What steps can I take to troubleshoot and resolve exceptionally low email open rates during BFCM?
Michael Ko
Co-founder & CEO, Suped
Published 21 May 2025
Updated 17 Aug 2025
7 min read
Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) is a critical period for e-commerce, and seeing your email open rates plummet during this time can be incredibly alarming. A sudden drop from 40% to 14% is a significant indicator that something is amiss, and it requires immediate attention. While platform-side delays can sometimes be a contributing factor, it's crucial to look beyond that and investigate potential deliverability issues that might be hiding your emails from your subscribers' inboxes.
The sheer volume of emails sent during BFCM means inboxes are flooded. This increased competition makes it harder for your messages to stand out, but a drastic drop often points to more fundamental problems than just noise. We need to systematically troubleshoot the issue, starting with the most common culprits.
Initial deliverability diagnostics
The first step in diagnosing a low open rate is to confirm whether your emails are actually reaching the inbox. A low open rate frequently means your emails are being diverted to the spam folder, or worse, being blocked entirely. This is particularly common if you've recently increased your sending volume or expanded your list, even slightly, without proper warming protocols.
Check your email service provider's (ESP) delivery reports for any signs of hard bounces or blocks. Pay close attention to specific Internet Service Providers (ISPs), as deliverability issues can sometimes be isolated to certain domains, such as Hotmail (now Outlook.com). If you notice a disproportionate drop with one ISP, it can help narrow down the problem. Ideally, you would have inboxing testing in place, but if not, manual checks to major providers are a good starting point.
Confirming your emails are not landing in the spam folder is a key diagnostic step. A drop in open rates often correlates directly with emails being filtered. If you suspect this is the case, review your sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools if your domain sends to a significant number of Gmail recipients. For a broader overview of how to diagnose and improve your overall email performance, consider looking into strategies for improving email deliverability and open rates.
Audience segmentation and list hygiene
One of the most impactful ways to safeguard your open rates, especially during high-volume periods like BFCM, is through rigorous list hygiene. Sending to disengaged or invalid addresses can quickly degrade your sender reputation, leading to lower inbox placement and, consequently, lower open rates. This is why it's so important to proactively clean your email list before major sending events.
Remove inactive subscribers: Segment out contacts who haven't opened or clicked your emails in a long time (e.g., 90-180 days). Sending to them hurts your engagement metrics.
Eliminate hard bounces: These are permanent delivery failures, and continuing to send to them signals poor list quality to ISPs. If your ESP isn't automatically removing them, do it manually.
Implement double opt-in: For new subscribers, this ensures that only truly engaged recipients are added to your list, significantly reducing spam complaints and bounce rates.
Even with a seemingly primed list, expanding it slightly for BFCM can introduce risk if new contacts aren't highly engaged. For information on how to proactively prevent issues like emails going to spam due to high bounce rates, especially before critical sending periods like BFCM, refer to guides on how to prevent emails from going to spam and maintain a healthy sender reputation.
Content and timing optimization
While deliverability gets emails to the inbox, your content and timing determine if they get opened. During BFCM, every element of your email needs to be optimized to grab attention in a crowded inbox. A general drop in open rates, even if isolated to a specific client, might indicate that your message isn't resonating or standing out amidst the noise.
Compelling subject lines: Craft urgent, benefit-driven, and clear subject lines. Use emojis sparingly and strategically. A/B test different subject lines if possible.
Effective preheader text: This text appears next to or below your subject line. Use it to provide more context or create urgency, supplementing your subject line.
Personalization: Personalizing the subject line or content can significantly increase engagement. However, ensure it's authentic and not generic.
Send time optimization: While some ESPs may suggest optimal times, BFCM is unique. Consider when your specific audience is most likely to check their inbox. Avoid peak sending hours if your reputation is already suffering, as you'll be competing with everyone else.
If you've recently updated your email template, it's worth considering if that could be a factor. Sometimes, design changes can inadvertently impact how emails are rendered or perceived by spam filters. For more research-backed strategies on how to boost your open rates, consider exploring broader guides like those found on Drip's blog. Remember that even if emails are delivered, a human still needs to decide to open them.
Technical setup and reputation
Your domain's technical setup is the foundation of email deliverability. Incorrect or missing authentication records can severely hinder your ability to reach the inbox, especially during periods of high spam filtering. This is a crucial area to check if you're experiencing a sudden, significant drop in open rates.
Common technical issues
A misconfigured SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record could allow unauthorized senders to use your domain, flagging legitimate emails as spam. An invalid DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) signature means receiving servers can't verify that your email hasn't been tampered with. A DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, & Conformance) policy not configured correctly can lead to emails failing authentication and being rejected.
Proactive solutions
Regularly check your sender authentication records. Utilize a DMARC monitoring service to gain insight into how your emails are being authenticated across the internet. This provides valuable feedback on SPF and DKIM alignment, helping you identify and fix issues promptly. For a simple overview of these protocols, check out a guide to DMARC, SPF, and DKIM.
Another critical aspect is your domain's reputation. If your domain or IP address lands on an email blacklist (or blocklist), your emails will likely be blocked or sent straight to the spam folder. During high-volume periods, filters become more sensitive. You can use a blocklist checker or a blocklist monitoring service to quickly see if your sending infrastructure has been listed. Understanding what happens when your domain is on an email blacklist can help you understand the severity and steps for delisting.
Immediate actions and pitfalls
During high-pressure events like BFCM, quick diagnostics and actionable steps are key. Here's a summary of immediate actions and common pitfalls.
Immediate actions
Check ISP-specific open rates: See if the drop is uniform or isolated to certain providers (e.g., Hotmail/Outlook). This points to targeted blocking.
Review ESP logs for delivery failures: Look for hard bounces, rejections, or deferred messages indicating deliverability blocks.
Validate authentication records (SPF/DKIM/DMARC): Ensure they are correctly configured and aligned.
Ignoring platform-side delays: While some delays can affect metrics, don't assume it's the sole cause of a huge drop.
Sending to an unsegmented list: Broad sends to disengaged segments during peak times drastically harm your reputation.
Overly aggressive sending frequency: Even engaged subscribers can be overwhelmed, leading to spam complaints.
Neglecting sender authentication: Without proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, your emails are more likely to be flagged as suspicious.
Addressing these issues promptly can help stabilize your deliverability for subsequent BFCM sends, such as your scheduled evening email. A swift response to these technical and strategic points is paramount when every open counts.
Dealing with exceptionally low email open rates during BFCM requires a multi-faceted approach, balancing quick fixes with long-term strategy. The immediate goal is to identify and mitigate any deliverability blockages that are preventing your emails from reaching the inbox at all. This involves checking your ESP's logs, monitoring ISP-specific performance, and ensuring your technical authentication is sound.
Once basic deliverability is confirmed, the focus shifts to optimizing content and list hygiene to improve engagement. This includes refining subject lines and preheaders, segmenting your audience, and rigorously cleaning your email list to remove unengaged or invalid contacts. By systematically addressing these areas, you can course-correct during critical periods and build a healthier sending reputation for future campaigns.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Always segment your list, especially for high-volume campaigns, to target engaged subscribers and maintain a strong sender reputation.
Proactively check your domain and IP on major blocklists (blacklists) before and during peak sending periods like BFCM.
Regularly review your DMARC reports to identify authentication failures that might be impacting inbox placement.
Common pitfalls
Failing to monitor deliverability by ISP, which can hide targeted blocking issues.
Assuming platform-side delays are the only cause of a drastic open rate drop without investigating deeper deliverability issues.
Sending to inactive or unengaged subscribers during BFCM, which signals poor list quality to inbox providers.
Expert tips
If open rates are low, consider sending a follow-up SMS or using other channels to reach those who didn't open, as inboxes are often flooded during BFCM.
Even if pixels load automatically (e.g., Apple Mail Privacy Protection), a human still needs to interact with the email for true engagement. Focus on driving that engagement.
A sudden drop often indicates emails are landing in the spam folder, so conduct quick inbox placement tests across major email providers.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says that confirming whether the mail was actually delivered and if it went to the spam folder are critical first steps.
2023-11-24 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says it is helpful to see a breakdown of open rates by receiving domains to identify specific ISPs with low performance.
Outlook.com). If you notice a disproportionate drop with one ISP, it can help narrow down the problem. Ideally, you would have inboxing testing in place, but if not, manual checks to major providers are a good starting point.
Gmail recipients. For a broader overview of how to diagnose and improve your overall email performance, consider looking into strategies for improving email deliverability and open rates.
