Shopify Emails Going to Spam? Fix Order Confirmations and Marketing Emails

April 18, 2026 • InboxGreenEmail Team

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Your Shopify store sends emails — order confirmations, abandoned cart flows, marketing campaigns — but customers can't find them. Or your open rates have collapsed.

Shopify email deliverability problems are almost always caused by missing or misconfigured DNS records. Here's how to find the issue and fix it.

Why Shopify emails go to spam

Shopify stores send email from multiple sources:

  • Transactional emails (orders, shipping) — sent via Shopify's built-in system
  • Marketing emails — sent via Shopify Email, Klaviyo, Mailchimp, or another app
  • Abandoned cart / automation — sent via your connected email app

Each of these may use different sending servers, which means each one needs its own authentication records in your domain's DNS.

1. Shopify transactional emails: the email subdomain

Shopify asks you to verify a custom email domain (like mail.yourdomain.com or your root domain) to send branded transactional emails. To do this, Shopify gives you DKIM and SPF records to add.

If you haven't done this, Shopify sends emails from @shops.myshopify.com — which looks suspicious to spam filters.

In Shopify: go to Settings → Notifications → Sender email and look for the option to use a custom domain.

After adding the records, verify they're live with the free InboxGreen.email/check on your sending domain.

2. Your marketing app (Klaviyo, Mailchimp, etc.) needs its own DNS records

If you use an email marketing app alongside Shopify, that app sends mail from its own servers. You need separate authentication records for that service too.

Common setups:

  • Klaviyo: three CNAME records for DKIM + include:send.klaviyo.com in SPF
  • Mailchimp: CNAME records + include:servers.mcsv.net in SPF
  • Omnisend: CNAME records for DKIM provided in Omnisend settings

If you have multiple ESPs, make sure your SPF record includes all of them — but watch the 10-lookup limit. Check with the SPF Lookup tool.

3. You have two SPF records (the most common Shopify mistake)

DNS only allows one TXT record per name starting with v=spf1. But many Shopify store owners don't know this and end up with two separate SPF records: 

v=spf1 include:spf.shopify.com ~all
v=spf1 include:send.klaviyo.com ~all

When a mail server sees two SPF records, it returns a PermError — which is treated the same as a fail. Your emails go to spam.

The fix: merge them into one record: 

v=spf1 include:spf.shopify.com include:send.klaviyo.com ~all

Use the free TXT Lookup to see your current TXT records and spot duplicates.

4. DMARC is missing

Without DMARC, some mail providers treat your domain as unverified. DMARC also unlocks reporting — you'll get weekly XML reports showing which servers are sending mail "from" your domain, including any spoofing attempts.

Start with a safe monitoring-only DMARC record: 

v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:[email protected]

Generate one with the free DMARC Generator.

5. Order confirmation emails going to spam specifically

If only order confirmations (not marketing emails) are going to spam, the issue is likely with Shopify's transactional setup specifically — not your marketing ESP.

Check:

  • Is your Shopify sender email verified as a custom domain? (Settings → Notifications)
  • Are the Shopify-provided CNAME/TXT records live in your DNS?
  • Is the "From" address on your order emails matching the verified domain?

Shopify email spam diagnostic checklist

  1. Run InboxGreen.email/check on your Shopify store domain
  2. Check for duplicate SPF records using TXT Lookup
  3. Verify your sending domain is authenticated in Shopify Settings → Notifications
  4. Check your marketing ESP settings to confirm DKIM CNAMEs are added and verified
  5. Check for blacklisting with the Blacklist Checker
  6. Order a test confirmation email and open it in Gmail → "Show original" → read Authentication-Results

Most Shopify email deliverability issues are solved by fixing one or two DNS records. The InboxGreen FixKit generates your exact records in under a minute — copy, paste, done.

Related Guides

Shopify Email Authentication Guide

Full SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup for Shopify stores with exact DNS records and verification steps.

SPF Errors and Fixes

PermError, multiple records, lookup limit exceeded, and alignment problems with fixes.

DMARC Errors and Fixes

How to set up and progress DMARC from p=none to p=reject without breaking delivery.

Common Questions About Shopify Email Deliverability

Why do Shopify order confirmation emails go to spam?

The most common cause is that the sender email domain in Shopify Settings has not been authenticated. Without SPF and DKIM records from Shopify, order confirmations go out without authentication and get flagged. Go to Settings → Notifications, verify your sender email domain, and add the DNS records Shopify provides.

Do I need separate DNS records for Shopify Email and Klaviyo?

Yes. If you use Shopify Email and Klaviyo (or any other marketing ESP), each service sends from different servers and needs its own authentication. Shopify requires its DNS records, and Klaviyo requires its own CNAME records. Both sets go in your domain's DNS. Merge the SPF includes into one record: v=spf1 include:shops.shopify.com include:send.klaviyo.com ~all.

How do I check if my Shopify emails are authenticated?

Run the free domain check on your Shopify store's sending domain. Also order a test purchase and open the order confirmation email in Gmail. Click More then "Show original" and look for dkim=pass and spf=pass in the Authentication-Results header.

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