Your Shopify store depends on email. Order confirmations, shipping updates, abandoned cart reminders, and promotional campaigns. All of it runs through email.

But what happens when those emails never reach your customers?

Invalid email addresses cause bounces. Bounces hurt your sender’s reputation. And a damaged sender reputation means even your legitimate emails start landing in spam folders. For an e-commerce business, that is a revenue killer.

According to Shopify’s own deliverability guide, a reasonable email delivery rate for eCommerce stores is 95%. Anything lower means you are leaving money on the table.

In this guide, you will learn how to verify emails for your Shopify store, clean your existing customer list, and prevent bad addresses from entering your database in the first place.

Why Email Verification Matters for Shopify Stores

Email is the backbone of eCommerce communication. Your customers expect to receive:

• Order confirmations after purchase
• Shipping and tracking notifications
• Abandoned cart recovery emails
• Promotional campaigns and sales announcements
• Password reset and account emails

When these emails bounce, customers lose trust. They wonder if their order went through. They miss out on your promotions. And you lose sales.

Here is why verification is essential for Shopify stores specifically:

Transactional Emails Have Higher Stakes

Transactional emails like order confirmations see open rates above 80%. According to Omnisend’s 2025 report, eCommerce brands sending automated campaigns see up to 320% more revenue per email compared to one-off newsletters. If those automated emails bounce, you are losing significant revenue.

Shopify Email Has Deliverability Requirements

If you use Shopify Email (Shopify Messaging), your bounce rates directly affect your account standing. Shopify monitors delivery metrics and can limit your sending if bounce rates get too high.

Abandoned Cart Recovery Depends on Valid Emails

Abandoned cart emails can recover up to 30% of lost sales. But they only work if the email address is valid. A customer who types a fake email at checkout will never receive your recovery email.

Customer Lists Decay Over Time

Email lists lose 22% to 30% of subscribers annually. People change jobs, abandon old addresses, and inboxes get deactivated. Without regular verification, your Shopify customer list becomes increasingly unreliable.

Understanding Shopify’s Email Ecosystem

Before diving into verification methods, it helps to understand how email works in Shopify.

Transactional Emails

These are automatic emails triggered by customer actions: order confirmations, shipping updates, and password resets. Shopify sends these directly. Bounces here affect your store’s domain reputation.

Shopify Email (Marketing)

Shopify’s built-in email marketing tool lets you send promotional campaigns. It includes basic analytics for open rates, clicks, and bounces. High bounce rates can trigger warnings and affect future sends.

Third-Party Email Apps

Many stores use Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Omnisend, or other apps for more advanced email marketing. These apps pull customer data from Shopify. If your Shopify customer list contains invalid emails, those bad addresses flow into your email marketing app.

Customer Data Sources

Emails enter your Shopify database through:

• Checkout (required for order completion)
• Account registration
• Newsletter signup forms
• Pop-up lead capture
• Manual imports from other systems

Each of these entry points is an opportunity for nasty emails to enter your database. Verification at the right stage prevents problems before they start.

Method 1: Clean Your Existing Shopify Customer List

If you already have customers in Shopify, start by verifying your existing list. Here is the step-by-step process:

Step 1: Export Your Customer List

In your Shopify admin, go to Customers. Click Export and choose the customers you want to verify. For a complete clean, export all customers. Download as CSV.

Step 2: Upload to myEmailVerifier

Go to myEmailVerifier and upload your CSV file. The system will automatically detect the email column from your Shopify export.

Step 3: Run Verification

Click Start Verification. MyEmailVerifier will check each email for:

• Syntax errors and typos
• Domain validity
• MX record existence
• Mailbox existence
• Disposable and temporary email detection

Step 4: Download Results and Take Action

Once verification is complete, download your results. Each email will be tagged:

• Valid – Keep these customers active
• Invalid – Remove from marketing, update if possible.
• Catch all – Tag in Shopify for careful monitoring.
• Disposable – Remove from marketing lists.

Step 5: Update Shopify Customer Records

For invalid emails, you have several options:

1. Remove from email marketing: In Shopify, go to Customers, select the invalid contacts, and bulk edit to uncheck “Accepts email marketing”
2. Tag for follow-up: Add a tag like “invalid_email” so you can identify these customers later
3. Request updated email: If they have made purchases, try reaching them through other channels to get a valid email.

Method 2: Verify Emails at Checkout

Preventing nasty emails from entering your database is better than cleaning them later. Real-time verification at checkout catches invalid addresses before orders are placed.

How Real-Time Verification Works

When a customer enters their email at checkout, an API call checks the address instantly. If it is invalid, the customer sees an error message asking them to correct their email.

This prevents:

• Typos like “gmial.com” or “yahooo.com”
• Fake emails are used by customers who do not want marketing.
• Disposable addresses from temporary email services

Implementation Options

There are several ways to add real-time verification to your Shopify checkout:

Shopify App Store Apps

Several apps in the Shopify App Store provide email verification. Look for apps that offer real-time validation at checkout and integrate with your existing workflow.

Custom API Integration

For stores with custom checkout flows or specific requirements, you can integrate the myEmailVerifier API directly. This requires developer assistance but gives you complete control over the verification process.

JavaScript Widget

myEmailVerifier offers a JavaScript widget that can be added to forms. While Shopify’s checkout is more restricted, this works well for newsletter signups and account registration forms on your storefront.

Method 3: Verify Before Email Campaigns

Even if you verify at checkout, your list can still accumulate invalid emails over time. Best practice is to verify before any major email campaign.

When to Verify

• Before Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaigns – Your biggest sends of the year deserve a clean list.
• Before product launches – Maximise reach for essential announcements.
• Quarterly maintenance – Regular cleaning prevents gradual list decay
• After importing contacts, always verify migrated or imported lists.

Workflow for Campaign Verification

1. Export the segment you plan to email from Shopify or your email app.
2. Upload to myEmailVerifier for verification.
3. Remove or suppress invalid emails before sending.
4. Send to your verified clean list.

This extra step takes minutes but can save your sender’s reputation from permanent damage.

Handling Different Email Types in Shopify

Not all verification results are the same. Here is how to handle each type in the context of your Shopify store:

Valid Emails

These customers are safe for all communications. Please include them in marketing campaigns and ensure they receive all transactional emails.

Invalid Emails

Remove from email marketing immediately. For existing customers with purchase history, consider:

• Adding a note to their customer profile
• Requesting an updated email for their next order
• Reaching out via SMS if you have their phone number

Catch All Emails

Catch-all domains are common in B2B and corporate settings. These addresses might be valid, but cannot be definitively verified.

For Shopify stores: Create a customer segment or tag for catch-all emails. Monitor their bounce rates separately. If they consistently deliver, treat them as valid. If they bounce frequently, suppress them.

Disposable Emails

These are temporary addresses from services like Mailinator or 10MinuteMail. Customers use them to avoid marketing emails.

For e-commerce, disposable emails are problematic because:

• Order confirmations will not reach the customer
• Shipping updates get lost
• Customer service becomes difficult

Consider blocking disposable emails at checkout to ensure customers receive their order information.

Best Practices for Shopify Email Deliverability

Beyond verification, follow these practices to maintain healthy email deliverability:

Enable Double Opt-In for Marketing

In Shopify, you can require email confirmation for newsletter signups. This catches typos and ensures subscribers actually want your emails.

Authenticate Your Domain

Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for your sending domain. This is especially important if you use a custom email address with Shopify Email or third-party apps. Proper authentication improves deliverability and reduces bounces from security filters.

Monitor Your Bounce Rate

According to Shopify’s email metrics guide, a reasonable bounce rate is 2% or less. Under 1% is excellent. Check your Shopify Email analytics after each campaign and take action if bounces spike.

Segment Inactive Subscribers

Create a segment of customers who have not opened an email in 90 days. Stop sending to them or run a re-engagement campaign. Continuing to email unengaged subscribers hurts your deliverability.

Separate Transactional and Marketing

If possible, use different subdomains for transactional and marketing emails. This protects your order confirmation deliverability even if your promotional sends have issues.

Common Mistakes Shopify Store Owners Make

Importing Purchased Lists

Never import purchased email lists into Shopify. These violate Shopify’s terms of service, contain high percentages of invalid addresses, and will damage your sender reputation immediately.

Ignoring Bounce Reports

Shopify Email provides bounce data in your campaign reports. Many store owners send campaigns and never check these metrics. Review bounce reports after every send and remove bounced addresses.

Not Verifying Migrated Data

When migrating from another platform or importing historical customer data, always verify before adding to Shopify. Old lists contain high percentages of invalid addresses.

Emailing Everyone Every Time

Sending every campaign to your entire list increases exposure to invalid addresses—segment based on engagement and purchase history. Your most engaged customers are your safest audience.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Shopify have built-in email verification?

Shopify has basic syntax checking at checkout, but does not verify if email addresses actually exist. Shopify recommends using a third-party email verification tool to ensure addresses are valid before importing or sending campaigns.

What is a reasonable bounce rate for Shopify stores?

Below 2% is healthy. Below 1% is excellent. Above 2% needs attention. Bounce rates above 5% can affect your sender reputation and cause Shopify Email to flag your account.

How often should I verify my Shopify customer list?

Quarterly verification is a good baseline. Verify before any major campaign, like Black Friday or product launches. If your list grows rapidly through signups, consider monthly verification.

Can I block disposable emails at Shopify checkout?

Yes, through third-party apps or custom checkout scripts. This ensures customers provide confirmed email addresses so they receive order confirmations and shipping updates.

Will email verification improve my open rates?

Indirectly, yes. By removing invalid addresses, you improve your sender reputation. A better reputation means more emails reach the inbox instead of spam. And emails that reach the inbox have a chance to be opened.

Start Protecting Your Shopify Store’s Deliverability

Email deliverability is not just a technical metric. For eCommerce stores, it directly impacts revenue. Every bounced email is a missed opportunity for a sale, a lost chance to recover an abandoned cart, or a customer who never receives their order confirmation.

Email verification is a simple step that protects your sender reputation, improves customer communication, and ultimately drives more revenue for your Shopify store.

Ready to clean your Shopify customer list? Try myEmailVerifier free with 100 daily email verifications. Upload your customer export and see the results for yourself.

Your customers deserve to receive your emails. Make sure they do.