Why Letting Your Customers Choose Their Subscription Preferences Improves Deliverability

Customers are savvier than they used to be.

They know when they’ve entered a sales funnel. They expect a welcome discount. They’re used to the abandoned cart reminder. And they’ve seen enough promotional emails to recognise the pattern instantly.

That doesn’t mean those tactics don’t work - they do. But they don’t work endlessly.

If someone feels like they’re hearing from you too often, or the content doesn’t feel relevant to them, they won’t always complain. They’ll just disengage. They’ll stop opening. Stop clicking. Or quietly unsubscribe.

And once that pattern starts, it’s hard to reverse.

So the question becomes - how do you maintain momentum without accelerating fatigue?

One of the simplest and most underused strategies is this:

Stop deciding for your database.

Instead of assuming every subscriber wants every campaign, give them control. Let them choose whether they want product launches, education, promotions, restock alerts, or a lighter email cadence.

 

When Can You Ask Customers Their Opt-In Preferences? 

Businesses often think that the only time you can ask customers about their opt-in preferences is at sign-up. This is the most popular and typically the most effective. However, it doesn’t mean that it’s the only way! 

Try to ask them at key points within their lifecycle. For example, after their first purchase, when they’ve been dormant for a while, and even during regular campaigns, especially if it’s been a long time since you reached out to check up on their mailing preferences. 

This can be completed via a simple survey that updates a profile property on their account or via the ‘manage subscription’ page.

 

Why Is Asking About Subscription Preference Important? 

Picture this: you’re at a library. There are key genres of books: non-fiction, crime, fantasy, history and fiction. While you may have an interest in some of these categories, they may not apply to you. Even if you read across all of the genres, there may be certain authors or even certain themes within books that don’t interest you. This is the same premise for your customers, just on a smaller scale. 

Some of them want information about your brand. They want to be deeply involved and part of your story. Some want to be involved only when there are sales and promotions. Some may only want critical information and would prefer to avoid anything that is not transactional. 

Appealing to their interests ensures that customers are not placed in a position where they find content boring, irrelevant or even unaligned, which can otherwise be a quick ticket to unsubscribes and drop offs. 

How Can Asking For Subscription Preference Improve Deliverability? 

Following on from above, asking customers about their subscription preferences means you are less likely to send them content they don’t want to receive. This prevents spam rates and poor metrics that can be detrimental to your deliverability.

 

The opposite also takes effect.

Customers who are happy with the content and find it useful are more likely to open emails quickly, engage better, click and even share your emails. These positive actions can all boost your deliverability, as Klaviyo and service providers recognise your emails as high value, meaning you’re more likely to land in inboxes.

More inbox placements lead to more potential opens, more potential clicks and, therefore, more sales. 

 

Remember That You Asked! 

A big and easy blunder is asking customers for their subscription preferences, and then forgetting to send them segmented emails based on their choices. Whether you send different emails to different groups or you use show-hide blocks based on what has been selected, you must stay true to a customer’s opt-in choices. 

Yes, even if it’s tempting to send them something they didn't ask for on the premise of a potential sale…

 

The Email By Design Team is here to help

Not sure how to give your customers the power to choose what they opt into? Want to provide better opportunities for your customers to control their email marketing?

We are here to help you boost deliverability through email best practices. Get in touch with us today to find out more.