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Summary

Improving Gmail open rates for e-commerce emails is a multifaceted challenge that requires a holistic approach, addressing everything from list hygiene to content relevance and technical deliverability. Low open rates often signal underlying issues, such as emails landing in spam folders or promotions tabs, or an unengaged subscriber base. The key is to first accurately diagnose the problem, then implement strategies that enhance sender reputation, optimize email content, and ensure proper technical setup.

What email marketers say

Email marketers often find themselves grappling with low Gmail open rates, a common challenge in the e-commerce space. Their discussions frequently revolve around practical, hands-on strategies to identify the root cause, whether it's list decay, content issues, or technical misconfigurations. Many emphasize the importance of list cleanliness and delivering highly relevant content to keep subscribers engaged and to avoid triggering spam filters.

Marketer view

An email marketer from Retainful emphasizes the importance of maintaining a clean email list to prevent low open rates. They point out that an email list filled with invalid and inactive email addresses inevitably leads to a decline in open rates over time. This practice is crucial for long-term email health.

25 Jul 2025 - Retainful

Marketer view

An email marketer from Email Geeks suggests that marketers need to implement proper list hygiene. If emails are going to the inbox but open rates are low, it often indicates the list is old and stale, and Gmail users are simply not actively using those addresses, leading to artificially low engagement.

25 Mar 2023 - Email Geeks

What the experts say

Email deliverability experts offer critical insights into improving Gmail open rates, often focusing on the technical underpinnings of email sending and the complex algorithms used by mailbox providers. Their advice frequently centers on maintaining a strong sender reputation, understanding Gmail’s filtering mechanisms, and adopting engagement-centric strategies to ensure emails consistently reach the primary inbox rather than spam or promotions.

Expert view

An expert from Email Geeks states that the issue of low open rates for e-commerce emails in Gmail depends on whether the mail is landing in the inbox, spam folder, or promotions tab. Accurately diagnosing the landing spot is the critical first step to fixing deliverability problems.

25 Mar 2023 - Email Geeks

Expert view

An expert from Spam Resource advises that a standard bit of advice for fixing deliverability woes, particularly spam folder placement, is that a sender should focus on increasing engagement. This often involves temporarily suppressing unengaged recipients to improve overall deliverability metrics.

22 Jun 2022 - Spam Resource

What the documentation says

Official documentation and research on email deliverability consistently highlight key technical and engagement factors that influence Gmail open rates. The emphasis is on adhering to industry best practices for email authentication, managing sender reputation, and ensuring that email content aligns with recipient expectations. These resources provide a foundational understanding of how mailbox providers, especially Gmail, assess incoming mail and determine inbox placement.

Technical article

Documentation from Mailmodo emphasizes that keeping your email list clean and updated is fundamental for improving open rates. An active and validated list ensures that emails are reaching legitimate inboxes, thereby maximizing the potential for opens and engagement.

05 Oct 2024 - Mailmodo

Technical article

Backlinko documentation highlights the importance of using double opt-in for email subscriptions. This method verifies that subscribers genuinely wish to receive your emails, leading to a higher quality list and significantly improving engagement metrics like open rates by reducing unengaged recipients.

15 Aug 2024 - Backlinko

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