Guides
What Problems Do E-commerce Brands Face with Klaviyo and Gmail?
Author :
MailMend Team
January 20, 2026
91.22% of marketing emails land in Gmail's Promotions tab instead of the Primary inbox, where engagement rates are significantly higher. For DTC brands using Klaviyo, this creates a critical visibility gap: your emails are technically "delivered," but they're buried where subscribers rarely look. The result is thousands in lost revenue despite perfect email content and proper technical setup. Mailmend addresses this exact problem through algorithmic inbox placement technology that moves campaigns from the Promotions tab to the Primary inbox without requiring content changes.
Key Takeaways
Gmail automatically categorizes over 91% of Klaviyo marketing emails into the Promotions tab, reducing visibility and engagement
Primary inbox placement dramatically improves engagement compared to Promotions tab placement—a difference that directly impacts revenue
Brands sending 5,000+ emails daily must comply with Gmail's authentication requirements including DMARC, SPF, and DKIM
Traditional deliverability fixes (authentication, list hygiene, engagement optimization) solve spam issues but don't address Promotions tab placement
E-commerce brands report 50-112% revenue increases when emails reach the Primary inbox through algorithmic solutions
Gmail's categorization algorithm operates separately from spam filtering, requiring different strategies to address each problem
Understanding Gmail's Promotions Tab and Its Impact on E-commerce Emails
Gmail's tabbed inbox system, introduced in 2013, automatically sorts incoming emails into Primary, Promotions, Social, Updates, and Forums categories. For e-commerce brands, this categorization creates a fundamental visibility problem: your marketing emails aren't treated the same as personal correspondence.
How Gmail Categorizes Your Klaviyo Emails
Gmail uses machine learning to analyze hundreds of signals when deciding where to place each email:
Sender patterns: Historical promotional content from your domain
Content analysis: Keywords like "sale," "discount," and dollar signs
Design structure: HTML complexity, image-to-text ratio, link density
Engagement history: How recipients interact with your emails over time
Authentication signals: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configuration
The algorithm maintains what deliverability experts call a promotional threshold—cross enough promotional signals, and your email automatically routes to Promotions. This threshold is account-specific, dynamic based on recent engagement, and compounds as multiple small signals add up.
Why Primary Inbox Placement Matters
The difference between Primary and Promotions placement isn't just about prestige—it directly affects whether your emails get read:
Primary inbox emails appear at the top of recipients' inboxes alongside personal messages
Promotions tab emails compete with dozens of other marketing messages from various brands
Recipients check their Primary inbox frequently, while the Promotions tab is checked less often
For e-commerce brands where email drives 20-30% of total revenue, this visibility gap represents a significant missed opportunity.
The Challenge of Maintaining High Engagement with Klaviyo in a Gmail-Dominated World
Klaviyo has become the dominant email service provider for e-commerce, powering retention marketing for thousands of DTC brands. However, even the most sophisticated Klaviyo setup faces Gmail's categorization challenge.
What Klaviyo Can and Cannot Control
Klaviyo provides powerful tools for email deliverability management, including:
Email delivery to Gmail's servers (acceptance rate)
Authentication protocol setup via branded sending domains
Engagement tracking for opens, clicks, bounces, and complaints
List management and Smart Sending features
However, Klaviyo cannot control:
Gmail's tab placement decisions after delivery
Individual user inbox organization preferences
Gmail's constantly-evolving machine learning algorithms
Visibility into actual inbox folder placement
This creates the delivery vs. deliverability gap—your dashboard shows "100% delivered" when Gmail's server accepts the email, but this doesn't indicate which tab received it or whether the subscriber will ever see it.
The Gmail Subscriber Problem
For most e-commerce brands, 30-40% of subscribers use Gmail addresses. When you send a campaign to 50,000 subscribers, 15,000-20,000 of those emails face Gmail's categorization algorithm. If 91% land in Promotions with significantly lower open rates, the revenue impact accumulates quickly.
Revenue Loss: How Poor Gmail Placement Directly Impacts E-commerce Bottom Lines
The Promotions tab problem isn't abstract—it translates directly to lost sales.
Quantifying the Impact
Consider a brand generating $500,000 annually from email. Real brands have documented dramatic improvements when solving this problem. Dr. Squatch achieved a 112% email revenue increase within 24 hours of improving their Primary inbox placement, with a 42% increase in open rates and 67% increase in CTR. Ministry of Supply saw a 27% open rate increase and 30% CTR improvement within one business day.
The Compounding Effect
Low engagement creates a negative feedback loop:
Emails land in Promotions → lower open rates
Lower open rates → Gmail further penalizes your placement
Worse placement → even lower engagement
Sender reputation degrades over time
This cycle can take weeks to reverse through traditional methods, during which revenue continues to leak.
Traditional Deliverability Solutions Versus the 'No Content Change' Dilemma
Most deliverability advice focuses on authentication and engagement optimization. While essential, these approaches have significant limitations.
What Traditional Fixes Address
Standard deliverability optimization includes:
Branded sending domain setup: Configuring SPF, DKIM, DMARC to authenticate your emails
List hygiene: Removing unengaged subscribers and hard bounces
Engagement segmentation: Sending only to engaged segments
Domain warming: Gradually increasing send volume on new infrastructure
Content optimization: Reducing promotional language and link density
These tactics prevent spam folder placement and protect sender reputation. However, they don't override Gmail's content categorization.
The Content Trade-Off Problem
Traditional advice often suggests:
Removing discount codes and urgency language
Reducing images and using more plain text
Limiting links to 3-5 per email
Writing conversational subject lines without promotional keywords
The problem? E-commerce emails are inherently promotional. Removing these elements may improve placement but reduces conversion rates when emails are seen. Brands shouldn't have to sacrifice their marketing message for deliverability.
The Hidden Costs of Promotional Thresholds and Algorithmic Filtering
Gmail's categorization system operates through sophisticated machine learning that goes beyond simple keyword matching.
How the Promotional Threshold Works
Gmail analyzes your sending patterns at the domain level. Even if individual emails contain minimal promotional signals, your domain's historical pattern influences placement:
Frequency of promotional sends
Typical email structure and formatting
Historical engagement from Gmail users
Links to e-commerce sites and shopping carts
Once Gmail categorizes your domain as a promotional sender, escaping that classification through content changes alone becomes extremely difficult.
Authentication Is Necessary but Not Sufficient
Gmail and Yahoo's 2024 sender requirements made proper authentication mandatory for brands sending 5,000+ daily emails:
DMARC policy configured (minimum p=none)
Domain alignment between From address and sending domain
One-click unsubscribe in email headers
Spam complaint rates below 0.10%
Meeting these requirements prevents spam folder placement but doesn't guarantee Primary inbox access. You can have perfect technical setup and still land in Promotions because the categorization algorithm evaluates different signals than the spam filter.
A/B Testing Limitations and Measuring True Inbox Placement Impact in Klaviyo
One of the most frustrating aspects of the Promotions tab problem is the difficulty in measuring it.
What Klaviyo's Analytics Don't Show
Klaviyo's inbox testing feature shows how emails render visually across email clients, but it doesn't reveal:
Which Gmail tab receives the email
Spam folder placement rates
Authentication verification results
Actual inbox visibility
Your Deliverability Hub score measures spam risk, not tab placement. A brand can have a 75+ deliverability score with low Gmail open rates—that's a Promotions tab problem, not a spam problem.
Testing Actual Placement
To understand where your emails land, you need additional methods:
Manual seed testing: Create 5-10 Gmail accounts and check placement manually
Third-party tools: Platforms like GlockApps or Litmus ($79-$399/month) show placement predictions
Google Postmaster Tools: Free but requires 200+ daily emails before showing data
For brands wanting to measure the exact revenue impact of placement, A/B testing using algorithmic solutions can show precise lift in open rates, click rates, and revenue attribution between Primary and Promotions placement.
Addressing Time-Sensitive Campaigns: New Product Launches and Holiday Sales
The Promotions tab problem becomes critical during high-stakes e-commerce moments.
When Timing Matters Most
E-commerce brands face specific periods where inbox placement directly determines success:
Black Friday/Cyber Monday: Competition for inbox attention peaks
New product launches: Initial momentum requires maximum visibility
Seasonal sales: Limited-time offers need immediate opens
Flash sales: Time-sensitive promotions can't wait for gradual optimization
Traditional deliverability improvements often take multiple weeks for results—far too slow when your biggest revenue days are approaching.
The Search for Immediate, Measurable Results in E-commerce Email Strategy
E-commerce operates on tight margins and rapid feedback loops. Brands need solutions that show ROI quickly.
Why Day 1 Results Matter
Unlike brand-building initiatives that develop over months, email marketing should deliver measurable returns immediately. When every campaign represents potential revenue, waiting weeks for deliverability improvements creates real opportunity cost.
Brands using algorithmic inbox placement solutions report:
StickerYou: 20% open rate increase on Day 1, growing to 100% by month one, with 64% increase in open rates and 43% increase in CTR
Clevr Blends: 21% open rate increase and 63% CTR improvement
Amberjack: 54% open rate increase and 51% CTR improvement within 24 hours
These results contrast sharply with traditional approaches requiring weeks of domain warming, segment testing, and content optimization.
Measuring True ROI
The ability to A/B test placement within Klaviyo's native analytics provides clear validation:
Split audience: 50% with inbox placement optimization, 50% without
Track standard metrics in your existing dashboard
Measure exact revenue attribution to each variant
Calculate ROI based on actual performance lift
Scaling E-commerce: The Deliverability Obstacle for Seven-to-Eight-Figure Brands
As brands grow, email deliverability challenges intensify rather than diminish.
Volume Creates Complexity
Larger brands face unique pressures:
Higher email volume triggers stricter Gmail scrutiny
Larger lists include more unengaged subscribers
Multiple campaigns compete for inbox attention
Brand reputation must be protected across all sends
Seven-to-eight-figure e-commerce brands cannot afford to experiment with deliverability. A single poorly-performing campaign can damage sender reputation that took months to build.
The Agency Partnership Opportunity
Many growing brands work with email marketing agencies to manage their Klaviyo programs. These partnerships benefit from deliverability solutions that enhance client results without requiring workflow changes. When agencies can demonstrate immediate performance improvements, client satisfaction and retention increase.
Why Mailmend Solves the Gmail Inbox Placement Problem
For e-commerce brands frustrated by the Promotions tab despite doing everything right, Mailmend offers a different approach.
How Mailmend Works
Rather than requiring content changes or lengthy warming periods, Mailmend uses proprietary AI to:
Analyze your account's promotional threshold: Testing emails against rotating Gmail inboxes to determine current placement patterns
Generate custom code: Creating account-specific code that counteracts promotional categorization signals
Integrate through drag-and-drop: A code snippet embeds into Klaviyo templates in under 5 minutes
The result is Primary inbox placement without changing your email content, copy, or technical infrastructure.
Documented Results
Brands across categories have achieved significant improvements:
Dr. Squatch (personal care): 112% email revenue increase, 42% open rate improvement, and 67% CTR increase within 24 hours
Ministry of Supply (apparel): 27% open rate increase and 30% CTR improvement within one business day
Caraway Home (cookware) and Sand Cloud (lifestyle) appear among Mailmend's client roster
Why This Approach Differs
Traditional deliverability consulting requires weeks of content strategy changes, domain warming, and workflow modifications. Mailmend's zero-changes approach means brands maintain their existing email strategy while gaining Primary inbox placement. For time-sensitive campaigns or brands satisfied with their creative but frustrated by placement, this provides a path forward that traditional methods cannot match.
To learn more about how algorithmic inbox placement could impact your email revenue, contact Mailmend for a personalized demo.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do my e-commerce emails consistently land in Gmail's Promotions tab?
Gmail's machine learning algorithm analyzes hundreds of signals to categorize emails, including sender patterns, content structure, link density, and historical engagement. E-commerce emails are inherently promotional—they contain product images, discount codes, CTAs, and links to shopping carts. Even with perfect technical authentication, these signals cause Gmail to categorize your emails as promotional content. The categorization algorithm operates separately from spam filtering, which is why proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup doesn't guarantee Primary inbox placement.
How does poor email deliverability to Gmail's Primary inbox affect my e-commerce revenue?
Promotions tab placement dramatically reduces engagement compared to Primary inbox placement—a difference that directly impacts clicks, conversions, and revenue. Since Gmail addresses typically represent 30-40% of e-commerce email lists, the cumulative effect is substantial. Brands have documented 50-112% revenue increases when solving the Primary inbox placement problem, demonstrating the real monetary impact of tab categorization.
Can traditional email marketing strategies fix Gmail Promotions tab placement?
Traditional strategies like authentication setup, list hygiene, and engagement segmentation are essential for avoiding spam folders and protecting sender reputation. However, they don't directly address Gmail's tab categorization algorithm. You can have perfect technical setup and still land in Promotions because Gmail's content categorization evaluates different signals than its spam filter. Content optimization (reducing promotional language, images, and links) can help but often reduces conversion rates—forcing brands to choose between placement and effectiveness.
What makes Mailmend's approach to Gmail deliverability for Klaviyo unique?
Mailmend uses proprietary AI and custom code that integrates directly with Klaviyo templates to counteract Gmail's promotional categorization signals. Unlike traditional deliverability solutions requiring content changes or weeks of optimization, Mailmend works without modifying email content, copy, or workflows. Implementation takes under 5 minutes through drag-and-drop, with results visible on Day 1. This approach lets brands maintain their proven marketing strategies while achieving Primary inbox placement.
How quickly can I expect to see results from improving Gmail inbox placement for my e-commerce brand?
Traditional deliverability improvements often take multiple weeks for meaningful results as sender reputation rebuilds and algorithms adjust. Algorithmic solutions like Mailmend show Day 1 impact, with brands reporting 20-112% improvements in open rates within 24 hours. The speed difference matters significantly for time-sensitive campaigns like product launches, seasonal sales, and Black Friday/Cyber Monday preparation where waiting weeks isn't viable.
