5 Costly Email Mistakes

These are losing you easy sales...

Author

Philip Moldovanu
March 06, 2025

Hey there đź‘‹

It’s Philip from Inbox Insider.

I’m willing to bet you’re making at least one of these email marketing mistakes—and it’s costing you some serious revenue.

Let’s not waste any time

#1. Running Double Opt-In (“Confirm Your Subscription)

If your Klaviyo pop-up requires new subscribers to “Confirm their Subscription” via email before they get added to your list… you’re losing up to 50% of your leads right there on the spot.

This is murdering your list growth

Online marketing nowadays has to be very quick and seamless for the shopper. Attention spans are shorter than ever before because of TikTok and Instagram.

When someone signs up for your email list using the sign-up form on your site, that’s a warm lead.

After signing up, they’re supposed to immediately be sent the first email in your welcome series, i’m talking in less than a minute.

If you have double-opt in turned on, they won’t get that welcome email.

They’ll instead receive a generic, ugly email from Klaviyo asking them to basically sign up a 2nd time.

This is just unnecessary friction in the sign-up process. A lot of people either change their mind, forget, or don’t see the email because it lands in spam.

Then you just missed out on a warm lead being added to your list, and most likely lost a purchase since that lead never got their discount.

Turn this off in your Klaviyo settings immediately.

Go to your master list → settings → Consent → Uncheck “double opt-in” and check “single opt-in”.

Thank me later.

#2. Your Abandoned Cart Flow Isn’t Actually an Abandoned Cart Flow

Here’s something weird: Most “abandoned cart” flows in a lot of e-commerce brand’s Klaviyo account's aren’t even triggering for abandoned carts.

They’re set up wrong.They have the wrong trigger installed. I see this all time when I do audits.

When you build a flow using Klaviyo’s “abandoned cart flow” template, the trigger defaults to “checkout started” if the “added to cart” trigger hasn’t been installed.

This happens often because the abandoned cart trigger needs to be manually installed into your Shopify code, which most people don’t know about. Klaviyo doesn’t have an abandoned cart trigger by default, it’s kinda weird.

So because of this mistake, these flows are only firing when someone reaches checkout. Meaning if they just add a product to their cart and bounce, they’ll never get an email.

Which means you’re losing out on recovering shoppers who abandon cart but never make it to checkout.

How to Fix it:

âś… Manually install the Abandoned Cart trigger in Shopify, see help here: https://help.klaviyo.com/hc/en-us/articles/115001396711

✅ This requires custom code added to your Shopify theme, but it’s worth it.

âś… Once set up, your emails will actually target abandoned carts, not just checkouts.

#3. Only Sending Promotions (And Burning Out Your List)

Most ecom brands treat their email marketing like a discount machine, constantly sending:

🚨 “20% OFF FLASH SALE”
🚨 “Final Hours! 25% Off”
🚨 “BOGO Sale—Don’t Miss Out!”

I cringe when I see this.

If all you do is promote, your list will eventually tune you out.

70% of your content needs to be value-based. GIVING value, rather than constantly asking for the shoppers credit card.

People don’t usually send value-based content because, well… it’s harder to come up with.

Anyone can crank out generic, promotional emails to their audience.

Coming up with value based content that actually resonates with your audience and leaves them feeling fulfilled takes cognitive effort, and lots of time.

Here are 83 value-based campaign ideas to send to start sending to your list: https://gamma.app/docs/83-Value-Based-Campaign-Ideas-dsvfpbxc2kzof6o

#4. Your Welcome Flow is Too Short

Ahh yes…the classic

I almost never do an audit on a brand and see an 8 email long welcome series.

If you’re reading this, i’m willing to bet yours isn’t either.

You’re also probably thinking that 8 emails is way too long, right?

We’ve actually tested this and 8 emails seems to be the sweet spot in terms of conversions. It always converts better.

The welcome flow is the best chance you have to convert new leads into first-time buyers. Yet, most brands are only sending 2-3 emails and then they call it a day.

New leads are warm, and they need multiple touchpoints to trust you enough to buy.

Your welcome flow should cover the following:
âś… Deliver the discount & introduce the brand.
âś… Tell your brand story (why you exist).
âś… Highlight your unique selling points (USPs).
âś… Showcase social proof (reviews, press, influencers).
âś… Create urgency with the discount expiring.
âś… Compare your brand vs competitors.
âś… Share a customer testimonial story.
âś… Last-chance offer before their discount expires.

#5. Sending Emails at the Wrong Time

Most brands send emails whenever it’s convenient for them, not when their audience is most likely to open.

If you’re sending emails when your audience isn’t online, you’re losing out on higher open rates, clicks, and sales.

The time you send out your campaigns should be determined by nothing else except for data.

Look at your Klaviyo data—what time do your best-performing emails get opened?

Test sending at different times and find your brand’s sweet spot.

A good starting point: Mornings (10-11am).

Try to avoid 9am, most brands send their campaigns around that time and your email could get buried in the inbox.

I will do a completely FREE audit on your Klaviyo account and if I don’t find at least 3 things that make you an extra $1000 within 24 hours i’ll personally Venmo you $100.

Interested? Book here

Till next time!

Philip