How to clean your email list in Klaviyo (without losing sales!)

Let’s talk about email list cleaning, because if you’re sending emails to a bunch of people who aren’t opening them, you’re basically shouting into the void.

And worse? You’re paying to keep them on your Klaviyo list.

A cluttered list = low open rates, emails going to spam, and wasted money. But before you go deleting half your list just to save £20 on Klaviyo, here’s how to clean it the right way, so you only remove people who actually need to go.

Why you need to clean your list:

If you haven’t cleaned your email list in a while, here’s what’s probably happening:

❌ Your emails are going to spam because too many inactive subscribers are hurting your sender reputation.
❌ Your open rates are dropping, which makes Klaviyo think your emails aren’t worth delivering.
❌ You’re paying for people who will never buy from you.

A clean list = better deliverability, lower costs, and more sales. So let’s get into it.

When should you clean your Klaviyo list?

You don’t need to do this every week, but a quarterly clean-up is a good habit.
You should also clean your list:

📌 Before a big sales push (like Black Friday or a major launch)
📌 After a big list-building event (like a giveaway or a lead magnet push)
📌 If your open rates drop below 20%

Who should you remove (and who should stay)?

🛑 REMOVE THESE PEOPLE:
🚫 Anyone who hasn’t opened or clicked in 180+ days and has never bought
🚫 Hard bounces & anyone who has soft bounced 2+ times
🚫 Active profiles who have never bought and haven’t been active on your website or engaged wiht your emails in 180+ days

⚠️ DON’T remove these people just yet:
👀 Anyone who has viewed products, added to cart, or started checkout recently (even if they’re not subscribed!)
🛍️ Customers who haven’t opened emails but HAVE purchased

These people still have buying intent, you just need to re-engage them before you cut them loose.

Step 1: Try to re-engage inactive subscribers

Before you start deleting people, give them one last chance to stay.

📩 Email 1: "Still want to hear from us?" → Simple opt-in button
📩 Email 2: "Last chance to stay on our list!" → Reminder they’ll be removed
📩 Email 3 (Optional): A small incentive to encourage engagement

If they don’t open or click? Then it’s safe to suppress them.

Step 2: How to suppress unengaged subscribers in Klaviyo

Here’s how to remove inactive subscribers without accidentally wiping out potential buyers:

1️⃣ Go to Profiles → Create Segment
2️⃣ Create your segments
3️⃣ Hit the 3 dots to the right of the segment and click “Suppress segment”

Boom! Your list is now cleaner, cheaper, and more effective.

A clean list = More sales

If you haven’t cleaned your Klaviyo list in a while, now’s the time. But don’t just blindly suppress people, make sure you’re keeping potential buyers in key flows.

📌 Need help? If you're unsure who to remove and who to keep, I can help.

Book a Klaviyo Audit to learn how to suppress profiles safely without sacrificing sales.