Sales & Conversion
Personas
Ecommerce
Time to ROI
Medium-term (3-6 months)
"You forgot something!" with a 20% off code – sounds familiar? If you're running an ecommerce store, you've probably sent thousands of these. But here's what most store owners don't realize: their discount emails are probably sitting in spam folders, not converting customers.
Last month, I worked with a Shopify client who was getting frustrated. They were sending abandoned cart emails with discount codes, but their recovery rate was terrible. After digging into their email deliverability, I discovered something that completely changed how we approach discount emails.
The harsh truth? Most discount emails trigger spam filters because they follow the same generic patterns that actual spam uses. But there's a way to fix this without sacrificing your conversion rates.
Here's what you'll learn from my client experience:
Why traditional discount email templates get flagged as spam
The simple email format change that doubled our deliverability
How to write discount emails that feel personal, not promotional
The unexpected strategy that increased both delivery AND conversion rates
Real metrics from our email deliverability transformation
Ready to get your discount emails out of spam folders? Let's dive into what actually works.
Industry Reality
What every ecommerce owner has been told
Walk into any ecommerce marketing conference, and you'll hear the same advice about discount emails. The industry has created a playbook that everyone follows:
The Standard Discount Email Formula:
Eye-catching subject lines with urgency: "Last Chance - 50% OFF!"
Professional email templates with big discount banners
Clear call-to-action buttons like "SHOP NOW" or "CLAIM YOUR DISCOUNT"
Product grids showing what they left behind
Countdown timers to create urgency
This conventional wisdom exists because it looks professional and follows traditional direct marketing principles. Every major email platform offers templates that look exactly like this. Most ecommerce tutorials teach this approach.
The problem? These emails follow the exact same patterns that actual spam emails use. When everyone uses the same aggressive promotional language and flashy templates, email providers can't tell the difference between legitimate discount emails and spam.
But here's where the industry advice falls short: deliverability always beats design. It doesn't matter how beautiful your discount email is if it never reaches the inbox. Most store owners focus on conversion optimization while completely ignoring whether their emails are even being seen.
This approach worked years ago when spam filters were simpler. Today's email providers use sophisticated AI that can detect promotional patterns instantly. What the industry still teaches as "best practice" is actually what gets you flagged.
Consider me as your business complice.
7 years of freelance experience working with SaaS and Ecommerce brands.
So here I was, working with this Shopify client who was pulling their hair out over abandoned cart recovery. They had a solid store, good products, reasonable prices – but their email recovery campaigns were performing terribly.
The setup looked textbook perfect. Professional Klaviyo templates, compelling subject lines like "Don't miss out – complete your order!", beautiful product images, discount codes prominently displayed. Everything the experts recommend.
But when we dug into the analytics, the story was brutal. Their abandoned cart emails had a 12% open rate. Industry average is around 35-40%. Something was seriously wrong.
That's when I did something most people skip – I actually tested where these emails were landing. Using multiple email accounts across different providers (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail), I signed up for their store and abandoned carts intentionally.
The results were shocking. Out of 10 test emails:
6 went straight to spam
2 landed in the "Promotions" tab (Gmail)
Only 2 reached the primary inbox
But here's the thing – the client had no idea. Klaviyo showed "delivered" for all emails. Technically, they were delivered... just not to where customers would see them.
The wake-up call came when I found their domain was getting a poor sender reputation score. Years of sending promotional emails with typical "sale" language had trained email providers to treat their domain as promotional by default.
We tried the usual fixes first: authenticated their domain properly, cleaned their email list, improved their sender reputation gradually. These helped a bit, but we were still fighting against the fundamental problem – their emails looked and sounded exactly like spam.
Here's my playbook
What I ended up doing and the results.
Instead of fighting the spam filters, I decided to work with them. The key insight: what if we made our discount emails feel like personal messages instead of promotional campaigns?
Here's exactly what we implemented:
Step 1: Abandoned the Template
We threw out the fancy Klaviyo template completely. Instead, I created what looked like a plain text email – simple, personal, conversational. No flashy graphics, no bold discount banners.
Step 2: Rewrote Everything in First Person
Instead of "You left items in your cart," we wrote: "You had started an order with us..." The entire email was written as if the business owner was personally reaching out. Not corporate, just human.
Step 3: Addressed Real Problems, Not Just Discounts
Through client conversations, we discovered customers were struggling with payment validation issues, especially double authentication. Instead of hiding this, we addressed it head-on in the email with a simple troubleshooting list.
Step 4: Made the Discount Feel Secondary
Rather than leading with "GET 15% OFF NOW!", we buried the discount naturally in the conversation: "I've also added a small discount to help with any inconvenience."
Step 5: Transformed the Subject Line
Instead of "Complete Your Order - 15% Off!", we used: "You had started your order..." Simple, descriptive, no promotional language.
The entire email read like a helpful note from a real person who noticed someone had trouble completing their purchase and wanted to help solve the actual problem.
Step 6: Added Genuine Value
We included a 3-point troubleshooting list addressing common checkout issues. This turned the email from pure promotion into actual customer service.
Most importantly, we tracked everything. Multiple test accounts, deliverability monitoring tools, and careful measurement of where emails actually landed – not just whether they were "delivered."
Email Format
Switched from template to personal, conversational style that doesn't trigger promotional filters
Problem-First
Addressed actual customer pain points instead of just pushing discounts
Subject Lines
Used descriptive, non-promotional language that spam filters don't flag
Deliverability Testing
Set up proper monitoring to track actual inbox placement, not just delivery rates
The transformation was immediate and dramatic. Within the first week of implementing the new approach:
Deliverability Results:
Inbox placement rate jumped from 20% to 78%
Spam folder rate dropped from 60% to 8%
Open rates increased from 12% to 34%
But here's what really surprised us – the conversion impact went beyond just more people seeing the emails. The personal, problem-solving approach actually resonated better with customers. They started replying to the emails asking questions and requesting help.
Some customers completed purchases after getting personalized assistance, even without using the discount code. Others shared specific issues we could fix site-wide.
The abandoned cart email became a customer service touchpoint, not just a sales tool. This created a feedback loop that helped improve the entire checkout experience.
What I've learned and the mistakes I've made.
Sharing so you don't make them.
Here are the key lessons that emerged from completely rethinking discount email strategy:
Deliverability always trumps design – The most beautiful email is useless if it lands in spam
Test actual placement, not just delivery – "Delivered" means nothing if customers can't find it
Solve problems, don't just push discounts – Address why they didn't complete the purchase originally
Personal beats promotional every time – Write like a human, not a marketing department
Subject lines are make-or-break – Avoid any language that sounds promotional or urgent
Track long-term sender reputation – Your domain's history affects every future email
Customer service can be sales – Helping customers often converts better than pushing them
The biggest mistake I see is store owners optimizing for conversion without considering deliverability. You can't convert emails that never get seen.
What I'd do differently: Start with deliverability testing from day one. Don't wait until you have problems to monitor where your emails actually land.
This approach works best for established stores with existing customer relationships. For brand new stores, focus on building sender reputation gradually before implementing discount campaigns.
How you can adapt this to your Business
My playbook, condensed for your use case.
For your SaaS / Startup
For SaaS trial recovery and upgrade campaigns:
Focus on solving user onboarding challenges, not just pushing upgrades
Write like customer success, not sales
Test inbox placement across business email providers
For your Ecommerce store
For ecommerce abandoned cart and promotional emails:
Address checkout friction issues directly in recovery emails
Use personal, conversational tone instead of promotional templates
Monitor spam placement across all major email providers