Step-by-Step Guide to Fixing Email Deliverability Issues for eCommerce and Shopify Brands

November 25, 2025

If you run a Shopify or eCommerce store, you already know how powerful email marketing can be. It helps you remind customers about their carts, share product launches, and promote seasonal sales.

But what happens if your emails never reach your customers’ inboxes? That’s where email deliverability comes in. When deliverability is poor, even your best campaigns can end up in spam, meaning fewer opens, clicks, and sales.

The good news is that you can fix it. This guide will walk you through a simple, step-by-step plan to find and solve deliverability issues, run an email deliverability test, and learn how to improve email deliverability for your Shopify brand.

How to Fix Email Deliverability Issues for eCommerce and Shopify Brands

Getting emails into inboxes is not just about hitting “send.” It is about building trust with email providers, keeping your list healthy, and creating content people actually want to open. Here is how to do it step by step.

Step 1: Understand What Email Deliverability Means

Email deliverability is all about whether your emails end up in your customer’s inbox instead of their spam or promotions folder.

Email services like Gmail or Outlook decide where to place your emails based on your reputation as a sender. They look at things like how many people open your emails, how often they mark them as spam, and whether your messages look trustworthy.

If your reputation is poor, your emails might not be delivered at all. In simple terms, good deliverability means your customers see your emails. Bad deliverability means your messages go missing.

Step 2: Run an Email Deliverability Test

Before trying to fix anything, find out where you stand. An email deliverability test shows you how mailbox providers treat your emails. Do they land in inboxes, promotions, or spam folders?
You can use tools like Mail-Tester, GlockApps, or SendForensics to check your performance. They will tell you if:

Your domain has a good reputation
Your emails pass authentication checks
You are listed on any spam blacklists
Your message content looks safe

If you have just moved from Shopify Email to a platform like Klaviyo or Omnisend, testing is especially important to make sure your settings are correct.

Step 3: Authenticate Your Sending Domain

Email authentication helps email providers confirm that your messages are real, not spam or scams pretending to be from your brand. To do this, set up three key records with your domain host:

SPF: Tells email services which servers can send emails from your domain.
DKIM: Adds a digital signature that proves your emails have not been changed.
DMARC: Helps control what happens if an email fails those checks.

Most email tools that connect to Shopify have clear instructions on how to set these up. Once done, rerun your email deliverability test to make sure everything is working.

Step 4: Keep Your Email List Clean

Having a large list does not help if most people on it never open your emails. In fact, sending to inactive or fake addresses can hurt your reputation and get you marked as spam.
Make a habit of cleaning your list. Remove emails that:

Bounce or fail to deliver
Have not engaged for 6 to 12 months
Were collected through unreliable sources

Platforms like Klaviyo and Omnisend can help by automatically suppressing inactive subscribers. This not only boosts your email deliverability but also ensures you are emailing people who actually care about your brand.

Step 5: Segment and Personalize Your Campaigns

One of the best ways to keep your emails out of spam is to send messages that feel personal and relevant. Shopify stores have lots of customer data you can use to create better experiences. For example:

Welcome first-time buyers with a discount.
Send loyal customers early access to new drops.
Remind someone about items they left in their cart.

When people open and click your emails more often, it sends positive signals to email providers. This helps to improve email deliverability over time.

Step 6: Write Better, Simpler Emails

Even small changes in your writing can make a big difference. Avoid spammy words like “Act Now,” “Guaranteed,” or “Free!!!” that can trigger spam filters. Keep your subject lines honest and clear. Do not overuse images or emojis, and always include an unsubscribe link. Using secure (HTTPS) links also helps build trust. Before you send, run another email deliverability test to check if your content passes spam filters. It is a simple step that can prevent a lot of problems later.

Step 7: Watch Your Engagement

Email providers track how people interact with your messages. If too many ignore or delete them, your future emails might be flagged as spam automatically. Keep an eye on:

Open and click rates
Unsubscribe and complaint rates

If engagement starts dropping, test new subject lines, send at different times, or try new types of content like product stories or how-to guides. For eCommerce stores, look at your email-attributed sales too, not just clicks.

Step 8: Stay Consistent with Sending

Consistency is key. Sending emails too rarely or suddenly blasting a huge list after a long break can look suspicious to providers. uild a regular sending routine such as weekly newsletters, monthly campaigns, or automated flows. If you are starting with a new domain, warm it up by sending small batches first and slowly increasing volume. A steady pattern builds trust and strengthens your email deliverability over time.

Step 9: Choose a Reliable Email Platform

Your email platform plays a big role in deliverability. Using a cheap or low-quality provider that shares servers with spammers can drag down your reputation. For Shopify stores, platforms like Klaviyo, Omnisend, and Drip are great choices. They are built for eCommerce and have built-in email deliverability testing and reporting tools to help you monitor performance.

Step 10: Keep Testing and Improving

Deliverability is not something you fix once and forget. It is something you should check regularly, especially when you change templates, domains, or send larger campaigns. Run regular email deliverability tests, review your analytics, and make small improvements often. Treat it like maintaining your store. Keeping things clean and updated prevents bigger issues later.

Unlock Better Sales with Stronger Email Deliverability

Good email deliverability is the secret behind every successful eCommerce email strategy. When your emails land in inboxes, your customers see your offers, engage more, and buy more.

By following these steps such as authenticating your domain, cleaning your list, writing better emails, and sending consistently, you will improve email deliverability and get more from every campaign.

AMB Interactive can help eCommerce and Shopify brands fix deliverability issues and optimize their email marketing performance. With the right setup and strategy, your emails can finally reach the people who want to hear from you and help grow your business in the process.