Sopro reposted this
Leading Innovation at Sopro | Automating Success | Multi-Channel Sales Expert | Passionate Coder | Supporting Startups
Stop tracking email open rates. 🛑 Lots of talk about Gmails new banner blocking auto image downloads recently however this is not a new problem. Optimising campaigns for open rates is worse than a vanity exercise - it’s misleading and unreliable. Here’s why… Open tracking relies on an invisible image (a tracking pixel) embedded in your email. When the email is opened, the image loads, logging the open… But it’s not that simple. That pixel can also collect data like IP addresses, locations, and browser details, raising significant privacy concerns. As a result, major players like Microsoft, Google, and Apple have taken action to protect user privacy. Let’s take Gmail as an example: Since the introduction of Google’s privacy measures, reported open rates have been significantly inflated. Many of these “opens” are triggered by Google’s servers rather than genuine recipient engagement. Check out the data 📈 Chart 1: Compares open rates for Gmail against other providers like Microsoft and Proofpoint. Notably, Gmail’s open rates have consistently been higher, with a significant spike after 2018. Chart 2: Focuses on “first-minute opens” likely caused by image preloading or security scanning. Data suggests that 15-20% of emails sent to Gmail/GSuite recipients are false opens, a trend since 2018. The takeaway? Open rates are a relic. They’re inflated, unreliable and can mislead your outbound strategy. Instead, focus on metrics that reflect genuine engagement: ✅ Click-through rates ✅ Responses ✅ Actual engagement In email prospecting, not all that glitters is gold—some of it is just glitter. Full stats breakdown link in the comments #outbound #B2Bsales #prospecting