Is email tracking dead and should marketers stop using open rates?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 19 Apr 2025
Updated 17 Aug 2025
7 min read
The world of email marketing is constantly evolving, with new privacy regulations and technological advancements reshaping how we measure success. For years, the email open rate has been a cornerstone metric, a seemingly straightforward indicator of whether your message even reached its audience.
However, recent changes, particularly Apple's Mail Privacy Protection (MPP), and various forms of email tracking, have thrown the accuracy of open rates into question. This has led many marketers to ask: Is email tracking dead? Should we stop using open rates altogether?
While the landscape has undoubtedly shifted, the answer is more nuanced than a simple yes or no. Open rates are not entirely dead, but their reliability as a standalone metric has certainly diminished. Marketers need to adapt, focusing on a broader set of metrics to truly understand campaign performance and recipient engagement.
The declining reliability of open rates
Email tracking traditionally relies on a tiny, invisible image pixel embedded in the email. When a recipient opens the email and their email client downloads this image, it registers an open event. This method has been the backbone of open rate measurement for decades, providing insights into subject line effectiveness and initial engagement.
However, privacy-focused features like Apple's Mail Privacy Protection, introduced in iOS 15, macOS Monterey, and watchOS 8, significantly impact this tracking method. MPP works by pre-loading email content, including tracking pixels, through a proxy server before the user ever opens the email. This means every email sent to an Apple Mail user, regardless of whether they actually open it, will register as an open. This artificial inflation makes the open rate metric highly unreliable for many senders.
Similar to Apple, Gmail has also been caching images for a while, which can lead to inaccuracies. While this doesn't mask user IP addresses in the same way MPP does, it means that an image load might not always correspond to a genuine user interaction at that specific moment. This trend towards privacy, including the use of email tracking pixels, is pushing marketers to rethink their approach to email analytics.
Understanding the email tracking pixel
An email tracking pixel is a 1x1 transparent GIF image embedded in an email. When the email client loads this image, it sends a request back to the server, which then records the open. This process also captures details like the recipient's IP address, device, and location, providing valuable but now less reliable data.
Impact of privacy features
Apple's Mail Privacy Protection automatically preloads email content via a proxy, making it appear as though an email has been opened, even if the user hasn't seen it. This artificial open inflates numbers and makes it difficult to gauge actual recipient interest based solely on open rates.
While the direct measurement of individual email opens has become less precise, it doesn't mean the open rate is entirely without value. In fact, many still find it useful for understanding broader trends.Looking at open rates in aggregate over time can still reveal insights, such as sudden drops or spikes that might indicate an underlying deliverability problem or a significant change in audience engagement.
For example, if your open rates consistently hover around a certain percentage for months and then suddenly drop by a significant margin, it could signal an issue with your email program. This might include a new IP address being blocklisted (or blacklisted), a sudden increase in spam complaints, or a decline in your sender reputation. In these cases, even an imperfect open rate can serve as a warning sign, prompting further investigation.
Furthermore, while individual opens are less reliable, the fact that an email was opened (even if pre-fetched) suggests it at least landed in the inbox rather than the spam folder for many consumer-level mailbox providers. This doesn't apply as universally to enterprise environments, where different rules may be in play. Therefore, some view it as a loose indicator of inbox placement, though it should not be the sole determinant.
The challenge
The traditional open rate, measured by tracking pixels, is significantly skewed by privacy features like Apple Mail Privacy Protection, which pre-fetches images, inflating perceived opens.
Impact on metrics
Inaccurate engagement: You can't precisely tell if a user truly engaged with your email or if it was an automated open.
Misleading A/B tests: Testing subject lines based on open rates becomes less effective with inflated data.
Segmentation issues: Segmenting active vs. inactive users based solely on opens is no longer reliable.
The utility
While individual open rates are flawed, analyzing trends over time can still provide valuable insights into deliverability and overall list health. A sudden deviation from your historical average open rate can flag potential issues.
Key benefits
Deliverability indicators: Significant drops can indicate spam folder placement or blocklisting (blacklisting).
Performance benchmarks: Comparing campaigns over time can reveal which types of content or subject lines historically resonate with your audience.
Holistic view: When combined with other metrics, open rates still contribute to a comprehensive understanding of email program health.
Metrics that truly matter
With the diminishing accuracy of open rates, marketers must shift their focus to metrics that truly reflect recipient engagement and desired actions. These metrics provide a more reliable picture of your campaign's success.
The most important of these is the click-through rate (CTR). A click requires explicit action from the recipient, making it a much stronger indicator of interest and engagement than an open. Similarly, conversion rates (e.g., purchases, sign-ups, downloads) directly tie your email efforts to business outcomes, demonstrating tangible ROI.
Beyond clicks and conversions, response rates, list growth, and unsubscribe rates are also crucial. A high response rate, especially in cold outreach, indicates genuine interest, while a healthy list growth rate points to effective acquisition strategies. Conversely, rising unsubscribe rates can signal content fatigue or misalignment with subscriber expectations. Monitoring spam complaint rates, often available through Google Postmaster Tools or other postmaster programs, is vital for maintaining a good sender reputation and avoiding email blocklists (or blacklists).
Ultimately, the focus should shift from merely seeing if an email was opened to understanding what actions recipients took after receiving it. This aligns with the broader industry trend toward privacy and more meaningful engagement metrics.
Metric
Description
Why it matters now
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Percentage of recipients who click a link in your email after opening it.
Directly measures engagement and interest in your content. Less affected by privacy changes.
Conversion Rate
Percentage of recipients who complete a desired action (e.g., purchase, sign-up) after clicking.
Measures direct ROI and business impact. The ultimate goal of most email campaigns.
Unsubscribe Rate
Percentage of recipients who opt out of your email list.
Indicates content relevance and list fatigue. High rates can damage sender reputation.
Spam Complaint Rate
Percentage of recipients who mark your email as spam.
Critical for deliverability and avoiding email blocklists (blacklists). Provides direct feedback to mailbox providers.
List Growth Rate
The rate at which your email list is expanding or contracting.
Measures the effectiveness of your subscriber acquisition strategies.
Adapting your measurement strategy
Given the shifting landscape, marketers need to adopt a more holistic and adaptive approach to email measurement. This involves looking beyond individual metrics and focusing on a comprehensive view of how your email program contributes to overall business goals.
One key strategy is to leverage DMARC reports. These XML reports provide valuable data on email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and deliverability, offering insights into whether your emails are even reaching the inbox or being rejected/quarantined. While not a direct replacement for open rates, they offer a fundamental layer of deliverability intelligence.
Focus on behavioral data beyond the email itself. Are recipients visiting your website, downloading resources, or making purchases after receiving an email? Integrate your email marketing platform with your CRM and analytics tools to track these downstream actions. This provides a clearer picture of how email contributes to the customer journey and revenue.
Finally, prioritize building a strong sender reputation. This includes maintaining a clean email list, sending relevant content, and ensuring proper email authentication. A strong reputation with mailbox providers like Outlook means your emails are more likely to land in the inbox, regardless of tracking pixel nuances. Tools that monitor your blocklist (blacklist) status can also provide early warnings of potential deliverability issues.
The importance of DMARC reporting
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) provides detailed reports on your email sending activity, including authentication results and potential spoofing attempts. These reports are invaluable for understanding how mailbox providers view your emails.
Sample DMARC record
Basic DMARC recorddns
_dmarc.yourdomain.com IN TXT "v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc_reports@yourdomain.com; ruf=mailto:forensic_reports@yourdomain.com; fo=1"
A p=none policy is a good starting point to gather data without impacting deliverability.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Always maintain a clean and engaged email list to avoid deliverability issues and improve actual engagement.
Focus on optimizing your email content for clicks and conversions, as these are more reliable metrics.
Utilize DMARC reports to monitor email authentication and gain insights into deliverability and spoofing.
Segment your audience effectively and personalize content to increase relevance and drive stronger engagement.
Conduct A/B tests on call-to-actions and content, not just subject lines, to optimize for conversion.
Common pitfalls
Solely relying on open rates as the primary measure of campaign success due to their increasing inaccuracy.
Ignoring other vital metrics like click-through rates, conversion rates, and spam complaints.
Failing to adapt measurement strategies to privacy changes like Apple Mail Privacy Protection.
Not integrating email data with CRM and analytics tools to track downstream customer actions.
Neglecting sender reputation and proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
Expert tips
Consider engagement beyond email: track website visits, content downloads, and form submissions from email traffic.
Use email deliverability tests regularly to identify potential issues before they impact campaigns.
Leverage mailbox provider feedback loops for direct insights into spam complaints.
Experiment with different content formats and calls-to-action to see what drives real user action.
Focus on building long-term subscriber trust and delivering genuine value in every email.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says that open rates have always been somewhat flawed, but they are still one data signal among many that anyone reliant on email communications should look at. There are still reasonable thresholds above which you can pretty confidently say someone is largely inboxing, and below which they are likely spam foldering. Individually, open rates have been unreliable for quite some time.
2024-08-27 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says that the writing is on the wall, and it would be prudent for marketers to think about other ways outside of click-through rates (CTRs) to track engagement, noting that additional privacy activity is affecting B2B significantly.
2024-08-28 - Email Geeks
The path forward for email marketers
Email tracking, especially as it pertains to open rates, is not entirely dead, but it has certainly evolved. The days of relying solely on open rates as a primary success metric are behind us due to increased privacy measures and technical nuances in how opens are reported.
Marketers should embrace a more sophisticated approach to measuring email performance. This means prioritizing metrics like click-through rates, conversion rates, and ultimately, the revenue or business impact driven by your email campaigns. While open rates can still offer directional insights when viewed as trends over time, they should be considered alongside a broader array of engagement signals.
By adapting to these changes and focusing on more reliable indicators of engagement, you can ensure your email marketing efforts remain effective and truly contribute to your business objectives, fostering better relationships with your audience based on genuine interaction, not just a phantom open.
Apple Mail user, regardless of whether they actually open it, will register as an open. This artificial inflation makes the open rate metric highly unreliable for many senders.
Gmail has also been caching images for a while, which can lead to inaccuracies. While this doesn't mask user IP addresses in the same way MPP does, it means that an image load might not always correspond to a genuine user interaction at that specific moment. This trend towards privacy, including the use of email tracking pixels, is pushing marketers to rethink their approach to email analytics.
Outlook means your emails are more likely to land in the inbox, regardless of tracking pixel nuances. Tools that monitor your blocklist (blacklist) status can also provide early warnings of potential deliverability issues.
