Internet Service Providers (ISPs), like Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft, use DKIM and SPF authentication as a way to scan incoming emails for spam or spoofed addresses. Emails that fail authentication are more likely to arrive in a spam or junk folder.
To help ensure your emails reach your customers' inboxes, you can set up custom DKIM authentication for your domain, and add RecoverMyCart to your SPF record.
Before you get started
Here are key details to note about custom domains:
Custom domain authentication is recommended for all merchants and is available on all pricing plans.
To set up authentication, you need to change some account settings with your DNS provider. If you don't know who your DNS provider is, reach out to your hosting service.
If you don't have a custom email domain yet, here are some useful resources on how to do this:
Verify your custom email domain in RecoverMyCart
If you have a custom email domain, you can verify your email domain in RecoverMyCart.
1. In your RecoverMyCart, go to the drop-down menu under your store name on the right-hand side of the screen and select Sender Domains
2. Click Verify A Domain.
3. Under 'Email Address', enter an email address that contains the custom email domain that you want to verify. You will then be sent an email with a unique verification code.
4. In your email inbox, open your email with the subject line "Verify Your Domain Before Sending".
5. Click Verify Domain Access to automatically verify your email domain or copy the unique verification code from your email.
If you click through the call-to-action button your custom domain will automatically be verified. Please skip ahead to the next section Authenticate your email domain in your domain provider.
If you copied the unique verification code, please continue following the steps below.
6. In your RecoverMyCart, still on the Domains page, your email domain will be listed as Pending.
7. Enter your unique verification code.
8. Click Verify. Your email domain will then be verified in Abandoned Cart Recovery.
Authenticate your email domain in your domain provider
To improve your email deliverability rates, authenticate your domain. This will allow you to send your abandoned cart automation from your own domain.
1. Still on your Domain page, click Authenticate.
2. Enter the name of your domain provider and click Authenticate.
3. Select the preferred authentication type of your domain provider:
CNAME (most common)
MX
📝 Note: If you are unsure of what your domain provider requires, please see the help articles below, or contact their customer support team.
4. Click Authenticate. The details that you need to add to your Domain Provider as new records will now display like this:
Your Domain Provider will then ask for these details to create new DNS records. Each of these rows needs to be added as a new record.
Type: CNAME
Host: em8285
Data: u8056962.wl213.sendgrid.net
5. In your Domain Provider, edit your DNS Records.
📝 Note: This step confirms that you are allowing RecoverMyCart to send emails from your domain on your behalf.
Here are some instructions for editing DNS records with popular domain providers. If your service isn't listed here, log in to your provider's site and search their help articles, or contact their customer support team.
Amazon Web Services: Configuring DNS, Resource Record Types
Dreamhost: DNS Overview
GoDaddy: Add a CNAME Record
Google Domains: DNS Basics
Xneelo: Manage DNS records
Hostgator: Manage DNS records
Hover: Edit DNS Record
Namecheap: SPF & DKIM
Squarespace: Advanced DNS Settings
6. In your Domain Provider, add/edit your SPF Record.
📝 Note: This process confirms to RecoverMyCart's email service provider (SendGrid) can send the email on your behalf.
If you have an SPF record set for your root domain (i.e. yourdomain.com), you must add include:sendgrid.net before all the mechanisms of this record. If you do not have an SPF record for your domain you must create a TXT record with the value:
v=spf1 include:sendgrid.net ~all
⚠️ Important: Do not create more than one SPF record for a given domain.
If you need more than one SPF record, you will want to merge the additional SPF records into a single SPF record.
If you already have an SPF record for your domain. You would just need to add our lookup at the end of the string, before the ~all mechanism, like so:
v=spf1 a mx include:_spf.google.com include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:sendgrid.net ~all
📖 Keep reading: SPF and sender authentication for SendGrid
7. In RecoverMyCart, once you have edited your DNS & SPF records:
Select "I have installed the following records with my domain provider" and click Confirm.
Your domain is being authenticated. This can take up to 48 hours for the records to update.
Once the authenticated process is complete. Your Campaigns, Automation, and Loyalty Notification emails will now be sent from your own email domain.
How it works – Your customers' experience
Your customers will now receive emails from your custom email domain. In their inbox, they will still see your Sender's Name.
Within the email, they will be able to see that it was sent from your custom email domain.