So you’re in Klaviyo, looking at a customer’s profile. You see all their details, what they’ve bought, which emails they’ve opened. And then you see it. That little toggle switch that says “Can receive email marketing.” It’s either a happy green color, or a kind of sad grey. And you’re probably wondering what on earth is going on with that thing and why it is that it matters so much.
It feels like just another setting in a sea of settings. But this little switch is actually one of the most important parts of your whole email setup. It’s the gatekeeper. The main control. It decides who hears from you and who gets to live in peaceful silence, free from your promotional emails. Getting this right is a really big deal for keeping your customers happy and your business out of trouble. Let’s figure this thing out for 2025.
So, What Actually IS “Can Receive Email Marketing”?
Alright, let’s just get straight to it. This setting is Klaviyo’s master record of consent.
It’s the final word on whether you are allowed to send a person marketing stuff. Like newsletters, sale announcements, or new product drops.
Think of it like a main on/off switch for a person’s entire profile. It doesn’t really care what list they’re on.
If that switch is OFF (grey), Klaviyo will not send them a marketing email. Period. Even if they are on five of your active email lists.
This is considered to be the system of record. It protects you and it respects the customer’s wishes, all at once.
Why This Little Switch is Such a Big Deal
It might seem like a small detail but this setting has some pretty big effects on your business. Messing this up or just not paying attention to it can cause some real headaches you definitely don’t want to deal with. It’s not just a setting; it’s a core part of running a good email program.
Staying on the Right Side of the Law
You know all those email laws? Things like CAN-SPAM in the US and GDPR over in Europe. They have very specific rules about consent.
People have to give you permission to email them, and you have to give them a very easy way to take that permission back.
That unsubscribe link at the bottom of your emails? When someone clicks that, Klaviyo automatically flips their profile to “Cannot receive email marketing.”
This process is automated so you don’t have to manually manage a list of people who opted out, which would be a total nightmare. It keeps you following the rules without you even having to think about it.
Not Making Your Customers Mad
This is a big one. There is almost nothing more annoying than unsubscribing from a brand’s emails and then… getting another marketing email from them a week later.
It breaks trust instantly. The customer thinks, “They don’t listen” or “Their system is broken.”
The “Can receive email marketing” setting ensures that when someone says stop, you actually stop. It respects their choice.
A happy former subscriber who was respected is much better than an angry person who is now marking all your emails as spam.
Keeping Your Sender Reputation Healthy
Okay so this gets a little technical but stick with me. Email providers like Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo are always watching.
They watch to see how people interact with your emails. Do they open them? Do they click? Or do they mark them as spam?
If you keep sending emails to people who have already unsubscribed, what do you think they’ll do? They’ll hit the spam button.
Get enough spam complaints, and the email providers start to think you’re a bad sender. Then, they start sending your emails straight to the spam folder for everyone, even the people who want to hear from you. This setting is a key defense against that happening. It’s generally a good idea to keep that reputation score high.
How Does a Profile Get Switched to “Off”?
So, a person doesn’t just randomly get their marketing permissions turned off. Something has to happen to trigger it. Normally, it’s one of a few things.
They Click an Unsubscribe Link: This is the most common one. They get an email, scroll to the bottom, and click “Unsubscribe.” Klaviyo handles the rest.
They Mark Your Email as Spam: When a person reports an email as spam to their provider (like Gmail), that provider sends feedback to Klaviyo. Klaviyo then suppresses them to protect your reputation.
Their Email Address Hard Bounces: A hard bounce means the email address is bad. Maybe it was fake, had a typo, or the account was closed. After a hard bounce, Klaviyo suppresses the profile so you don’t keep trying to send to a dead address.
You Manually Suppress Them: You can go into a profile yourself and change the setting. You might do this if a customer emails you directly and asks to be removed from all marketing.
The Big Confusion: Lists vs. The Master Switch
Here is where a lot of people get tripped up. They think removing someone from a list is the same as unsubscribing them. It is not.
Think about it like this. Your lists are like invitations to different parties. You can have a list for “VIP Customers,” another for “Blog Subscribers,” and one for “People Who Bought T-Shirts.” A single person can be on all three of those lists.
If you remove them from the “VIP Customers” list, they can still get emails you send to the other two lists. They are still invited to the other parties.
But the “Can receive email marketing” setting is the bouncer at the front door of the entire club. If the bouncer says they can’t come in (the switch is off), it doesn’t matter how many party invitations they have. They are not getting in. The master switch always wins. It’s the ultimate authority in Klaviyo for marketing consent.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I manually change someone back to “Can receive email marketing”?
Yes, you can. But you should be super careful. You should only do this if you have documented, explicit permission from that person saying they want to get your marketing emails again. Changing it without their consent is a bad idea and could violate email laws.
2. If someone is suppressed, will they still get order confirmation emails?
Yes, absolutely. Klaviyo knows the difference between a marketing email and a transactional email. Transactional emails are things like order confirmations, shipping notices, and password resets. These are considered necessary messages and will still be sent even if a person cannot receive marketing.
3. Why is someone suppressed if they never clicked unsubscribe?
This usually happens because their email hard bounced (it’s a bad address) or because they marked one of your past emails as spam. Klaviyo suppresses them automatically in these cases to protect your sender score.
4. How can I see a list of all my suppressed profiles?
You can easily do this in Klaviyo. Just go to the “Profiles” section and create a segment where the condition is “If someone is or is not suppressed” and set it to “is suppressed.” This will show you everyone who cannot receive marketing.
5. If I import a list of new contacts, what will their status be?
When you import a list, Klaviyo will ask you if they have given you permission to email them. If you say yes, they will be set to “Can receive email marketing.” If you don’t check that box, they will be added to Klaviyo but won’t be subscribed.
Key Takeaways
The “Can receive email marketing” toggle in a Klaviyo profile is the master control for whether someone gets promotional emails.
If this setting is off (grey), they will not get a marketing email from you, no matter what list they are on.
This setting helps you automatically follow email consent laws like GDPR and CAN-SPAM.
Respecting this setting is super important for keeping your customers happy and protecting your sender reputation with providers like Gmail.
Transactional emails, like order confirmations, are separate and will still be sent to suppressed profiles.
