Summary
A recent article published on IBM Think has caused a stir in the email marketing ecosystem. Titled “The Hidden Email Crisis That Costs Companies Billions”, the piece explores different case studies of companies facing email deliverability issues in email marketing and publishing industries. It highlights that even the most seasoned professionals can encounter severe inbox placement problems.
Published on December 11, 2025, the article recounts a misadventure experienced by Bouncer, a company specializing in email verification and list management, which discovered that its email marketing campaigns were ending up in spam folders. The article also references other companies in the newsletter industry facing similar deliverability challenges, underscoring that inbox placement is a critical and widespread concern across email marketing and publishing sectors.
Real-world example: struggling with email deliverability issues
A striking real-world example of a company facing email deliverability issues highlighted in the IBM Think article involves Bouncer. Bouncer is a company specializing in email verification and list management. Despite being an email deliverability specialist, Bouncer faced a situation where their own email campaigns ended up in clients’ spam folders, affecting inbox placement and overall campaign performance.
As Bouncer CEO Radek Kaczyński aptly said, “the shoemaker walks in shoes with holes” — and in this case, it couldn’t be more accurate. If it can happen to Bouncer, a company whose mission is to help clients stay out of spam folders, it can happen to any organization sending email campaigns. Radek Kaczyński also noted that restoring normal inbox placement took months.
This example demonstrates that modern spam filters and mailbox provider algorithms can challenge even the most experienced marketers.
How can a company identify an email deliverability issue?
In the case of Bouncer, CEO Radek Kaczyński realized the company was facing a serious email deliverability issue during their largest-ever email sales campaign in the lead-up to Cyber Week, when revenue unexpectedly flatlined despite following all best practices.
The problem became evident when a test email landed in his own spam folder, prompting a deeper investigation. This situation added pressure on Bouncer’s upcoming campaigns, as inbox placement issues could directly impact revenue and engagement.
Upon analyzing the data, Kaczyński confirmed the marketing team’s suspicions: for months, thousands of Bouncer’s emails, which were critical to sales and client communication, had been landing in clients’ spam folders.
This explained the sudden drop in campaign performance and highlighted how even experienced teams can struggle with email deliverability challenges.
What is the risk and cost of having an email deliverability issue?
The risks and costs associated with poor email deliverability are significant. According to IBM Think, in the U.S. alone, undelivered emails may account for USD 60 billion in potential losses each year. In contrast, one in six legitimate marketing emails never reaches recipients’ inboxes.
Even when senders follow all best practices, emails can still land in spam folders, affecting revenue, engagement, and overall campaign performance. Once emails are in spam, recovering inbox placement can take months, leading to lost revenue, decreased engagement, and long-term damage to sender reputation.
This demonstrates that email deliverability issues are not just technical problems—they have a direct financial and operational impact on any business relying on email marketing.
How to solve an email deliverability issue?
Email deliverability issues can cost businesses time, revenue, and engagement. To effectively address and prevent these challenges, companies should adopt a holistic approach that includes technical, strategic, and content-focused solutions.
As the CEO of Bouncer explained in a LinkedIn post, even email marketing experts can face serious inbox placement challenges. In their case, Bouncer successfully restored their deliverability by working with MailSoar’s email deliverability experts. Pierre Pinault, CEO of MailSoar, personally oversaw the situation, helping Bouncer identify the root causes of emails landing in spam folders, implement best practices, and gradually restore normal inbox placement.
By combining technical fixes, list hygiene, consistent sending patterns, and engagement-focused content, Bouncer was able to recover revenue and improve campaign performance, demonstrating that even the most experienced teams can benefit from expert guidance when tackling email deliverability issues.
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