I am having this same issue! I thought it was just me. It’s really frustrating when trying to build a business. Have anyone found a solution for this yet?
Topic summary
Issue Identified:
Shopify store owners discovered customers were being automatically unsubscribed from email marketing lists (Shopify Email, Mailchimp, Klaviyo) immediately after making purchases, even though they hadn’t actively opted out.
Root Cause:
The checkout page includes an optional “subscribe to newsletter” checkbox. When existing subscribers make purchases without checking this box, Shopify interprets this as an unsubscribe request and sends an API call to remove them from marketing lists.
Primary Solution:
Navigate to Shopify Settings → Checkout and enable the option to automatically pre-check the newsletter subscription box. This way, customers remain subscribed by default and must actively uncheck to opt out.
Additional Fix (Mailchimp Users):
One user resolved the issue by removing old legacy Shopify app connections in their Mailchimp account and reconnecting with the newer integration, which eliminated conflicting API calls.
Community Concern:
Multiple users expressed frustration that unchecking the box should mean “no change” rather than “unsubscribe,” especially for already-subscribed customers. The thread emphasizes this is a platform design flaw affecting customer retention across different email marketing tools.