Low Open rates on our Added to Cart and Abandoned Checkout flows

Question

Hi everyone,We’re seeing very low open rates on our Added to Cart and Abandoned Checkout flows, and after investigating, we’ve noticed:A high bounce rate (around 3.8%), which may be hurting our deliverability.	A large number of profiles being skipped due to “suspicious email.”We contacted Klaviyo support, and they confirmed:“Suspicious email” means the address has already hard bounced across Klaviyo’s infrastructure, so it’s skipped automatically to protect sender reputation.	These emails are invalid and often never subscribed.	These profiles are still entering flows because they start a checkout on our Shopify store.	The issue is likely caused by spam bots initiating checkouts with fake email addresses.We also contacted Shopify support, and they confirmed:The emails in question were all invalid.	Since we’re on the Advanced plan (not Plus), we can’t customize the checkout page to block bots.	They suggested reaching out to the community for help validating emails before checkout.They also mentioned some paid apps like Blockify and Negate – Bot Protection, but we’re hoping to avoid paid tools if possible.We’re looking for some advice for the following:Has anyone dealt with bots triggering checkout-based flows?	Are there any Klaviyo-side filters or setup tricks to prevent these profiles from entering flows?	Any free App or Tool to help validate or block these emails before checkout?We’d really appreciate any ideas or workarounds that could help improve deliverability without additional cost.Thanks in advance!

MANSIR2094 · Accepted Answer

Hey ​@eCom2Win_Agency,thanks for the detailed breakdown — you are not alone; bot checkouts are a growing issues, especially on non-plus shopify stores.Here's are few steps that could help refuse the problem without needing paid tools:1. Klaviyo flow filter tweak: in your added to cart and checkout abandonment flows, add a trigger or flow filter like this: Email is not suppressedANDEmail does not contain common spam patterns (e.g. ".ru", "+", random numbers)You can use a flow filter or a trigger split to segment out suspicious profiles early. Even a 'does not contain .ru" or "+test@" can go a long way.2. Profile property check (optional workaround): if notice that bots tend to follow a pattern (e.g. email length, random domains), you can tag them with a property via a webhook or form and exclude based on that tag. It's not bulletproof, but it adds a layer of defense.3. Shopify Bot Filter free option: while customization is limited on advanced, you can use shopify's native not protection (rwCAPTCHA) if you are using shopify's storefront protection. Make sure it's not enabled via shopify admin settings check-in not protection.4. Checkout validation via shopify apps: though many apps are paid, some offer free plans trials you can use short term to clean your data. Look into: 1.shop defense 2.shop protector by human presence. They are free tiers .5. Custom script workaround: you can use JavaScript on the checkout page to detect invalid patterns( eg, emails without @ signs or blacklisted domains) and block submission or show an error. Limited access makes it tricky, but if you have GTM installed, this might be viable.You can use segment of invalid emails only for campaign sends:If someone has opened or clicked an email in the last 90–180 daysAND Email is not suppressedThis helps keep your sender reputation healthy while you are cleaning up.Hope this helps.

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