Open rates

Apple just announced new privacy protections built into their upcoming versions of iOS and macOS that will prevent senders from tracking if or when users open an email. This update will also mask users’ IP address and location so it can’t be linked to other online activity. These changes are set to go into effect in the fall with the next update to all Apple users.

Sounds like big news, right? So, what does it mean for you and your organization? Well, let us first take a look at the stats on Apple Mail’s market share as an email service platform. According to a recent study from Litmus, 93.5% of all email opens on mobile come in Apple Mail on iPhones or iPads. In terms of desktop, Apple Mail is responsible for 58.4% of all email opens. Altogether, 61.7% of all emails are opened in some version of Apple Mail.

So, in short if we know anything it’s that any changes Apple makes to their “Apple Mail” platform will impact the ways we’re able to reach out to, track, and analyze our audience’s preferences in order to better serve them or message them in the future.

OPEN RATES

In the fall when your audiences make updates to their phones, tablets, and Macs, they will see a screen at launch which will invite them to opt into “Mail Privacy Protection.” If the user chooses to opt in, any “invisible pixels” that are present will be prevented from firing. It is invisible pixels like these that help email senders determine if and when an audience member opens their messages.

Once those pixels load, they can also gather other information based on IP address as well. If the invisible pixels are prevented from firing accurately, open rates will become obsolete in their reliability. In Apple’s case, anyone using Apple Mail to read their messages will be marked as an opener, even if they aren’t opening and engaging with your emails.

TESTING

As we move closer to a world where open rates become much less meaningful, we’ll also shift away from the usefulness of “email envelope” tests for subject lines, preheaders, “from” lines, etc. Not only will it be difficult to know who is opening your messages, it will also be tricky to learn about and improve to get your audience to engage in a meaningful way.

Of course, we’ll still be able to test email content with click-through and response rates – and those test results may be more important than ever as we optimize messages more specifically for click- or conversion-based engagement.

DELIVERABILITY

It is incredibly important, as an email sender that is blasting out thousands of messages a week, to keep your list clean. Unfortunately, open rate is one of the most essential metrics to determine which users are active and which are not. And while click-through rate remains a marker we can count on for engagement level, relying solely on this metric for deliverability is a more extreme measure.

The good news is, opens aren’t the only way to figure out whether you have a useful, spammy, or fake email address—and there are other ways to address deliverability. From email list cleans to authentication practices, validation tools to double opt-ins and much more, we’ll be working with vendors, brainstorming ideas, and pushing the boundaries of deliverability measurement like never before. After all, we know that if you can’t get your message in front of the audiences that want to see it, you won’t be as effective in your mission. What’s more, a healthy email program impacts giving both online and offline.

SO, WHAT’S NEXT?

Innovation is the name of the game here. The email marketing landscape may become a bit of a “Wild West” for a minute while we all work to figure out how to adapt to these new rules and standards. There will be a lot more to learn about how to keep a clean list, manage the most active audiences you can, and ensure the content you are delivering is fresh and relevant.

While we believe Internet privacy is incredibly important, we also want to ensure that nonprofits have the tools they need to create an abundance of good in the world. We’re all in this together! As we develop plans for the future of email metrics, testing, and deliverability, we’ll keep you updated on the newest strategies and tactics for a better email program.