Email open rate has dropped significantly?

[finehg104]

We typically send a once-a-week Friday email (to ~850 emails). For most of the last year, our open rate hovered around a very healthy 50%, and email was quickly becoming our most reliable way to reach our most loyal customers — but especially those customers who likely don't see our social media posts. In April, the open rate started dropping consistently week after week (45%, then 40%, then 35%, then 25%, and now 20% ... less than half of what it was before), with several customers asking if we still send them at all. Anyone else noticing this issue? Several customers seem to find the emails in spam or not receive them at all.

[MayaP]

Hey @finehg104, thanks for flagging this. I’d like to help investigate further.

I checked on the backend and didn’t see anything preventing the emails from going through. How many sellers have reported this, and when did it start? 

Tagging a few Super Sellers here as well in case they have any insights to share: @Abigails_stl @Callee1945 @rjonin @keicollective 

[doc_choc]

We are not seeing any issues, typical open rate of 40% +/- 2%

We may be on a different system here in the UK, so not sure if this will affect things?

[MayaP]

Thank you for your feedback! @doc_choc! 😌

[Callee1945 · Accepted solution]

Hi @finehg104 ! 15 years digital marketing experience here! This isn't a Square issue. Many email providers in April changed their spam requirements as well as how they report open rates. This is affecting anyone who sends ecommerce emails universally. More information here: https://digitalmarketingoncloud.com/deliverability/yahoos-april-2025-deliverability-shake-up/

The good news is, the number of people that open and read your email is likely a lot higher than is being reported to Square. The bad news is that yes, more emails are going to spam. One way to prevent this is to send an email explaining how to "whitelist" your emails (moving from promotions tab to primary on google, marking as safe or "not spam," etc.) Here's a guide on how to set up deliverability processes: https://www.campaignmonitor.com/resources/guides/whitelisting/ 

[finehg104]

Thanks for this insight!

[MayaP]

Hi @finehg104,

Wow — thank you so much for jumping in and sharing your experience. Fifteen years in digital marketing is no joke, and your insight here is incredibly valuable. I really appreciate you taking the time to help out. I know anyone who sees this will be appreciative! 🙂