Summary
Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) primarily affects email open rates by preloading images, rendering them unreliable for accurate tracking. Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) limits cross-site tracking, impacting the ability to track users across multiple websites after they click a link, but does not directly block click tracking within emails. Experts and marketers recommend a shift in focus from open rates to more reliable metrics such as click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, website traffic, and engagement metrics like click-to-open rates (CTOR). Strategies to adapt include leveraging behavioral data for personalization, A/B testing, focusing on engagement-based list segmentation, and building privacy-centric solutions like contextual advertising. Proper cookie consent is crucial for any cross-site tracking. Registering click tracking domains is generally unnecessary.
Key findings
- MPP Impact on Open Rates: MPP renders open rates unreliable due to image preloading, leading to inflated metrics.
- ITP's Cross-Site Tracking Limitation: ITP limits the ability to track users across different websites after they click on an email link, impacting behavioral tracking.
- Shift to Alternative Metrics: The industry recommends focusing on click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, website traffic, and engagement metrics as more reliable indicators of email campaign performance.
- Importance of Personalization and Segmentation: Leveraging behavioral data for personalization and engaging in list segmentation based on observed user behavior can improve relevance and effectiveness.
- Cookie Consent: Cookie consent is essential for cross-site tracking, highlighting the importance of adhering to privacy regulations.
Key considerations
- Prioritize Click Tracking: Pay closer attention to click tracking as a key indicator of engagement and interest in email content.
- Implement A/B Testing: Use A/B testing to optimize email campaigns and identify successful strategies in the new privacy landscape.
- Leverage CTOR: Utilize click-to-open rates (CTOR) to gain insights into content relevance and effectiveness, even when open rates are skewed.
- Focus on Privacy-Centric Solutions: Explore privacy-centric solutions like contextual advertising and aggregated data analysis to reduce reliance on individual user tracking.
- Re-evaluate and Monitor Metrics: Continuously re-evaluate which metrics to monitor and focus on to adapt to changes in the email marketing landscape.
What email marketers say
12 marketer opinions
Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) primarily affects open rates by preloading images, rendering them unreliable. Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) limits cross-site tracking but does not directly block click tracking within emails. As a result, marketers are advised to shift focus from open rates to click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, website traffic, and engagement metrics. Strategies such as leveraging behavioral data for personalization, A/B testing, and focusing on click-to-open rates (CTOR) can help mitigate the impact of these privacy measures. Registering click tracking domains is generally not necessary unless specifically related to services like 'Sign in with Apple'.
Key opinions
- MPP Impact: MPP mainly inflates open rates due to image preloading.
- ITP Scope: ITP limits cross-site tracking, but does not directly block click tracking in emails.
- Metric Shift: Marketers should focus on click-through rates, conversion rates, and engagement metrics instead of open rates.
- Registration: Registering click tracking domains is typically unnecessary.
Key considerations
- Personalization: Leverage behavioral data for personalized email content.
- A/B Testing: Implement A/B testing to optimize email campaigns and strategies.
- CTOR: Focus on click-to-open rates (CTOR) to measure engagement.
- Engagement: Segment audiences based on engagement to improve relevance.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks clarifies that 'click tracking pixel' is not a thing, but an 'open tracking pixel' is, which is just an image affected by MPP. Click tracking is done via URLs within the email and isn't impacted by MPP or ITP.
14 May 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Email marketer from Sendinblue explains that email marketers need to adapt their strategies by focusing on engagement metrics beyond open rates, such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and website traffic. Segmenting audiences based on click behavior can provide more accurate insights into subscriber engagement.
27 Jun 2021 - Sendinblue
What the experts say
3 expert opinions
MPP primarily impacts open rates by preloading images, thus not directly affecting click tracking itself. However, the rise of MPP necessitates a shift in focus towards click tracking as a more reliable engagement metric. The significant adoption of MPP by Apple Mail users means open rates are becoming increasingly unreliable, prompting marketers to re-evaluate which metrics to prioritize.
Key opinions
- MPP Impact: MPP primarily affects open rates, not click tracking directly.
- Metric Shift: Click tracking is a more reliable engagement indicator due to MPP.
- Adoption Rate: MPP is widely adopted, impacting open rates significantly.
Key considerations
- Focus on Clicks: Prioritize click tracking analysis for email campaign performance.
- Re-evaluate Metrics: Identify and monitor alternative metrics in response to unreliable open rates.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that the Apple MPP rollout is a big deal that could cause about 90% of Apple Mail users to have privacy protection on. Therefore we should see a massive drop in open rates on any list. He then states that one needs to be thinking about which metrics should be monitored and focused on instead.
28 May 2023 - Word to the Wise
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks states that MPP is about when images are loaded, and has nothing to do with clicks.
21 Apr 2024 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
5 technical articles
MPP primarily affects email open rates by preloading images, leading to inaccurate open metrics. ITP limits cross-site tracking through cookie restrictions but does not directly block click tracking within emails. The industry is moving towards privacy-centric solutions like contextual advertising and aggregated data analysis. Obtaining cookie consent is vital for tracking users across websites. These changes require email marketers to adapt by focusing on click-through rates and conversion metrics as more reliable measures of engagement.
Key findings
- MPP Impact: MPP inflates email open rates due to image preloading.
- ITP Scope: ITP limits cross-site tracking, but doesn't directly block click tracking.
- Cookie Consent: Cookie consent is necessary for tracking users across websites.
- Privacy Solutions: Industry is moving towards privacy-centric advertising solutions.
Key considerations
- Metric Focus: Shift focus to click-through rates and conversion metrics.
- Adapt Strategies: Adapt email marketing strategies to privacy-focused landscape.
- Respect Consent: Ensure proper cookie consent for tracking.
Technical article
Documentation from IAB Tech Lab explains that the industry should focus on building privacy-centric solutions, like contextual advertising and aggregated data analysis. These approaches reduce the reliance on individual user tracking and provide a more sustainable model for digital advertising.
10 May 2022 - IAB Tech Lab
Technical article
Documentation from Braze indicates that MPP impacts email metrics, primarily open rates. With MPP enabled, Apple Mail pre-loads email content, including tracking pixels, which results in inflated open rates. Braze recommends focusing on click-through rates and conversion rates as more reliable engagement metrics.
28 Aug 2022 - Braze
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