The Promotions tab isn't a failure, it’s the default. Gmail, Yahoo, and others are incredibly good at identifying marketing emails, and tools like Klaviyo are built for sending marketing emails. Instead of fighting the algorithm, the smartest minds in e-commerce focus on what they can control: sender reputation and content quality. The goal isn't necessarily to land every email in the Primary tab, which is often an impossible task. The real goal is to create an email program so valuable that your customers will find and open your emails regardless of where the algorithm places them.
The single biggest factor in deliverability is your sender reputation, and nothing damages it faster than sending emails to people who don't open them. Sending to a list full of unengaged subscribers tells inbox providers that your content isn't wanted, which increases the likelihood of all your emails being filtered to Promotions or even Spam. On The EcomCrew Ecommerce Podcast, the hosts make a strong point about the importance of list hygiene, emphasizing the need to regularly remove inactive subscribers. If someone hasn't opened an email in 90 or 120 days, continuing to email them hurts your ability to reach the people who actually want to hear from you. Cleaning your list is the fundamental first step.
Once your list is clean, the next step is sophisticated segmentation. Most brands are only using a fraction of what is possible inside Klaviyo. As Dylan Kelley explained on the 2X eCommerce Podcast, smart email funnels are how you stop leaking revenue. This means going beyond sending one-size-fits-all blasts. You should be creating segments for your most engaged fans (e.g., opened an email in the last 30 days), VIP purchasers, and specific product interest groups. These are the audiences who should receive your more frequent promotional sends. Less engaged segments should be emailed less often, perhaps with a targeted win-back campaign. This approach improves open rates, which boosts your sender reputation and signals to Gmail that your emails are valuable.
Your email content and campaign strategy also play a huge role. In her appearance on Firing The Man, Klaviyo expert Jessica Totillo Coster detailed how to create top-performing campaigns that build relationships, not just push sales. High-intent automated flows like a welcome series, recovering abandoned carts, and especially post-purchase email campaigns have much higher engagement rates than a standard newsletter. These emails are expected and welcomed by the customer. By focusing on these, you generate positive engagement signals that can lift the deliverability of your entire email marketing strategy. They build a healthier sender reputation that gives your promotional sends a better chance of being seen.
We need to reframe our thinking about the Promotions tab. Most savvy consumers expect brand emails to be there; they often go to that tab specifically when they are in a shopping mindset. The hosts of shows like Limited Supply and Honest Ecommerce often discuss focusing on what moves the needle, and for email, that means being the most compelling message in whatever inbox you land in. The job is to create offers so good and content so engaging that people are excited to see your name. Are you making your customers feel like you're creating value for them with every send?
So, the fix is less of a technical hack and more of a strategic shift. Don't panic about the Promotions tab. Instead, obsess over your audience and your content. Start by ruthlessly cleaning your email list and committing to ongoing hygiene. Use Klaviyo’s powerful segmentation tools to send the right message to the right person at the right time. Prioritize building out high-engagement automated flows for welcoming new subscribers and nurturing recent customers. When you do send a promotional campaign, make sure the offer is genuinely compelling. If you focus on sending emails that people truly want to receive, you’ll find that deliverability becomes much less of a problem.
