Why is only Klaviyo requesting we create a sending subdomain in addition to DMARC?

Hi @MWC! This is a fantastic question with a few parts so I’ll address one at a time:

• Our stance at Klaviyo is to err with an abundance of caution because the consequence of playing it fast and loose with this is your deliverability getting crushed. If your account has a banner recommending you make changes, something in your account is potentially noncompliant. Even if you don’t qualify now, you certainly will someday and you’ll need to make these changes anyway! The trick here is twofold:
  • a) The 5,000 email limit includes transactional emails as well as your normal email marketing communications such as flows. While you may not be near that limit now, you could be during seasonal changes like BFCM or other cycles that impact your business. Hitting 5,000 emails sends just once will classify you as a bulk sender permanently.
  • b) This applies particularly to Google inboxes which make up roughly 80% of all domains, even though it may not seem like it. @gmail.com of course is obvious, but many companies use the Google inbox with their branded domain. This is why it’s super hard to tell whether you’re hitting that limit or not because you really can’t be sure whether the addresses you’re sending to are Google or not. So, if you have 5,000 active profiles in your Klaviyo account, even if you don’t send blasts, you theoretically could hit the limit through transactional emails alone. As such, Klaviyo would recommend to get set up to avoid any issues later on.
     
• As far as your DMARC and branded sending domain goes, again Klaviyo’s guidance is to get you set up for compliance as soon as possible. Configuring your DMARC records is something you need to do externally to Klaviyo through your DNS provider. But, it’s only one part of the equation. You also cannot continue to use a shared domain (like klaviyomail.com). The domain in your friendly “From:” header (what your subscribers see in their inbox) has to match your sending domain in order to be compliant with DMARC alignment. So, just configuring DMARC records but not setting up a branded sending domain means you’re still not compliant. The good news here is with Klaviyo your SPF and DKIM records will be automatically configured when you set up a branded sending domain which are also required. 

In short, we at Klaviyo want you to be successful. In order to do that you need to be compliant with these new changes. The good news is we have tons of resources and material to help you through this. You especially might be interested in our Office Hours where our Training team will walk you through the steps and answer your questions live. I’ve also included additional guides and checklists we’ve put together on the topic. 

• [Office Hours] Google and Yahoo's New Sender Requirements
• How to meet Google and Yahoo's email sender requirements in 2024

• Verify that your account meets new sender requirements

Hope that helps!