Struggling with low Email open rates? here’s what to do

Email marketing is one of my favorite ways to build relationships and drive conversions, but when low email open rates start showing up in the reports, it’s easy to feel discouraged.

I am Sachin, and for 15+ years, I have helped Shopify stores and fast-growing eCommerce brands fix deliverability, messaging, and timing to increase email open rates and boost email engagement without bloating ad spend.

Over the years, my team and I have learned that small, consistent changes compound: smarter segmentation, better timing, and sharper copy can quickly improve email open rate. We obsess over data, but we also keep it human, using clear value, relevant personalization, and practical email marketing open rate tips that work in the real world for D2C, subscription, and B2B on Shopify.

Here’s everything I have discovered about improving your email marketing open rate, step by step, the exact playbook I use with clients when low email open rates are dragging down revenue and we need to increase email open rates fast.

If you’re new to Shopify’s ecosystem, learn more about the Shopify Email Marketing Program

before integrating automation tools like AiTrillion.

Why Your Email Open Rates Matter

Your email open rate is more than a number; it’s a direct measure of how well your audience connects with your brand. When I notice low email open rates, it usually means something’s off, timing, subject lines, or even trust.

For my team, the email marketing open rate is our signal to refine strategy, adjust content, test send times, and improve segmentation.

No matter the industry average, the goal stays the same: increase email open rates to capture attention, build trust, and drive more clicks from every campaign.

Common Reasons for Low Email Open Rates

Before fixing any campaign, I always start by identifying the reasons for low email open rates, because if you don’t know what’s broken, you can’t improve it.

Some of the most common culprits I have seen across Shopify stores and eCommerce brands include:

• Weak or unclear subject lines: If your subject line doesn’t spark curiosity or emotion, it gets ignored.
• Poor audience targeting: Sending the wrong message to the wrong people kills engagement fast.
• Inconsistent sending schedule: Irregular timing makes subscribers forget who you are.
• Spam triggers lowering deliverability: Even good emails fail when they land in spam folders.

Whenever my team spots these issues, we dig deeper into data, reviewing past campaign performance and segment behavior.

Then we build a custom email segmentation strategy to re-engage inactive users, refine audience lists, and restore trust.

This foundation alone can dramatically increase email open rates before you even touch the design or content.

How to Write Click-Worthy Email Subject Lines

Whenever clients ask me how to write effective email subject lines, I remind them to stop thinking like marketers and start thinking like readers.

The subject line is the first (and sometimes only) impression you make, and it decides whether your email gets opened or ignored.

Here’s what consistently works for my team and me:

• Add personalization: Use the subscriber’s name, location, or recent activity. Personalized subject lines can dramatically increase email open rates and make your messages feel more human.
• Create curiosity and emotion: Tease value without giving everything away. Curiosity-driven or emotional subject lines stand out in crowded inboxes.
• Keep it short and clear: Aim for under 50 characters. Mobile users skim quickly, so clarity wins.
• Test variations: We often A/B test different tones, friendly, professional, or playful, to see what resonates best with our audience.

These small, data-backed changes can instantly improve email open rate across campaigns. For us, the subject line isn’t just a headline; it’s a handshake that invites your reader into the story you’re about to tell.

Improving email performance is important, and exploring other channels can complement your efforts. Learn more in our article on Email vs WhatsApp Marketing for Shopify.

Optimize Send Times and Frequency

Finding the best time to send marketing emails is all about data, not guesswork. My team tests send times across Shopify stores and eCommerce brands, tracking open rate trends by audience and time zone to increase email open rates effectively.

Here’s a quick overview based on our internal data and client campaigns:

Consistency matters more than frequency. Send too often and people tune out; send too little and they forget you.

By testing and refining, we have been able to boost email engagement and steadily improve email open rate across campaigns.

To dive deeper into subject line strategy, content layout, and timing, explore our detailed guide on Shopify email campaign best practices.

Segment and Clean Your Email List Regularly

One of the quickest ways to improve email open rates in 2025 is by keeping your list clean and well-segmented. My team uses proven clean email list strategies, removing inactive users, verifying addresses, and segmenting subscribers by behavior or purchase history.

We follow these key email audience segmentation tips to segment email lists for better open rates:

A clean, segmented list ensures your emails reach the right people at the right time, which directly helps increase email open rates and build stronger engagement over time.

Improve Deliverability and Avoid the Spam Folder

Deliverability is one of the biggest hidden reasons behind low email open rates; even the best-written emails can’t perform if they end up in spam.

Over the years, my team has worked with several Shopify and eCommerce brands, and one thing is clear: improving deliverability directly impacts engagement.

We always start by reviewing email open rate benchmarks by industry to understand where performance stands. If open rates are lagging, we audit the sender’s reputation, spam triggers, and perform inactive subscriber removal to clean the list.

Removing disengaged users alone can improve email open rates 2025 significantly.

Here are the email deliverability best practices I always follow:

• Authenticate your domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to build trust with email providers.
• Avoid spammy words, overused links, and unnecessary capitalization in subject lines.
• Maintain sender reputation by keeping engagement high and your bounce rate low.
• Remove inactive subscribers regularly; it strengthens your list quality and delivery score.

By consistently applying these steps, my team has helped clients increase email open rates by up to 20%.

It’s proof that landing in the right inbox is the first step to winning your audience’s attention.

Personalization and Automation for Higher Opens

My team has shifted from bulk sends to personalized email campaigns powered by AI and automation. With dynamic content email personalization, every message feels unique, boosting engagement and trust while helping brands improve email open rates 2025 consistently.

Here’s how we approach it:

• Behavior-based triggers: Emails are sent automatically when users take (or skip) specific actions, like signing up, purchasing, or abandoning carts.
• AI Personalized recommendations: AI Product suggestions, offers, or reminders to each subscriber’s preferences.
• Smart timing automation: Tools analyze when users are most active to maximize opens.
• Re-engagement email campaigns: Target inactive users with customized win-back messages.
• AI-powered workflows: Automated systems adjust messaging and frequency based on past engagement.

This blend of automation and personalization ensures we send the right message, at the right time, to the right person, helping every campaign perform better and increase email open rates across the board.

Looking for more tools to scale your store?

Here are the best email marketing apps for Shopify in 2025 that complement AiTrillion and other automation workflows.

Measure, Analyze, and Refine Your Campaigns

After every campaign, my team and I dive deep into analytics, tracking open rates, clicks, bounces, and unsubscribes. This data helps us uncover patterns and apply data-driven email engagement tips that lead to better performance over time.

Here’s how we refine our campaigns to increase email open rates and keep engagement high:

• A/B testing email campaigns: We test subject lines, visuals, timing, and tone to find what resonates best with each audience.
• Track engagement metrics: Monitoring open rates, click-throughs, and conversions to identify what’s working.
• Adjust send frequency: Using data to decide how often subscribers want to hear from us.
• Boost email deliverability 2025: Maintain sender reputation, remove inactive users, and optimize domain authentication.
• Personalization based on insights: Refine messaging and offers based on user behavior and past responses.
• Learn and repeat: Each campaign feeds into the next, making every send smarter and more effective.

By combining consistent testing, personalization, and performance tracking, we continuously improve email open rates while turning analytics into action that drives real, measurable growth.

Want to understand the cost of setting up automated email workflows? Check out our complete guide on Shopify email marketing pricing to plan your budget smartly

How AiTrillion Helps You Fix Low Email Open Rates

When it comes to the Shopify email marketing program, my go-to solution is AiTrillion, an AI-powered platform built to help brands turn low email open rates into measurable growth. After years of testing tools, this one stands out for its intelligence, automation, and seamless Shopify integration.

Here’s how my team uses AiTrillion to boost email engagement and increase email open rates:

• AI-driven audience segmentation: Targets subscribers based on behavior and purchase history.
• Email marketing automation for open rates: Sends perfectly timed messages to re-engage users.
• Dynamic content personalization: Adds smart product recommendations and special offers.
• A/B testing email campaigns: Find what resonates, from subject lines to send times.
• Smart send-time prediction: Uses AI to deliver at the moment each user is most active.
• Real-time performance insights: Tracks and optimizes campaigns to continually improve results.

If your open rates have dropped or your emails aren’t converting, it’s time to upgrade your strategy.

Book a Free Demo with Our Team, and we will show you exactly how AiTrillion can increase your email open rates and automate your growth.

Get AiTrillion installed on your Shopify Store Today, and let’s set up your first automated campaign together and start improving results within days.

Don’t just send more emails, send smarter ones. Let’s turn your Shopify inbox into a revenue engine with AiTrillion.

FAQs: Fixing Low Email Open Rates

1. Why are my email open rates dropping suddenly?

It usually comes down to timing, subject lines, or deliverability. Revisit your email deliverability best practices, refresh your content, and test new approaches to improve email open rates in 2025.

2. What a good open rate for email?

Most industries see an average of 20–30%, but top-performing Shopify email marketing programs can reach 40% or more. The key is to focus on steady improvement, not just the number.

3. Why is my open rate so low?

Common causes include poor targeting, weak subject lines, or outdated contact lists. Fixing these with clean email list strategies and A/B testing email campaigns can quickly increase engagement.

4. How to increase the open rate of email?

Use dynamic content email personalization, optimize send times, and leverage email marketing automation for open rates to deliver the right message to the right audience.

5. What is the 80/20 rule in email marketing?

It means 80% of your results come from 20% of your most engaged subscribers. Focus your email segmentation strategy on this group to boost email engagement and ROI.

6. Can personalized emails really improve open rates?

Absolutely. Personalized email campaigns can lift open rates by 20–40% when combined with automation, re-engagement workflows, and data-driven email engagement tips.