Email Deliverability for Shopify: Getting to the Inbox

What is Email Deliverability?

Email deliverability measures how successfully your emails reach customers’ inboxes (not spam folders or blocklists). High deliverability means your Shopify order confirmations, shipping updates, and marketing emails arrive where customers will see them.

Poor deliverability means lost sales, confused customers, and wasted marketing spend.

Why Shopify Emails Land in Spam

Missing Email Authentication

Without proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records, email providers can’t verify your messages are legitimate. Unauthenticated emails are often flagged as spam.

Poor Sender Reputation

If your domain or IP has been associated with spam—even unintentionally—email providers may filter your messages.

High Bounce Rates

Sending to invalid email addresses damages your reputation. Old lists with many inactive addresses hurt deliverability.

Spam Complaints

When recipients mark your email as spam, it signals to providers that your messages are unwanted.

Content Triggers

Certain words, excessive images, too many links, or ALL CAPS can trigger spam filters.

Email Authentication and Deliverability

Proper authentication is the foundation of deliverability:

SPF (Sender Policy Framework)

Lists which servers can send email from your domain. Missing SPF causes many emails to fail.

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)

Adds digital signatures proving emails are genuine and unmodified.

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication)

Tells receiving servers what to do with emails that fail authentication and provides you with reports.

With all three configured correctly, your emails are far more likely to reach the inbox.

Warming Up Email Sending

If you’re starting fresh or significantly increasing volume:

Start Slowly

Don’t send 50,000 emails on day one. Start with your most engaged subscribers and gradually increase volume.

Build Reputation

Consistent, gradual sending builds positive reputation with email providers.

Monitor Metrics

Watch open rates, bounce rates, and spam complaints during warm-up. Address issues immediately.

Clean Your List

Remove inactive subscribers and invalid addresses before warming up.

Monitoring Your Sender Reputation

Check Blocklists

Tools like MXToolbox check if your domain or sending IPs are on spam blocklists.

Review DMARC Reports

DMARC reports show authentication failures and unauthorized senders, helping you identify problems.

Track Email Metrics

Sudden drops in open rates often indicate deliverability issues. Monitor trends over time.

Use Seed Lists

Send test emails to accounts at major providers (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo) to verify inbox placement.

Improving Deliverability

Clean Your Email List

• Remove bounced addresses immediately
• Prune subscribers who haven’t engaged in 6+ months
• Use double opt-in for new subscribers

Authenticate Everything

• Ensure SPF includes all sending services
• Configure DKIM for every email platform you use
• Implement DMARC and monitor reports

Follow Best Practices

• Send from a consistent address
• Include an easy unsubscribe link
• Balance text and images
• Avoid spam trigger words

Stay Consistent

• Maintain regular sending patterns
• Avoid sudden volume spikes
• Send at predictable intervals

How Recon Helps

Recon supports your email deliverability by:

• Verifying SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are correctly configured
• Alerting you to email authentication problems
• Monitoring for blocklist issues
• Providing guidance to improve authentication setup

FAQ

Q: Why are my Shopify order confirmations going to spam?

A: Usually due to missing email authentication. Check that your domain has proper SPF and DKIM records. If using a custom sender domain in Shopify, ensure it’s fully authenticated.

Q: How long does it take to improve deliverability?

A: With proper authentication, you may see improvements in days. Reputation recovery from past issues can take weeks to months of consistent good practices.

Q: Does using a separate domain for marketing help?

A: It can protect your transactional email reputation if marketing campaigns have issues. However, it also means building separate reputations, which requires more effort.