Hey, it's Geb from Email Rev Lab!
At 11:54 AM, I signed up for Elm & Rye's 10% discount through their pop-up.
One minute later, the welcome email arrived.
Fast delivery. But it landed in Gmail's Promotions tab. Not Primary.
And for a welcome email carrying a discount code, that placement matters more than most brands realize.
The Brand Bridge:
Elm & Rye's mission is to make high-quality supplements accessible and convenient. Elm & Rye Testing ranks as their number one company value. They third-party test every product and publish the results on their site. Elm & Rye
That's a brand built on trust and transparency.
But if your welcome email is in Promotions, the new subscriber has to go looking for it. Most won't. The trust-building can't even start.
The Pop-up Test:
Clean design. Clear offer. The "get 10% off your first order" headline does the job.
But collecting email, first name, phone, AND birthday in one pop-up? That's too many fields. Every extra field drops the conversion rate. Phone and birthday collection belong in a post-signup flow, not the initial pop-up.
Confirmation screen said: "Check your inbox for 10% off." Simple. Works.
The Tech Test:
One-minute delivery is solid. That's not the problem here.
The issue is the email itself. The welcome email uses a heavy HTML template with a full branded header, multi-column product grid, multiple images, and six separate CTA buttons. Branded HTML templates with headers, footers, and multi-column layouts are a consistent signal to Gmail's algorithm that an email is promotional, not personal. ClearoutThe design is doing the sorting, not anything wrong with the sending infrastructure.
The Inbox Test:
Promotions tab. Not Primary.
Subject line: "Welcome to Elm & Rye. 10% off inside." Functional, but it won't pull someone out of Promotions with urgency. No curiosity gap. No reason to act now.
The Email Creative Test:
The hero block is visually strong. The discount code "HEALTH" is displayed clearly.
But the product grid below the fold shows six categories with individual "Shop Now" buttons. That's too many decisions for someone who hasn't bought yet. One focused CTA converts better than six.
The quiz CTA at the bottom ("Let's build your vitamin plan") is the best idea in the email. It should be higher up.
The Fix (Klaviyo):
In Klaviyo, update your welcome email sender name from "Elm & Rye" to a person's name, like "Alex from Elm & Rye." Gmail's algorithm treats personal sender names as a signal that the email is conversational rather than promotional. This single change is the easiest win. Bulk Email Checker
Redesign the welcome email to a single-column, minimal layout. Remove the multi-product grid. One hero image, one CTA, one job: get the subscriber to use their discount code.
Move the quiz CTA ("Build your vitamin plan") directly below the hero block. Capture intent before they scroll away.
The Impact Statement:
Having a promotional email land in the Primary tab generally boosts open rates by around 30%. MarketingProfs For a welcome email, that's the highest-value open you have.
Here's what I'm curious about: what's Elm & Rye's current welcome email open rate, and how much of that list is Gmail users sitting in Promotions?
Elm & Rye has the science, the transparency, and the press coverage. They just need an email template that doesn't signal "bulk marketing" to Gmail's algorithm.
I send these audits daily because bottlenecks like this can be fixed in one day with the right information.
Want me to audit your Klaviyo account the same way?
Reply to this email and I'll send you a free breakdown of where your welcome series is leaking revenue.
Geb Vence
P.S. I run Email Rev Lab. We've generated $334k+ for brands by building systems that feel like conversations, not ads. I only work with 3 brands per month. Schedule your call here.