Email preference center
A page where subscribers control how they hear from a brand—choosing topics, adjusting frequency, or pausing—instead of only unsubscribing. A good preference center turns an all-or-nothing opt-out into a flexible choice and helps retain subscribers who would otherwise leave.
Custom unsubscribe page
A branded page that replaces the email platform's default 'you've been unsubscribed' confirmation. It still offers a clear one-click unsubscribe, but can also present alternatives—pause, preference changes, or an offer—so the moment of unsubscribe intent becomes a choice rather than a dead end.
Pause subscription (email pause)
A time-bounded alternative to unsubscribing in which a subscriber stops receiving emails for a set period—commonly 7, 30, or 90 days—and is then automatically resumed. Pausing keeps fatigued subscribers on the list instead of losing them permanently.
One-click unsubscribe
An unsubscribe option that lets a recipient opt out immediately with a single action, without logging in or completing extra steps. Keeping one-click unsubscribe clear and working is essential for compliance, sender reputation, and deliverability.
Unsubscribe rate
The percentage of recipients who opt out of a given email send. It varies widely by industry, list source, and sending frequency, so brands should track their own trend over time rather than compare to a single universal benchmark.
List churn
The rate at which an email list loses subscribers over time through unsubscribes, spam complaints, and inactivity. Reducing list churn means keeping more engaged subscribers, not just acquiring new ones.
Win-back flow
An automated email sequence aimed at re-engaging subscribers or customers who have lapsed or gone inactive, typically with reminders, incentives, or a preference prompt before they are suppressed.
Sunset flow
An automated process that gradually reduces sends to, and eventually suppresses, chronically unengaged subscribers. Sunsetting protects deliverability and sender reputation by removing people who never open or click before they unsubscribe or mark mail as spam.
Klaviyo hosted page
A page hosted through Klaviyo that the unsubscribe and manage-preferences links in your emails point to. By placing a redirect script on a hosted page, a brand can route every email link—past and future—to a custom unsubscribe or preference experience without editing individual email templates.
Manage preferences link
The 'update your preferences' or 'manage preferences' link in an email footer that sends subscribers to a preference center. Routing this link to a branded page lets subscribers adjust topics and frequency instead of unsubscribing.
Email suppression
Flagging a profile so it stops receiving marketing email while remaining in the platform. Suppression is used for unsubscribes, paused subscribers, and sunsetted contacts, and—unlike deletion—it preserves history and can be reversed when appropriate.
Revenue recovery (attribution)
Measuring the actual order revenue from subscribers who chose to stay or pause instead of unsubscribing—typically counting purchases within a window such as 90 days after they visited the unsubscribe page. It reframes retention from a "% stayed" rate into real dollars recovered.
Email Retention & Unsubscribe Glossary
Plain-language definitions of email retention and unsubscribe terms—email preference center, custom unsubscribe page, pause subscription, unsubscribe rate, sunset and win-back flows, Klaviyo hosted pages, and more.