What is the best practice for setting up DMARC for Shopify users?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 5 Aug 2025
Updated 17 Aug 2025
8 min read
For Shopify store owners, ensuring your transactional and marketing emails reach customer inboxes reliably is critical. Recent changes by major mailbox providers like Google and Yahoo have put a stronger emphasis on email authentication, making DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) an indispensable part of your email strategy. Without proper DMARC setup, your emails risk being sent to spam folders, impacting customer communication and sales.
DMARC builds upon existing authentication protocols, SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), to provide a robust framework for email security. It allows you to specify how receiving email servers should handle messages that fail SPF or DKIM checks, and it provides valuable reports on your email traffic. This is particularly important for e-commerce, where email deliverability directly affects customer experience and business operations.
Navigating DMARC setup, especially when using platforms like Shopify, can seem complex. However, following best practices can significantly enhance your domain's reputation and ensure your messages land where they belong: in the inbox. Let's explore the essential steps to configure DMARC for your Shopify store effectively.
Before you even think about DMARC, it is crucial to have SPF and DKIM properly configured for your sending domain. These two protocols are the fundamental building blocks of email authentication. SPF specifies which mail servers are authorized to send email on behalf of your domain, while DKIM adds a digital signature to your emails, allowing receiving servers to verify the message's authenticity and integrity.
For transactional emails sent directly by Shopify, the platform usually handles SPF and DKIM authentication automatically, often using their own sending domains. However, if you're sending emails from your custom domain (e.g., using your own email address as the sender in Shopify notifications), you'll need to ensure your domain's DNS records are correctly set up to authorize Shopify's sending infrastructure. Many Shopify users also rely on third-party email service providers (ESPs) for marketing emails, like Klaviyo or Mailchimp. Each of these services will have specific instructions for adding SPF and DKIM records to your DNS.
It's essential that SPF and DKIM are fully functional before you even consider implementing DMARC. DMARC relies on the successful authentication of at least one of these protocols for alignment. Incorrect SPF or DKIM records will lead to DMARC failures, potentially causing your legitimate emails to be quarantined or rejected. Always prioritize confirming these foundational elements first to improve your email deliverability rates.
Ensuring foundational authentication
For Shopify users, the primary step to email deliverability is setting up SPF and DKIM records correctly. If these aren't right, DMARC won't work effectively. Verifying these records ensures that emails sent on behalf of your domain are authenticated, which is crucial for building sender trust and avoiding the spam folder.
Shopify's role: Shopify often handles SPF and DKIM for its own transactional emails, but if you're using your custom domain as the sender, you need to authenticate it in your Shopify settings. This usually involves adding CNAME records to your DNS.
Third-party ESPs: For any marketing or transactional emails sent through external platforms (e.g., Mailchimp), you must configure SPF and DKIM records specifically for those senders in your DNS.
Check alignment: Ensure your SPF and DKIM records are properly aligned with your domain. This is essential for DMARC to pass. Tools can help verify your setup.
Implementing your DMARC record
Once SPF and DKIM are in place, the next step is to publish your DMARC record. This is done by adding a TXT record to your domain's DNS. The DMARC record specifies your domain's email authentication policy and instructs receiving servers on how to handle emails that fail DMARC checks, and where to send reports. You can generate a DMARC record using a free online tool to ensure proper syntax.
A crucial best practice for initial DMARC setup is to start with a policy of p=none. This policy tells receiving servers not to take any action on emails that fail DMARC, but still to send you reports. This monitoring-only mode allows you to gather DMARC reports and identify all legitimate sending sources for your domain without risking the deliverability of your emails. Many Shopify users make the mistake of jumping directly to stricter policies, which can result in legitimate emails being blocked.
The `rua` tag within your DMARC record is used to specify the email address where aggregate DMARC reports should be sent. These XML-formatted reports contain valuable insights into your email traffic, including sources of emails sent from your domain and authentication results. It is vital to direct these reports to a dedicated email address or a DMARC monitoring service that can parse and analyze them. Setting the `rua` tag to a general support or business email address, as some sources might incorrectly advise, will overwhelm that inbox with large, unreadable XML files, leading to a phenomenon often referred to as 'DMARC spam'.
Once you have successfully deployed a DMARC record with p=none and have started receiving and analyzing reports, you can begin to consider evolving your policy. The goal is to move towards stricter policies like p=quarantine or p=reject. A p=quarantine policy instructs receiving servers to place unauthenticated emails in the spam or junk folder, while p=reject tells them to outright block (reject) them. This gradual approach minimizes the risk of inadvertently blocking legitimate emails from your Shopify store.
The transition to stricter policies should only occur when you are confident that all your legitimate email sending sources are properly authenticated and passing DMARC. Regularly analyzing your DMARC reports will help you achieve this confidence. These reports will highlight any legitimate emails that are currently failing DMARC authentication, allowing you to troubleshoot and fix issues before enforcing a stricter policy. This is a critical step for Shopify merchants who value reliable communication with their customers. You can learn more about setting up DMARC records from authoritative sources.
A key factor in DMARC success is alignment. DMARC requires that the domain in the From header of your email aligns with the domain authenticated by SPF or DKIM. If your Shopify store uses a custom sending domain, ensure that all emails, whether sent directly by Shopify or through a third-party ESP, achieve this alignment. Without proper alignment, even authenticated emails may fail DMARC and face delivery issues. You can find best practices for setting your DMARC policy and transitioning to enforcement.
Initial policy: p=none
When initially implementing DMARC for your Shopify store, starting with a p=none policy is the safest approach. This policy provides a crucial monitoring phase, allowing you to gather data without affecting email delivery.
No impact on delivery: Emails that fail DMARC checks are still delivered to the inbox (or spam, based on other factors), preventing legitimate messages from being blocked during the setup phase.
Visibility into all sources: You receive DMARC reports (aggregate and forensic), which help you identify all legitimate and unauthorized senders using your domain.
Risk mitigation: This phase allows you to correct any SPF, DKIM, or alignment issues before enforcing a stricter policy that could negatively impact your email deliverability.
Stricter policy: p=reject/quarantine
Once you have a clear understanding of your email ecosystem from the reports, you can safely move to a more restrictive policy, such as p=quarantine or p=reject. This enforces your DMARC policy, providing stronger protection against spoofing and phishing attacks.
Enhanced security: Unauthenticated emails (potential spoofs) will be placed in spam or rejected, protecting your brand reputation and customers.
Improved deliverability: Email providers favor domains with enforced DMARC policies, leading to better inbox placement for legitimate emails. Learn how to transition your DMARC policy safely.
Brand trust: Demonstrating a commitment to email security builds trust with your recipients and email providers.
Managing third-party senders and reporting
Many Shopify users leverage various third-party email services for different purposes, such as marketing campaigns, customer support, or transactional emails. Each of these services sends emails on behalf of your domain, and each must be properly configured for SPF and DKIM to ensure DMARC compliance. It's not enough to set up DMARC for your primary domain, you also need to account for all authorized senders.
When integrating third-party services, always refer to their specific documentation for SPF and DKIM setup. They will provide the necessary DNS records to add. After adding these records, monitor your DMARC reports closely to confirm that emails from these services are passing DMARC authentication and aligning correctly. Misconfigurations with third-party senders are a common cause of DMARC failures and email delivery problems. Understanding DMARC authentication best practices across all platforms is essential.
Furthermore, a crucial aspect of DMARC implementation is the ongoing monitoring and analysis of the reports. These reports are your eyes and ears into your domain's email ecosystem. They help you identify unauthorized senders spoofing your domain, track down misconfigured legitimate senders, and provide data to incrementally tighten your DMARC policy. Failing to monitor these reports means you are missing out on the primary benefit of DMARC. Regularly check your reports and make adjustments as needed to maintain optimal email deliverability and security for your Shopify store. To dive deeper into the various options available within your DMARC record, you can explore a list of DMARC tags and their meanings.
DMARC Tag
Description
Example Value
v
Version of DMARC. Always set to DMARC1.
DMARC1
p
Policy for your domain. Options: none, quarantine, reject.
none
rua
Email address for aggregate reports.
mailto:reports@yourdomain.com
ruf
Email address for forensic reports (detailed failure info).
mailto:forensics@yourdomain.com
pct
Percentage of messages to apply the DMARC policy to (0-100).
100
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Start with a DMARC policy of p=none to monitor traffic without impacting email delivery.
Always ensure SPF and DKIM are correctly configured and aligned for all sending sources.
Direct DMARC reports (rua) to a dedicated mailbox or a DMARC monitoring service for proper analysis.
Regularly review DMARC reports to identify legitimate senders and detect unauthorized email activity.
Gradually transition your DMARC policy from p=none to p=quarantine, then to p=reject, based on report data.
Verify all third-party email services used by Shopify for SPF and DKIM authentication.
Ensure your 'From' domain aligns with SPF and DKIM authentication domains for DMARC pass.
Common pitfalls
Setting a DMARC policy of p=quarantine or p=reject too early, potentially blocking legitimate emails.
Directing DMARC aggregate reports (rua) to a primary support inbox, leading to overwhelming 'DMARC spam'.
Neglecting to configure SPF and DKIM for all third-party email services used by your Shopify store.
Failing to regularly monitor and analyze DMARC reports, missing critical insights into email deliverability.
Assuming Shopify automatically handles all DMARC authentication for custom domains without verification.
Not understanding DMARC alignment, causing authenticated emails to still fail DMARC checks.
Using a domain for DMARC reports that also receives customer support inquiries.
Expert tips
For large Shopify stores, consider using a DMARC monitoring service to automate report analysis and simplify policy adjustments.
If using subdomains for different email types (e.g., marketing.yourdomain.com), ensure each has its own DMARC record or inherits from the organizational policy.
Pay close attention to forensic reports (ruf) to pinpoint the exact origin of spoofed or unauthenticated emails.
Continuously educate your team on email authentication best practices to avoid accidental misconfigurations.
Use Google Postmaster Tools alongside DMARC reports to gain a comprehensive view of your domain's reputation.
Before enforcing a stricter policy, send test emails through all your sending platforms to a variety of email providers and monitor the DMARC reports.
Remember that DMARC is not a one-time setup; it requires ongoing attention and adjustments as your email sending practices evolve.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says: The rua tag should not be directed to a general support email address, as it can lead to an overwhelming influx of DMARC reports, making it difficult to manage support inquiries. A dedicated address or DMARC monitoring service is ideal.
2024-02-01 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says: Some Shopify merchants are incorrectly directing their DMARC aggregate reports (RUAs) to their regular support inboxes, leading to complaints about 'DMARC spam' from their own staff, which is counterproductive.
2024-02-02 - Email Geeks
The path to secure and reliable email
Setting up DMARC for your Shopify store is a critical step towards enhancing email deliverability, protecting your brand, and complying with evolving sender requirements. By carefully configuring SPF and DKIM, implementing a DMARC record, starting with a relaxed policy, and diligently monitoring your reports, you can ensure your transactional and marketing emails consistently reach your customers' inboxes. This proactive approach not only improves communication but also safeguards your brand's reputation against spoofing and phishing attacks.
Shopify often handles SPF and DKIM for its own transactional emails, but if you're using your custom domain as the sender, you need to authenticate it in your Shopify settings. This usually involves adding CNAME records to your DNS.
