Guides
Why Is My Open Rate So Low on Klaviyo and Could It Be the Promotions Tab?
Author :
MailMend Team
December 17, 2025
Low open rates in Klaviyo frustrate e-commerce marketers who invest significant time crafting campaigns that seemingly vanish into the void. Many brands immediately blame Gmail's Promotions tab, assuming their carefully designed emails are being filtered away from subscribers' attention. While tab placement does affect visibility, the reality is more nuanced—and the solutions more actionable than most marketers realize. Mailmend offers proprietary technology that addresses inbox placement directly, moving e-commerce emails from the Promotions tab to Primary without changing your content or workflows.
Key Takeaways
The average Klaviyo campaign open rate is 37.93%, while automated flows achieve 48.57%—anything significantly below these benchmarks signals deliverability issues
Gmail's Promotions tab delivers 10-25% open rates compared to 30-60% for Primary inbox placement
Apple Mail Privacy Protection has inflated open rates by 5-10 percentage points since 2021, affecting 64% of Apple Mail users
Highly segmented campaigns generate significantly higher revenue per recipient than unsegmented sends, according to a 2017 Klaviyo report
Only 33.4% of domains have valid DMARC records, despite authentication being mandatory for Gmail and Yahoo since February 2024
Sender reputation and list hygiene drive inbox placement more than content modifications or "hacks" to avoid the Promotions tab
Understanding Gmail's Promotions Tab: A Major Deliverability Hurdle for E-commerce
Gmail's tabbed inbox system automatically categorizes incoming emails into Primary, Social, Promotions, Updates, and Forums. For e-commerce brands, this categorization creates a significant visibility challenge: marketing emails consistently land in Promotions, where they compete with dozens of other brand messages rather than appearing alongside personal correspondence.
How Gmail's Algorithm Categorizes Emails
Gmail's filtering system evaluates multiple signals to determine tab placement:
Sender identification: Commercial sending domains and ESP infrastructure trigger promotional categorization
Content analysis: Promotional language, multiple product images, and sales-focused copy signal marketing intent
Link density: Emails with numerous links to product pages or tracking URLs appear more promotional
Historical patterns: Past subscriber behavior with similar emails influences future categorization
Technical headers: Email authentication records and sending infrastructure metadata affect placement
The algorithm is designed to protect users from inbox clutter, which means it actively identifies and filters marketing content regardless of how valuable that content might be to the recipient.
The Impact of Promotions Tab on Open Rates
Research confirms that tab placement significantly affects engagement. Emails landing in Primary inbox achieve 30-60% open rates, while Promotions tab placement drops that range to 10-25%. The spam folder, by comparison, delivers less than 1% opens.
However, industry experts note that the Promotions tab isn't the catastrophe many marketers assume. According to Return Path research cited in Klaviyo's documentation, "four months after the widespread rollout of tabs, consumers continue to read marketing emails at roughly the same levels as before." The tab system has existed long enough that subscribers have adapted their behavior accordingly.
Identifying Low Open Rates in Klaviyo: Diagnostics and Common Causes
Before assuming the Promotions tab is destroying your performance, systematic diagnosis is essential. Multiple factors contribute to low open rates, and misidentifying the root cause leads to wasted effort on ineffective solutions.
Analyzing Your Klaviyo Campaign Performance
Start by benchmarking your metrics against current standards. The 2025 Klaviyo benchmarks show:
Campaign open rates: 37.93% average, with top 10% of performers achieving 54.78%
Flow open rates: 48.57% average, with top performers reaching 65.74%
Click rates: 1.29% for campaigns, 4.67% for flows
If your metrics fall significantly below these thresholds, deliverability problems likely extend beyond simple tab placement.
Beyond the Promotions Tab: Other Factors Affecting Deliverability
Several issues commonly drive low open rates:
Sender reputation degradation: Consistently sending to unengaged subscribers damages your reputation with inbox providers. As one Klaviyo expert explains, "the lower the open rate, the bigger the chances it will go to promotional email, and the more your emails go to promotional there are less chances they will get opened."
List hygiene problems: Inactive subscribers, invalid addresses, and purchased lists create deliverability issues that compound over time.
Authentication gaps: Gmail and Yahoo now require SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication for bulk senders. Without proper setup, emails face increased filtering.
Apple Mail Privacy Protection: Since iOS 15, over 64% of Apple Mail users have Mail Privacy Protection enabled, which preloads tracking pixels and artificially inflates open rates. This means a "low" open rate in 2025 might actually indicate severe problems, since the baseline has been elevated.
The Direct Impact of Promotions Tab Placement on E-commerce Revenue
For e-commerce brands, email marketing drives substantial revenue. When campaigns land in the Promotions tab instead of Primary, the financial impact extends beyond vanity metrics.
How Primary Inbox Placement Drives Higher Conversions
Primary inbox emails appear alongside personal messages from friends, family, and colleagues. This placement creates:
Immediate visibility: No extra clicks required to find marketing content
Higher perceived importance: Emails feel more personal and relevant
Faster response times: Subscribers see and act on messages more quickly
Reduced competition: Fewer brand messages competing for attention in Primary
The revenue implications are significant. Brands achieving Primary inbox placement consistently report 50-100% higher email revenue compared to Promotions tab delivery.
Measuring the Cost of Promotions Tab Delivery
Calculate your potential revenue loss by comparing segmented performance. A 2017 Klaviyo report on segmentation revealed that highly targeted campaigns significantly outperform broad sends. When Promotions tab placement further reduces engagement on those already-lower-performing campaigns, the compounding effect erodes substantial revenue.
Traditional Deliverability Solutions vs. Inbox Placement Optimization
Most deliverability advice focuses on content modifications and gradual reputation building. While these approaches have merit, they often fail to address the core issue: Gmail actively categorizes commercial emails as promotions regardless of content quality.
When Content Changes Aren't Enough
Traditional recommendations include:
Reducing image-to-text ratios
Limiting promotional language
Decreasing link counts
Avoiding spam trigger words
Asking subscribers to manually move emails to Primary
These tactics produce marginal improvements at best. Gmail's algorithm is sophisticated enough to identify marketing emails based on sender infrastructure and behavioral patterns, not just content signals. A 13-year email industry veteran notes: "Gmail and others do not publicly publish how to get emails to land in the inbox because this is part of their efforts to limit phishing and scams."
The Limitations of Gradual Deliverability Improvements
Domain warming, IP reputation building, and engagement-based segmentation require months of consistent effort. For e-commerce brands facing immediate revenue pressure—especially during peak seasons like Black Friday—gradual improvements arrive too late.
Deliverability strategist Bill Biggers recommends starting reputation improvement "at least 3 months before BFCM." Brands discovering deliverability problems in October face limited options using traditional methods.
How Algorithmic Inbox Placement Technology Bypasses the Promotions Tab
Technical solutions exist that address inbox placement at the algorithmic level rather than through content modification. These approaches work with Gmail's categorization system rather than trying to trick it.
The Science Behind Moving Emails to the Primary Inbox
Advanced inbox placement technology operates through systematic analysis:
Current placement testing: Emails are sent to rotating test inboxes to determine baseline tab categorization
Promotional threshold analysis: AI evaluates the combined factors Gmail's algorithms use for categorization decisions
Custom code generation: Account-specific code counteracts promotional signals without altering visible email content
This approach targets the technical layer between your ESP and Gmail's inbox, adjusting signals that influence categorization without requiring changes to your email marketing strategy, content, or workflows.
Behind the Scenes: Mailmend's 3-Step Process
Mailmend's proprietary technology exemplifies this algorithmic approach. The platform analyzes your specific Klaviyo account, identifies the factors pushing your emails toward Promotions categorization, and generates custom code that integrates directly into your email templates through drag-and-drop implementation.
Implementing a Solution: The 'Zero Changes' Approach for Klaviyo Users
E-commerce brands benefit from solutions that integrate with existing workflows rather than requiring comprehensive strategy overhauls.
Streamlined Setup: Integrating Inbox Placement with Klaviyo
Effective inbox placement solutions share common implementation characteristics:
Quick deployment: Setup completing in minutes, not weeks
No content modifications: Your email copy, design, and strategy remain unchanged
Native ESP integration: Works within Klaviyo's existing infrastructure
Immediate testing capability: A/B testing to measure exact lift from improved placement
Maintaining Your Existing Email Marketing Strategy
The value of "zero changes" implementation extends beyond convenience. Your current email content, timing, segmentation, and automation flows represent accumulated learning about what resonates with your audience. Solutions that require abandoning proven approaches introduce risk alongside potential reward.
Brands reviewing Mailmend case studies consistently emphasize this benefit: improved results without disrupting the email programs already driving their business.
Measuring the Impact: A/B Testing and Revenue Attribution in Klaviyo
Any deliverability solution should demonstrate measurable impact through controlled testing within your existing analytics infrastructure.
Quantifying Primary Inbox Placement's Value
Klaviyo's native A/B testing enables direct comparison between:
Open rate differences between Primary and Promotions placement
Click-through rate variance across delivery locations
Revenue attribution to each variant
Overall email marketing ROI improvement
This testing capability provides immediate validation rather than requiring faith in claimed benefits.
Real-Time Performance Data for E-commerce Brands
Effective inbox placement solutions integrate with Klaviyo's analytics dashboard, allowing brands to monitor:
Day-over-day performance shifts following implementation
Segment-level response to improved placement
Campaign-specific revenue attribution
Long-term trend analysis across multiple send cycles
Case Studies: Real-World Results from Moving Out of the Promotions Tab
Documented outcomes demonstrate the revenue impact of inbox placement optimization. A health and wellness brand, after migrating to Klaviyo with the help of Swanky Agency, saw its deliverability score increase by 622% in 90 days, with open rates jumping from under 10% to 46% through strategic list segmentation and content optimization.
Boosting Email Revenue and Engagement Dramatically
E-commerce brands implementing inbox placement solutions report substantial improvements:
Dr. Squatch increased their email revenue by 112% escaping the promotions tab. In just 24 hours, they ran a test to see how Mailmend was performing. Little did they know they were missing out on half the revenue they deserved.
42% increase in open rates
67% increase in CTR
StickerYou experienced a day 1 boost of 20% with a 100% increase by month 1. StickerYou was absolutely blown away by the results of Mailmend.
64% increase in open rates
43% increase in CTR
Ministry of Supply saw results within a business day. Although skeptical at first, Ministry Of Supply was able to quickly get setup with Mailmend in a matter of business days and land in the inbox.
27% increase in open rates
30% increase in CTR
Amberjack confirmed "It Actually Worked." Blake was looking for more incremental revenue after they noticed click rates take a dive. They ran some tests with Mailmend and instantly saw revenue shoot up.
54% increase in open rates
51% increase in CTR
Clevr Blends found that Mailmend made a big difference. Clevr Blends was looking for an easy way to boost their email revenue after seeing low opens and clicks—so they came to Mailmend and saw amazing results.
21% increase in open rates
63% increase in CTR
Saving Key Sales Periods with Primary Inbox Delivery
Peak selling seasons amplify the importance of inbox placement. Larsson & Jennings saved their Black Friday after suffering from low open rates and click rates following a data failure in their ESP. They also had massive promotions tab issues. Mailmend came in and fixed all of it.
82% increase in open rates
51% increase in CTR
Graza olive oil achieved 50% higher open rates through granular segmentation combined with optimized inbox placement, demonstrating how technical solutions amplify the benefits of strong email strategy.
Choosing the Right Partner for Improved Klaviyo Deliverability
Selecting a deliverability solution requires evaluating both technical capability and partnership structure.
What to Look for in a Deliverability Solution
Effective inbox placement partners offer:
Klaviyo-specific expertise: Deep integration with the dominant e-commerce ESP
Immediate results: Day 1 impact rather than months of gradual improvement
Measurable outcomes: A/B testing capability proving exact performance lift
Zero workflow disruption: No content changes or technical overhauls required
Dedicated support: 1-to-1 client relationships rather than self-service support
Reducing Risk with Performance-Driven Partnerships
Revenue satisfaction guarantees align partner incentives with client outcomes. When a deliverability provider's success depends on your email revenue increasing, the partnership structure ensures ongoing attention and optimization rather than set-and-forget implementation.
Why Mailmend Delivers Results for E-commerce Brands Using Klaviyo
Mailmend provides proprietary inbox placement technology built exclusively for e-commerce brands on Klaviyo. The platform addresses the Promotions tab problem directly through algorithmic optimization rather than content modification.
The Mailmend Advantage
Immediate impact: Results visible on Day 1 of implementation, with setup completing in under 5 minutes through drag-and-drop code integration.
Zero changes required: Your email content, copy, design, and sending strategy remain unchanged. Mailmend works at the technical layer, not the content layer.
Measurable performance: Native Klaviyo A/B testing enables brands to measure exact lift from Primary inbox placement versus Promotions tab delivery.
Proven outcomes: Documented success stories from recognized brands including Dr. Squatch, StickerYou, Ministry of Supply, Amberjack, Clevr Blends, and Larsson & Jennings demonstrate consistent improvements in open rates, click-through rates, and email revenue.
Partnership model: Revenue satisfaction guarantees and dedicated 1-to-1 representatives ensure ongoing optimization and support.
For seven-to-eight-figure e-commerce brands experiencing declining open rates or preparing for peak selling seasons, Mailmend offers the fastest path to improved inbox placement. Contact the team to evaluate whether algorithmic inbox placement can boost your Klaviyo performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What specifically causes my emails to land in the Promotions tab in Gmail?
Gmail evaluates multiple signals including sender domain reputation, email authentication records, content characteristics (images, links, promotional language), historical engagement patterns, and sending infrastructure. Commercial ESPs like Klaviyo trigger promotional categorization by default because Gmail recognizes bulk sending infrastructure. The algorithm prioritizes protecting users from inbox clutter, which means marketing emails face inherent categorization challenges regardless of content quality.
Can improving my sender reputation alone move my emails to the Primary inbox?
Sender reputation improvements help deliverability overall but rarely overcome Gmail's tab categorization. Industry experts confirm that Gmail "does not publicly publish how to get emails to land in the inbox" because tab placement serves their user experience goals. Reputation improvements primarily affect whether emails land in Promotions versus Spam, not whether they reach Primary. Algorithmic inbox placement technology addresses tab categorization directly.
How quickly can I see results from optimizing my inbox placement?
Technical inbox placement solutions deliver results within 24 hours of implementation. Unlike gradual deliverability improvements requiring months of domain warming and reputation building, algorithmic approaches work immediately because they address Gmail's categorization signals directly. Brands can A/B test within Klaviyo to measure exact performance differences between optimized and standard delivery within their first campaign.
Is it possible to track the exact revenue lift from moving emails out of the Promotions tab?
Yes. Klaviyo's native A/B testing functionality enables brands to split test emails with and without inbox placement optimization. This provides direct comparison of open rates, click-through rates, and revenue attribution between Primary inbox delivery and Promotions tab placement. The testing capability ensures measurable ROI validation rather than requiring faith in claimed improvements.
Does addressing the Promotions tab issue require changing my email content or sending frequency?
Not with algorithmic inbox placement solutions. Traditional deliverability advice recommends reducing images, limiting links, and avoiding promotional language—changes that often compromise email effectiveness. Technical solutions like Mailmend operate at the code level, adjusting signals that influence Gmail's categorization without altering your visible email content, design, copy, or sending strategy.
