• Your existing product customers become course leads.
• You keep Shopify’s strong ecommerce infrastructure.
• You can create funnels like: - Buy product → email education series → offer premium course
• Buy course → upsell bundle/product kit
• Course completion → loyalty offer

Downside: More moving parts.

2. Shopify + Kajabi (best premium hybrid)

Best fit: Your courses are high-ticket and you want strong automation.

Kajabi combines courses, landing pages, email sequences, funnels, and digital product checkout in one system. Kajabi Kajabi

Example flow:

Shopify store
→ customer buys product
→ enters Kajabi funnel
→ receives nurture emails
→ purchases course
→ gets membership access

This works well for:

• fitness brands selling equipment + training programs
• beauty brands selling products + masterclasses
• hobby brands selling supplies + education
• creators selling physical products + coaching

Kajabi is less ideal as the main store if you have lots of SKUs, shipping, inventory, or retail complexity. Ecommerce Website Create Kajabi

3. All-in-one Kajabi (best if courses will overtake products)

Choose this if your business is becoming more of a knowledge brand.

Good for:

• memberships
• coaching
• premium courses
• communities
• email-driven sales funnels

Kajabi includes course hosting, marketing automation, funnels, and email tools together. Kajabi

4. WordPress + WooCommerce + LMS (most customizable)

Best if you want full ownership and customization.

Typical stack:

• woocommerce.com
• learndash.com
• activecampaign.com

Powerful, but requires more maintenance.

My recommendation for most ecommerce brands expanding into courses

If you already have a functioning store:

Keep Shopify as the commerce engine. Add:

1. Shopify
2. Klaviyo for email + customer segmentation
3. Kajabi or Thinkific for courses
4. Zapier for automation

That gives you the strongest product-to-course funnel:

Product buyer → email education → free mini-course → paid course → subscription/community → repeat product purchases

A few questions would change the recommendation:

1. Are your current products physical goods (inventory/shipping) or already digital?
2. What price range will your courses be (e.g., $49, $299, $2,000+)?
3. Are you currently on Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, or another platform?

Yes. If you already have an ecommerce store selling physical products and are adding courses, I’d choose differently than I would for a pure course creator.

My top choices

🥇 If you're already on Shopify: Shopify + Thinkific

This is probably the cleanest setup for an ecommerce brand branching into education.

Thinkific has a Shopify integration that lets you sell courses directly alongside your physical products. When someone purchases a course through Shopify, Thinkific automatically creates the student account and grants course access. Thinkific App Store Thinkific Support

You can then connect Thinkific to an email platform such as Kit and trigger marketing based on student/customer activity. Thinkific App Store

Your architecture becomes:

Shopify
→ physical products
→ course checkout
→ bundles
→ order history

Thinkific
→ course delivery
→ lessons
→ quizzes
→ student progress

Email/CRM
→ abandoned cart
→ post-purchase sequences
→ course onboarding
→ cross-sells
→ product → course upsells
→ course → physical product upsells

This is especially attractive if physical products are still the core business.

🥇 If funnels/email are the main growth engine: Kajabi

If you're trying to build something more like:

Instagram/ads/content → lead magnet → email sequence → physical product → course → upsell → membership

I'd seriously consider Kajabi.

Kajabi combines course hosting, checkout, email automation, landing pages, funnels, behavioral automations, upsells and order bumps in one system. Kajabi

That's its major advantage: you don't have to stitch together a course platform + funnel builder + email platform + automation software.

The catch is that Kajabi is considerably more expensive, so I'd only choose it if you're actually going to use the marketing infrastructure.

The setup I'd probably recommend for your business

If your existing ecommerce store is Shopify, I'd initially do:

Shopify + Thinkific + Kit

rather than ripping your ecommerce operation out and moving everything to Kajabi.

Then build funnels like:

Physical product buyer
→ education email series
→ free mini-course
→ paid course
→ advanced product bundle

And:

Course buyer
→ course onboarding
→ product recommendation
→ bundle
→ membership/advanced course

That gives you a very powerful physical product + knowledge product flywheel.

If, however, you're building the course business to become a major revenue stream and you want sophisticated evergreen funnels, I'd lean toward Kajabi and potentially keep Shopify as the physical-product storefront.

One important distinction

I wouldn't choose based primarily on "which course platform is best."

I'd choose based on where you want the customer relationship to live:

• Shopify = ecommerce is the center of the business
• Kajabi = marketing/customer journey is the center
• Thinkific = education is the center

For your description — ecommerce store branching into digital courses — Shopify + Thinkific is my default recommendation, while Shopify + Kajabi is the more sophisticated option if funnels and email-driven sales are going to be a major part of the strategy. Thinkific's Shopify integration is specifically designed for selling courses alongside an existing store. Thinkific App Store

If you tell me what ecommerce platform you're currently using (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.), roughly how much you sell per month, and whether the course will be $50, $500, $2,000+, etc., I can narrow this down to the best 2–3 setups and the actual funnel architecture I'd use.

Thinkific has a Shopify integration that lets you sell courses directly alongside your physical products. When someone purchases a course through Shopify, Thinkific automatically creates the student account and grants course access. Thinkific App Store Thinkific Support

You can then connect Thinkific to an email platform such as Kit and trigger marketing based on student/customer activity. Thinkific App Store

Your architecture becomes:

Shopify
→ physical products
→ course checkout
→ bundles
→ order history

Thinkific
→ course delivery
→ lessons
→ quizzes
→ student progress

Email/CRM
→ abandoned cart
→ post-purchase sequences
→ course onboarding
→ cross-sells
→ product → course upsells
→ course → physical product upsells

This is especially attractive if physical products are still the core business.

🥇 If funnels/email are the main growth engine: Kajabi

If you're trying to build something more like:

Instagram/ads/content → lead magnet → email sequence → physical product → course → upsell → membership

I'd seriously consider Kajabi.

Kajabi combines course hosting, checkout, email automation, landing pages, funnels, behavioral automations, upsells and order bumps in one system. Kajabi

That's its major advantage: you don't have to stitch together a course platform + funnel builder + email platform + automation software.

The catch is that Kajabi is considerably more expensive, so I'd only choose it if you're actually going to use the marketing infrastructure.

The setup I'd probably recommend for your business

If your existing ecommerce store is Shopify, I'd initially do:

Shopify + Thinkific + Kit

rather than ripping your ecommerce operation out and moving everything to Kajabi.

Then build funnels like:

Physical product buyer
→ education email series
→ free mini-course
→ paid course
→ advanced product bundle

And:

Course buyer
→ course onboarding
→ product recommendation
→ bundle
→ membership/advanced course

That gives you a very powerful physical product + knowledge product flywheel.

If, however, you're building the course business to become a major revenue stream and you want sophisticated evergreen funnels, I'd lean toward Kajabi and potentially keep Shopify as the physical-product storefront.

One important distinction

I wouldn't choose based primarily on "which course platform is best."

I'd choose based on where you want the customer relationship to live:

• Shopify = ecommerce is the center of the business
• Kajabi = marketing/customer journey is the center
• Thinkific = education is the center

For your description — ecommerce store branching into digital courses — Shopify + Thinkific is my default recommendation, while Shopify + Kajabi is the more sophisticated option if funnels and email-driven sales are going to be a major part of the strategy. Thinkific's Shopify integration is specifically designed for selling courses alongside an existing store.

For an ecommerce store expanding into digital courses, I’d avoid choosing a course platform alone. You need a stack that connects:

Product purchase → email segmentation → funnel automation → upsell/cross-sell → course delivery → customer retention

The best fit depends on whether your physical products or your courses are the main revenue engine.

Best all-in-one options

If your store is already successful (Shopify/WooCommerce)

I would usually keep your ecommerce platform and add a marketing/course layer.

A strong setup:

Option A — Ecommerce-first (most scalable)

• Ecommerce: Shopify
• Email: Klaviyo
• Course delivery: Thinkific or Kajabi
• Automation connector: Zapier

This gives you excellent product-based email flows:

• abandoned cart
• repeat purchase campaigns
• product education sequences
• customer-to-student conversion campaigns

Klaviyo is widely used by ecommerce brands because of its product-data integrations and revenue attribution features. Sequenzy

Option B — One dashboard, fewer integrations

Use:

• Kajabi (courses + funnels + email)
• Shopify for physical products

Good if your course becomes a major profit center.

Option C — Lowest-cost launch

Use:

• Systeme.io for funnel + email + course
• Shopify/WooCommerce stays separate

Good for testing:

• "Buy product → get mini-course"
• "Product bundle + education"
• "Community + subscription"

My recommendation for a typical ecommerce brand

If you already have customers buying physical products:

Best overall: Shopify + Klaviyo + Kajabi
→ strongest customer lifecycle and premium course experience.

If you are still proving the course idea:

Best value: Systeme.io
→ launch funnels, collect emails, sell courses, test demand without a large software stack. Infinite Agent

If your courses are high-ticket ($500–$5,000):

Consider: GoHighLevel or Kajabi
→ because lead nurturing and sales follow-up matter more than just course hosting. OnlineCourseTools

A key question: What ecommerce platform are you currently using (Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, something else), and are your courses low-ticket ($20–$200) or premium ($500+)? The best stack changes a lot based on that.

Yes. Since you already have an ecommerce store selling physical products and are adding courses, I would not replace your ecommerce platform with a course-first all-in-one. I’d keep your store as the commerce hub and add a course/funnel layer around it.

My top choices

1. Shopify + Thinkific — probably your best fit

If your physical products are already on Shopify, Thinkific has a direct Shopify integration. Your courses appear as Shopify products, customers purchase through Shopify, and Thinkific automatically creates the student's account and grants course access. support.thinkific.comsupport.thinkific.comsupport.thinkific.comwww.kajabi.comsysteme.io

That gives you a very clean model:

Shopify
→ physical products
→ course purchases
→ bundles
→ discounts

Thinkific
→ course delivery
→ student accounts
→ course progress

Klaviyo/ActiveCampaign
→ abandoned cart
→ product buyer sequences
→ course nurture
→ cross-sells
→ launches

Thinkific also supports connections to email platforms such as Mailchimp, Kit, ActiveCampaign and others, as well as Zapier for more customized automations. support.thinkific.com

One important limitation: Thinkific itself isn't designed to process your physical products. Its documentation specifically recommends using Shopify alongside Thinkific for physical products. support.thinkific.com

For a product-first ecommerce business branching into education, that's actually a good architecture.

2. Shopify + Kajabi — if the courses become a major business

Kajabi is stronger if your long-term model is something like:

Physical product → free training → course → advanced course/coaching → membership

Kajabi combines email sequences, behavioral automation, landing pages, funnels, checkout, courses and community. www.kajabi.com

The downside is that you're paying for a much more extensive creator-marketing platform while still maintaining Shopify for your physical products.

I'd choose Kajabi if courses/coaching are expected to become a significant portion of revenue, rather than simply being an educational add-on to your ecommerce business.

3. Systeme.io — interesting if you want to consolidate

systeme.io is worth looking at if you want funnels + email + courses + automation in one inexpensive system. Its current platform includes courses, email marketing, funnels, automation, affiliate management and CRM functionality. systeme.io

It's particularly attractive if you're building something like:

Facebook/Instagram ad
↓
lead magnet
↓
email sequence
↓
course sales page
↓
course
↓
physical product upsell

But I'd be more inclined to use it as the marketing/course layer rather than making it the replacement for a mature physical-product ecommerce operation.

What I'd build in your situation

I'd seriously consider this stack:

Shopify
→ products + checkout + customer/order data

Thinkific
→ courses

Klaviyo
→ email marketing and customer segmentation

Zapier/Make
→ only where native integrations aren't enough

Then create segments such as:

• Physical-product buyer
• Course buyer
• Both product + course buyer
• Lead but hasn't purchased
• Product buyer who hasn't bought course
• Course buyer who hasn't bought physical product

That lets you build some very powerful cross-selling.

For example:

Customer buys your physical product
→ 3 days later: "How to get more from your [product]"
→ educational content
→ free mini lesson
→ course offer
→ course purchase
→ course onboarding
→ advanced physical-product bundle

Or the reverse:

Someone buys your course
→ onboarding
→ lesson 2
→ "Here's the equipment/materials I recommend"
→ relevant physical-product offer
→ bundle/upsell.

That's where your ecommerce + education model can become substantially more valuable than simply selling a course alongside your products.

My recommendation: if you tell me what ecommerce platform you're currently using (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.), what email platform you use, and roughly how many products/courses you expect to have, I can map out the exact funnel + software stack I'd use, including where checkout, email, upsells and course delivery should happen.

Yes. If you already sell physical products through ecommerce and you're adding courses, I’d prioritize a platform that can handle both product sales and education without creating a disconnected marketing stack.

My shortlist

1. systeme.io — probably my first choice for you

This is particularly interesting because you're branching from products into courses, rather than starting a pure course business.

Systeme.io combines:

• Sales funnels
• Checkout/order forms
• Email campaigns and automation
• Digital products
• Courses and memberships
• Upsells/order bumps
• Affiliate management

A purchase can automatically add the customer to your email list, trigger an automation, and provide course access. Systeme.io Help Systeme.io

It also explicitly supports selling digital products and courses in the same funnel, which is very close to your use case. Systeme.io

The big advantage is that you don't have to build something like:

Shopify → Zapier → ActiveCampaign → Teachable → another checkout

Instead:

Traffic → Funnel → Product/Course → Email automation → Upsell

all lives in one ecosystem.

2. kajabi.com — best if courses become a major revenue stream

Kajabi is the more polished/premium option.

It combines courses, digital products, memberships, email, landing pages, funnels, checkout and automation. Its automation can react to purchases and student behavior, such as completing a module. Kajabi Kajabi

For example, you could build:

Buy Product A
↓
Email sequence
↓
Free training
↓
$49 mini-course
↓
$499 flagship course
↓
Membership/coaching

That's where Kajabi becomes very compelling.

The downside is that if your physical ecommerce operation is still the main business, I'd be reluctant to move the entire store ecosystem into Kajabi. I'd use it primarily as the education/marketing engine.

3. GoHighLevel

I'd consider GoHighLevel if your real goal is sophisticated funnel + CRM automation, rather than simply hosting courses.

It's particularly attractive if you eventually want complex sequences such as:

Customer buys $75 product → wait 7 days → email course offer → didn't purchase → retarget → purchases course → onboarding sequence → course completion → high-ticket offer.

But it can be more platform than you need if you're simply trying to add courses to an existing ecommerce business.

What I'd actually build in your situation

I'd structure the business around one customer database, rather than thinking of "physical customers" and "course customers" as separate audiences.

For example:

Ecommerce customer
→ post-purchase email sequence
→ educational content
→ free mini-course
→ paid course
→ advanced course/coaching
→ physical-product cross-sells

And conversely:

Course customer
→ course onboarding
→ education/content
→ recommended physical products
→ bundles
→ subscription/repeat purchase

That creates a much more valuable customer lifecycle.

My recommendation

If you're already established on Shopify or another ecommerce platform, I would not rip out your ecommerce store just to add courses.

I'd probably do:

Shopify + Systeme.io

or, if you're building a higher-end education brand:

Shopify + Kajabi

If you're willing to consolidate more of the business into one platform, Systeme.io is the one I'd investigate first. It specifically supports courses, digital products, funnels, email and payments in the same system, and its current free tier makes it relatively low-risk to test. Systeme.io Systeme.io

If you tell me what ecommerce platform you're using now (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.), your approximate monthly sales, and the price of the course you're planning, I can narrow this down to the best stack for your business and show you exactly how I'd connect the product → email → funnel → course → upsell journey.

Yes. Since you already sell physical/ecommerce products and are adding digital courses, I’d prioritize a platform where the product sale, email automation, funnel, and course access share the same customer record.

My top picks

1. systeme.io — my first choice for your situation

systeme.io

It is unusually well suited to the transition you're making because it combines sales funnels, checkout, email, automation, digital products, courses, memberships, affiliates, and even physical products. A purchase can automatically trigger email sequences and course access without having to stitch together separate systems. systeme.io

For example, you could build:

Physical product buyer → post-purchase emails → educational content → course offer → course checkout → course onboarding → upsell

And separately:

Free guide → email nurture → low-priced physical product → course offer → membership

That's the kind of cross-selling I'd want for an ecommerce brand expanding into education.

It also currently has a free plan, with paid plans starting at $17/month according to its current course-platform information. systeme.io

2. Kajabi — better if courses become the main business

Kajabi

Kajabi is stronger if your long-term vision is expert brand + courses + coaching + memberships. Its funnels, email sequences, behavioral automation, checkout, upsells and course delivery are tightly connected. www.kajabi.com

I'd choose Kajabi over systeme.io if you're building a premium education business and don't mind paying more for a more polished ecosystem.

3. Podia — good if simplicity matters

Podia

Podia is attractive for a straightforward combination of courses, downloads, memberships and selling. It supports courses with video, downloads, quizzes, etc. help.podia.com

The drawback for your particular use case is that Podia's email integrations are designed around sending subscriber data to external email platforms, rather than giving you the same deeply integrated funnel/automation architecture that systeme.io or Kajabi provides. help.podia.com

What I'd do in your shoes

If your existing store is already on Shopify, I wouldn't necessarily rip it out immediately.

I'd consider:

Shopify = physical-product commerce
↓
systeme.io = funnels + email + courses
↓
Shared customer segmentation/automation

But if you're relatively early and don't have a huge existing Shopify operation, systeme.io can potentially consolidate much more of the stack because it supports both physical and digital products. systeme.iosysteme.io

The key question is actually how your existing ecommerce store is built.

If you tell me whether you're currently using Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, Squarespace, etc., plus roughly what your course price will be ($50, $500, $2,000+), I can recommend the exact stack and funnel architecture I'd use.

Yes. If your existing business is ecommerce/product sales and you're adding courses, I’d prioritize a platform that can handle physical products + digital courses + funnels + email automation without creating a messy tech stack.

My shortlist

🥇 I'd look at systeme.io first

systeme.io

For what you're describing, systeme.io is probably the most interesting option. It combines courses, checkout, funnels, email sequences, tagging/segmentation and automation in one system. Its funnels can sell digital products and courses and automatically trigger the associated email and course access. help.systeme.io

The important part for an ecommerce business is that you can structure something like:

Physical product buyer → education offer → lead magnet → email sequence → course → upsell

For example:

Buy your $79 product → get a free mini-course → 7-day educational email sequence → offer $299 course → course completion → offer premium product/bundle.

That kind of cross-selling is where an integrated system becomes much more valuable than simply adding a course platform.

🥈 Kajabi if courses become the main business

Kajabi

Kajabi is stronger if you're ultimately building a knowledge/education business around your products. It has courses, email automation, landing pages, funnels, checkout, upsells and community in one system. www.kajabi.com

I'd choose Kajabi over systeme.io if your future looks like:

Content → email list → course → coaching/community → high-ticket offers

rather than primarily:

Ecommerce store → physical products → course as an additional revenue stream.

🥉 If you're already on Shopify: Shopify + Thinkific

Thinkific

If your current ecommerce store is Shopify, I wouldn't necessarily rip it out.

Thinkific has a Shopify integration that lets your courses appear as Shopify products. Customers purchase through Shopify, and Thinkific automatically creates their student account and grants course access. support.thinkific.com

The downside is that you now have two systems, and Shopify/Thinkific have separate order/payment records, so it's not as elegant as a true all-in-one funnel system. support.thinkific.com

What I'd do in your situation

If you tell me what ecommerce platform you're currently using (Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, etc.), your approximate course price ($49 / $299 / $1,000+), and whether your products are physical, digital, or both, I can recommend the exact stack and map out the product → email → funnel → course → upsell architecture for you.

Yes. If you already have an ecommerce store selling physical products and you're adding courses, I would not automatically move the whole business to a course platform. The best setup depends on whether your physical-product store remains the core business.

My top choices

Kajabi has the strongest funnel → email → course → upsell integration. It includes email marketing, funnels, landing pages, automations and course delivery, so you can trigger things such as "customer finished Module 3 → offer advanced course." www.kajabi.com

But I'd keep Shopify as the ecommerce engine if you already have a meaningful physical-product business. Shopify is designed around product catalogues, inventory, checkout, fulfillment, etc., whereas Kajabi is designed around knowledge products.

The stack I'd lean toward for you

Shopify → Klaviyo → Kajabi

Think of it as:

Physical product customer
→ Shopify purchase
→ Klaviyo identifies/tag customer
→ email sequence
→ course offer
→ Kajabi checkout
→ course enrollment
→ course-progress emails
→ advanced course / membership / physical-product upsell

Klaviyo is particularly attractive if your existing business already has substantial ecommerce email activity, because you don't want to abandon sophisticated product-based segmentation and flows just because you're introducing courses.

Thinkific is another strong course option. It has substantially more integrations than Kajabi and explicitly supports integrations including Shopify, ActiveCampaign and Mailchimp. The tradeoff is that you'll generally be assembling more of the marketing system yourself. www.thinkific.com

When I'd choose Kajabi instead

If your strategy is:

"The products bring people in, but eventually I want courses, coaching, memberships and digital products to become the bigger business."

Then I'd seriously consider Shopify + Kajabi, rather than Shopify + Thinkific + separate funnel software + email software. Kajabi's big advantage is that the marketing and course data live together. www.kajabi.com

One important distinction

If by "integrated funnel/email/course platform" you mean one system that can also sell your physical products, I'd look at this differently.

I'd want to know:

1. What ecommerce platform are you currently using? Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, etc.
2. Roughly how much of your revenue is physical products vs. courses?
3. Are your courses likely to be $50–$200, $500+, or memberships?
4. Do you already use an email platform such as Klaviyo, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, or none?

Give me those four and I can recommend the exact stack and funnel architecture I'd use for your store, including which platform should own the customer/email data.

Yes. If your existing ecommerce store sells physical products and you're adding digital courses, I’d look at platforms that can handle both sides of the customer journey rather than moving your whole business onto a course-only platform.

My shortlist

1. Systeme.io — probably the one I'd investigate first

systeme.io

This is unusually well matched to what you're describing. It combines funnels, email marketing, automation, courses, payments, and physical products in one system. Its checkout can distinguish between physical and digital products, and it supports physical products in upsell/downsell flows. systeme.io

That gives you some interesting funnels, for example:

Physical product buyer → email sequence → free mini-course → paid course → coaching/membership

or:

Course lead magnet → email nurture → course → physical product bundle

That's the sort of cross-selling I'd want for your business.

2. Kajabi — better if courses become the major business

Kajabi

Kajabi is excellent for courses + sophisticated email + funnels. Its current platform includes courses, checkout, email sequences, behavioral automation, funnels, upsells and order bumps. www.kajabi.com

The catch is that physical ecommerce isn't its native strength. Kajabi recommends using Shopify Buy Buttons or Zapier/third-party fulfillment for physical products. systeme.iohelp.kajabi.com

So I'd choose Kajabi if your strategy is essentially:

"We're becoming a course/education company that happens to sell products."

I'd choose something else if it's:

"We're an ecommerce company adding courses to increase customer lifetime value."

3. Podia — very easy, but I'd probably rule it out for you

Podia

Podia is nice for courses, downloads, memberships, email and digital products, but physical products aren't a native ecommerce feature. Podia itself describes physical-product selling as a workaround and doesn't provide inventory/shipping/fulfillment. help.podia.com

So if you already have meaningful physical-product sales, I wouldn't make Podia the center of the operation.

What I'd do in your situation

Keep Shopify as the ecommerce engine if that's what you're already using, and add the course/funnel layer around it unless you specifically want to migrate away from Shopify.

A strong architecture would be:

Shopify
→ physical products, inventory, shipping, orders

Systeme.io
→ landing pages, lead magnets, course delivery, email sequences, funnels

Integration
→ Shopify purchase triggers → Systeme.io tags/segments → automated cross-sell sequences

For example:

Customer buys Product A

↓

Email 1: How to get the most from Product A

↓

Email 3: Free training related to Product A

↓

Email 7: Introduce your $97 course

↓

Course buyer: offer Product B / bundle

↓

Course completion: offer advanced course/coaching

That lets your physical products become the customer acquisition mechanism for your courses, rather than treating the course business as a completely separate operation.

My ranking for your use case

🥇 Systeme.io — strongest single-platform candidate if you want funnels + email + courses + physical/digital offers.

🥈 Shopify + course/funnel platform — strongest if physical ecommerce is already substantial and you don't want to compromise your store.

🥉 Kajabi + Shopify — strongest premium setup if courses/education are going to become a major revenue stream.

4. Podia — great simplicity, but less compelling when physical ecommerce matters.

If you tell me what ecommerce platform you're currently using (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.), your approximate monthly revenue, and the price range of the courses, I can narrow this down to the best 1–2 setups and show you exactly how I'd connect the funnel + email + product sales.

If you already have an ecommerce store selling physical products and you're adding digital courses, I would not automatically move the whole business into a course platform. The best setup depends on whether your physical-store engine is Shopify and how sophisticated you want your marketing automation to become.

My top choices

1. HighLevel — probably the most interesting for your situation

If you're already selling physical products, HighLevel + Shopify is worth serious consideration.

HighLevel's current Shopify integration can sync products, collections, contacts, orders and transactions, and use ecommerce activity for automated follow-up. It also supports ecommerce workflows around things like orders and payments. help.gohighlevel.comsupport.learnworlds.com

That means you can build something like:

Physical product buyer → email sequence → educational content → course offer → course purchase → upsell/coaching/membership

And, importantly, you can segment based on what someone actually bought.

For example:

Customer buys Product A
↓
7-day usage/education email sequence
↓
"Want to learn how to get better results?"
↓
Free mini-course/webinar
↓
Paid course
↓
Advanced course or subscription

That's a very natural fit for an ecommerce brand expanding into education.

2. Kajabi — best if courses become a major revenue stream

Kajabi is probably the cleanest course + funnel + email + checkout solution.

Kajabi currently combines courses, payments, landing pages, email campaigns, automation and funnels in one system. It also supports upsells, order bumps, subscriptions and payment plans. www.kajabi.com

It has also added a more traditional cart experience, allowing customers to purchase multiple products in one transaction. help.kajabi.com

The catch: if your physical ecommerce operation is substantial, I wouldn't make Kajabi the center of the entire business. Shopify is generally a better physical-commerce engine.

I'd use Kajabi if the business is evolving toward:

Ecommerce brand → education brand → courses → memberships → coaching

3. LearnWorlds + Shopify — potentially the best hybrid

This is the one I'd look at if you're saying:

"I absolutely want to keep my existing ecommerce store, products, inventory and checkout, but I want a serious LMS for courses."

LearnWorlds has a Shopify integration that lets Shopify act as the payment/store layer while LearnWorlds handles course delivery. Courses can be synchronized into Shopify, and customers purchasing through Shopify can be automatically enrolled. support.learnworlds.com

LearnWorlds also integrates with email platforms including ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp, Kit, GetResponse and others. support.learnworlds.com

The downside is that you're running two systems, rather than getting everything under one roof.

What I'd choose for your business

If you're primarily:

🛒 Ecommerce business + adding courses

I'd rank them:

1. Shopify + HighLevel + course functionality
2. Shopify + LearnWorlds + email platform
3. Shopify + Kajabi
4. Move everything toward Kajabi

If you're becoming:

🎓 Education business that happens to sell physical products

then I'd flip it:

1. Kajabi
2. HighLevel
3. LearnWorlds + Shopify

The key question isn't really "which course platform?"

It's where should the customer data and automation live?

For your model, I'd want a system that knows:

• what physical product someone bought
• how much they've spent
• what course they've purchased
• what lesson/module they've completed
• whether they've opened/clicked emails
• whether they're a repeat customer
• what offer they should see next

That's where HighLevel becomes particularly compelling because Shopify activity can feed into the CRM/automation layer. help.gohighlevel.com

If you tell me what ecommerce platform you're currently using (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.), roughly how many products you sell, and whether the courses are going to be low-ticket ($20–100), mid-ticket ($100–500), or high-ticket ($500+), I can recommend the exact stack and funnel architecture I'd use.

Yes. If you already have an ecommerce store selling physical products and are adding courses, I’d avoid choosing a course platform in isolation. The key is whether it can share the customer → email → funnel → purchase → course access journey with your existing store.

My top choices

1. If you're already on Shopify: I'd start with Shopify + Thinkific

Thinkific has a Shopify integration that lets your courses appear as Shopify products alongside your physical goods. A customer buys through Shopify, and Thinkific automatically creates the student account and grants course access. support.thinkific.com

That gives you a very clean model:

Shopify
→ physical products
→ course products
→ bundles
→ checkout
→ customer/order data

Thinkific
→ course delivery
→ student experience
→ course progress

Email/CRM
→ abandoned cart
→ post-purchase sequences
→ course upsells
→ product replenishment
→ segmentation

The important caveat: Shopify purchases don't become Thinkific Orders, so Shopify remains your commerce system of record. support.thinkific.com

2. If courses are going to become a major part of the business: Shopify + LearnWorlds

This is probably the combination I'd investigate most seriously for your situation.

LearnWorlds has a Shopify integration, plus integrations with email platforms such as ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp, Kit, GetResponse and others. It also supports funnels, upsells/cross-sells and ecommerce functionality. www.learnworlds.com

So you could build something like:

Facebook/Instagram/Google ad
↓
Product landing page
↓
Physical product purchase
↓
Email sequence
↓
"Learn how to get better results from your product"
↓
Free mini-course / webinar
↓
Paid course
↓
Course completion
↓
Advanced product bundle / subscription / coaching

That's a very powerful physical product → education → higher-LTV customer model.

3. Kajabi is excellent—but I'd be careful in your case

Kajabi is arguably the strongest all-in-one choice for courses + funnels + email + landing pages + payments. Its funnels connect landing pages, email campaigns and checkout, and it supports automated sequences based on customer behavior. www.kajabi.com

So if you were primarily a course/coaching business, I'd put Kajabi near the top.

But Kajabi's native products are principally digital products/services—courses, communities, coaching, podcasts, newsletters and downloads. help.kajabi.com

For a business where physical product ecommerce is already important, I'd rather keep Shopify as the commerce engine and connect the education layer to it.

What I'd choose for you

If your business looks like:

Physical products are currently the main revenue + courses are an additional revenue stream

I'd go:

Shopify → LearnWorlds → ActiveCampaign

or, for a simpler/cheaper setup:

Shopify → Thinkific → Shopify Email/Klaviyo/ActiveCampaign

If instead you're thinking:

Courses are going to become a major revenue engine and I want the simplest possible all-in-one marketing system

then:

Kajabi

is worth considering.

The big strategic opportunity here isn't merely "sell courses." It's using your existing product customers as the audience for the courses, and then using course customers to sell more physical products.

If you tell me what you sell, whether you're currently on Shopify/WooCommerce/etc., your approximate monthly sales, and whether you're using Klaviyo/ActiveCampaign/etc., I can narrow this down to the best 2-stack options and show you exactly how I'd build the funnel.

Yes. Since you already sell physical/ecommerce products and are adding courses, I’d prioritize a platform that can handle product sales + email + funnels + course delivery + upsells without forcing you to stitch together five systems.

My shortlist

1. I'd look closely at systeme.io

For your particular model, this is probably the most interesting option.

systeme.io combines sales funnels, email marketing, automation, courses, payments, affiliate management and physical-product sales. It specifically supports both digital and physical products in its order forms. systeme.iohelp.systeme.io

It can also do things like:

Physical product → email follow-up → course offer → course enrollment → upsell

And its funnel system supports order bumps and one-click upsells. help.systeme.io

One caveat: systeme.io says it doesn't handle physical-product shipping/fulfillment, so you'd still need your existing fulfillment operation or ecommerce infrastructure for that part. systeme.iohelp.systeme.io

2. Kajabi is better if the course side becomes the center

Kajabi is considerably more polished around the course → email → funnel → coaching/membership → upsell ecosystem.

Its funnels can connect landing pages, offers and email campaigns, and its automation can react to purchases and student behavior. www.kajabi.com

The problem for you is that Kajabi is fundamentally designed around digital products and knowledge businesses, whereas you're starting from an ecommerce/product business. Its native product catalog centers on courses, communities, coaching, podcasts, newsletters and downloads. help.kajabi.com

So I wouldn't move an established physical-product operation to Kajabi just because you're adding courses.

What I'd actually build

If your store is already on Shopify, I'd seriously consider keeping Shopify as the ecommerce engine and adding the course/funnel layer rather than replacing everything.

Your customer journey could be:

Product purchase
↓
Post-purchase email sequence
↓
"Want to learn how to get more out of [product]?"
↓
Free mini-course / training
↓
Paid flagship course
↓
Course upsell / membership / coaching
↓
More physical products

That's a particularly powerful model because your physical product becomes the customer acquisition mechanism for your digital product, rather than having to acquire a completely separate audience for the course.

If you're not deeply invested in Shopify yet, I'd lean toward systeme.io because it can bring the funnel, email, course and product pieces under one roof. It even explicitly supports physical products alongside courses. systeme.io

My ranking for your situation:

1. 🥇 systeme.io — best single-platform fit
2. 🥈 Shopify + course/marketing stack — best if ecommerce is already substantial
3. 🥉 Kajabi — best if courses will eventually become the primary business

If you tell me what ecommerce platform you're currently using (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.), roughly how many products you sell, and your expected course price ($50 / $200 / $1,000+), I can recommend the exact stack and funnel architecture I'd use.

Yes. Since you already sell physical/ecommerce products and are adding digital courses, I’d prioritize a platform that can handle both types of offers in the same customer journey, rather than a course platform that assumes your business is primarily education.

My shortlist

1. I'd look hardest at systeme.io

For your particular situation, this is probably where I'd start.

systeme.io combines funnels, email marketing, checkout, digital products, courses, automation and affiliate management in one system. Its funnel system can also sell digital products and automatically trigger email sequences and course access after purchase. systeme.io

That matters because you could have something like:

Physical product buyer → email sequence → free training → course offer → course purchase → upsell → continued product promotions

And keep the customer/contact record in the same ecosystem rather than stitching together Shopify + Klaviyo + Kajabi/Teachable + Zapier.

It also supports order bumps and upsells, which is particularly useful for an ecommerce business moving into education. systeme.io

2. Kajabi if the courses become a major revenue stream

Kajabi is stronger if you're building a premium education/creator brand around your products.

It has integrated checkout, courses, email sequences, behavior-based automation, funnels, upsells and order bumps. www.kajabi.com

I'd choose Kajabi over systeme.io if your eventual model looks more like:

Content → email list → webinar/masterclass → $500–$2,000 course → coaching/community → recurring revenue

rather than primarily ecommerce with courses as an additional revenue stream.

3. HighLevel if you want serious CRM automation

HighLevel is worth considering if your business has complicated customer journeys and you want CRM-style automation. It now supports courses/memberships and commerce, including one-time and recurring course offers. help.gohighlevel.com

It's powerful, but I'd consider it more platform than you need unless you're planning sophisticated lead/customer automation.

What I'd do in your shoes

If your existing ecommerce store is already on Shopify, there's an important distinction:

Don't automatically replace Shopify just to get courses.

I'd first determine whether you want:

A. Shopify to remain the commerce engine
→ Shopify + email platform + course platform, connected together.

or

B. One unified platform
→ Move more of the selling/funnel/course/email infrastructure into something like systeme.io.

For a business starting to add courses, I'd lean toward A if your physical-product operation is already substantial, and B if you're still relatively lean and want simplicity.

The really interesting part for you is the cross-sell funnel. For example:

Customer buys Product X
↓
7-day educational email sequence
↓
Free mini-course
↓
"Learn the complete system" paid course
↓
Course buyer gets complementary physical product offer
↓
Existing product customers get course-specific upsell

That's where an integrated funnel/email/course setup can become much more valuable than simply having a place to host videos.

If you tell me what your ecommerce products are, roughly how much the products and course will cost, and whether you're currently on Shopify/WooCommerce/etc., I can recommend the specific stack and funnel architecture I'd use for your business.

Yes. If you already have an ecommerce store and want to add courses, I’d avoid moving your physical-product sales into a course platform unless you’re deliberately consolidating the whole business.

The best setup depends heavily on what your ecommerce platform is.

My shortlist

If you're already on Shopify: I'd lean Shopify + Thinkific

This is probably the cleanest architecture for an established ecommerce business.

Thinkific's Shopify integration lets your courses appear as Shopify products alongside your physical products. When someone buys a course through Shopify, Thinkific automatically creates their student account and grants course access. support.thinkific.com

So your customer journey can look like:

Facebook/Google/email → Shopify → physical product OR course → Thinkific delivers course → email automation → cross-sell

The important caveat is that Shopify remains the source of truth for the course transaction; Thinkific's Shopify integration has limitations around things such as Thinkific coupons, affiliates and order tracking. support.thinkific.com

If courses are becoming a major part of the business: Kajabi

Kajabi is much stronger if your real goal is something like:

Free content → lead magnet → email sequence → webinar/masterclass → course → upsell → membership/coaching

It combines courses, checkout, email sequences, behavioral automation, landing pages and funnels. It also supports digital downloads, communities, coaching and other products. www.kajabi.com

The downside: I'd be reluctant to make Kajabi the core storefront for a serious physical-product ecommerce operation. It's much more naturally a knowledge-business platform than an ecommerce platform.

If you want everything inexpensive and in one place: systeme.io

This one is worth looking at. Its funnels, email automation, payments and courses are designed to work together rather than requiring multiple integrations. A purchase can trigger email automation and course access automatically. help.systeme.io

I'd consider it particularly attractive if your store is relatively small and your courses are becoming an important second revenue stream.

What I'd choose for your situation

If you tell me what ecommerce platform you're currently using (Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, etc.), plus roughly:

• average physical-product order value
• expected course price ($49 / $199 / $999, etc.)
• whether you want one customer/email database
• whether you need abandoned-cart emails
• whether you plan to sell bundles like “physical product + course”

…I can recommend the specific stack and funnel architecture I'd use, including which platform should own checkout, email, CRM, course delivery and upsells.

For an existing ecommerce store adding digital courses, I would usually avoid moving everything into a course-only platform. The best setup depends on whether your physical products remain the main business or courses become the main revenue stream.

Here are the strongest options:

www.ruzuku.com

My recommendation for most ecommerce brands:

Shopify + Klaviyo + Kajabi

Customer journey:

1. Customer buys your physical product on Shopify

↓

2. Added to Klaviyo email flows

↓

3. Segmented based on purchase behavior

↓

4. Receives education emails

↓

5. Offered a course, membership, coaching, or digital upsell

↓

6. Course delivered through Kajabi

Example:

• Fitness brand sells supplements → course on nutrition/training
• Skincare brand sells products → skincare masterclass
• Craft brand sells supplies → advanced tutorials
• Pet brand sells products → pet training course

This lets your products become the customer acquisition channel and your courses become the higher-margin offer.

If you want fewer tools:

Kajabi is probably the cleanest all-in-one option because it combines:

• landing pages
• email automation
• funnels
• checkout
• courses
• memberships

It is especially good if your revenue will shift toward education rather than physical inventory. zapier.com

If your store is already on Shopify:

I would not migrate away from Shopify just because you are adding courses. Shopify is much stronger for:

• inventory
• shipping
• product variants
• marketplaces
• retail operations

Courses are where Shopify needs help from apps or integrations. ecommercewebsitecreate.com

Email platform choice

For ecommerce + courses, I would rank:

1. Klaviyo — best for product purchase behavior, segmentation, abandoned carts, post-purchase flows
2. ActiveCampaign — better if you have complex automation
3. Kajabi Email — best if you consolidate everything into Kajabi

A practical growth stack

Under ~$1k/month revenue from courses:

• Shopify
• Klaviyo
• Thinkific or Teachable

$1k–$20k/month course opportunity:

• Shopify
• Klaviyo
• Kajabi

Course becomes the main business:

• Kajabi alone

The key question: Are your courses meant to be an add-on that increases customer lifetime value, or are you trying to build a separate education business? That answer changes the ideal stack.

Yes. If you already sell physical products and want to add digital courses, I’d prioritize a platform that can handle ecommerce + funnels + email automation + course delivery without creating a messy stack.

My shortlist

🥇 I'd look closely at systeme.io

For your particular situation, systeme.io is unusually well aligned because it explicitly supports physical products alongside courses, funnels, email, marketing automation and ecommerce. systeme.iosysteme.io

The important part is that the pieces are connected. For example:

Physical product buyer → email sequence → free training → course offer → course purchase → onboarding → upsell

You can trigger email automation from purchases, funnel activity, tags and course activity without having to stitch together a separate email platform. systeme.io

It also supports order bumps and upsells, which is particularly useful when you want to turn an existing product customer into a course customer. systeme.io

systeme.io

🥈 Kajabi if the courses are going to become the big business

Kajabi has a more polished creator/course ecosystem. Its checkout supports one-time payments, subscriptions, payment plans, coupons, order bumps and upsells, while its funnels and email automation are integrated with the course experience. www.kajabi.com

The catch: I'd be less inclined to move an established physical-product ecommerce operation entirely into Kajabi. It's much more compelling if you're building a creator/course business that happens to have products.

Kajabi

🥉 Shopify + a dedicated course platform

If your physical-product operation is already substantial—inventory, variants, shipping, fulfillment, abandoned carts, etc.—I'd probably keep Shopify as the ecommerce core and connect it to your course/marketing system rather than replacing it.

That's especially true if you have hundreds of SKUs or your existing Shopify setup is working well.

The key question I'd use to choose

Think about where you're going:

A. "We're an ecommerce brand adding courses."
→ Shopify + course/marketing layer

B. "We're becoming a brand that sells products AND education, and I want one system."
→ systeme.io

C. "Courses/coaching are going to become the primary high-margin business."
→ Kajabi

D. "I want sophisticated CRM, SMS, automations, pipelines and potentially agency-level automation."
→ GoHighLevel

For what you've described, I'd start by testing systeme.io before moving anything else. Its combination of physical products + courses + funnels + email is unusually close to your use case. It also has a free tier, so you can build the proposed customer journey before committing. systeme.iosysteme.io

If you tell me what ecommerce platform you're currently using (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.), what you sell, and roughly how much the course will cost, I can map out the exact funnel + email sequence + platform stack I'd use.