Summary
BIMI's primary impact on email KPIs centers around enhancing brand visibility, building trust, and improving deliverability. By displaying a brand's logo in the inbox, BIMI increases brand recognition, open rates, and click-through rates. This enhanced visibility and recognition are further amplified by the trust instilled through BIMI's reliance on strong email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, signaling sender legitimacy to both recipients and mailbox providers. While direct attribution of BIMI to downstream metrics like conversions and revenue is challenging to measure definitively, the collective evidence suggests that improved engagement, enhanced security, and better deliverability indirectly contribute to a positive impact on these KPIs. Implementation requires DMARC enforcement and often a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC), both of which add complexity and cost.
Key findings
- Enhanced Visibility: BIMI increases brand visibility in the inbox, leading to higher open rates and click-through rates.
- Improved Trust and Security: BIMI leverages strong authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and VMCs to verify sender identity and protect against phishing and spoofing.
- Better Deliverability: BIMI signals legitimacy to mailbox providers, improving email deliverability and inbox placement.
- Increased Engagement: Anecdotal evidence and some data suggest a lift in email engagement after BIMI implementation, although direct attribution is difficult.
Key considerations
- Technical Implementation: BIMI requires proper implementation of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, which can be technically complex.
- DMARC Enforcement: A DMARC policy must be in place with enforcement set to either quarantine or reject for BIMI to function correctly.
- VMC Requirement: Obtaining a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) adds complexity and cost, requiring trademark registration and logo verification.
- Attribution Challenges: Directly attributing increases in conversions and revenue solely to BIMI is difficult due to various external factors and the lack of easy A/B testing methods.
What email marketers say
10 marketer opinions
BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) impacts email KPIs by enhancing brand visibility and trust. The visual presence of a brand logo in the inbox increases brand recognition, open rates, and click-through rates. BIMI relies on strong email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, signaling legitimacy to mailbox providers and improving deliverability. While direct attribution of BIMI to conversions and revenue is challenging, enhanced trust and security contribute to improved customer perception and loyalty. Testing and monitoring BIMI's impact is important to determine its effectiveness.
Key opinions
- Increased Visibility: BIMI enhances brand visibility, making emails stand out in crowded inboxes and improving brand recognition.
- Improved Trust: BIMI enhances trust and security by verifying the sender's identity and protecting against phishing.
- Enhanced Deliverability: BIMI improves email deliverability by signaling legitimacy to mailbox providers through strong authentication.
- Higher Engagement: BIMI can lead to higher open rates and click-through rates due to increased brand visibility and trust.
Key considerations
- Authentication Requirements: BIMI requires strict email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to be properly implemented.
- Attribution Challenges: Directly attributing increases in conversions and revenue solely to BIMI can be difficult due to external factors.
- Testing and Monitoring: Testing and continuously monitoring the impact of BIMI on email metrics is essential to measure its effectiveness.
- Brand Reputation: BIMI enhances brand reputation by indicating that the sender values email security and takes steps to protect recipients.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Mailjet suggests that BIMI can lead to higher click-through rates as the visual presence of a logo in the inbox captures recipients' attention and encourages them to interact with the email.
30 Mar 2024 - Mailjet
Marketer view
Email marketer from Return Path emphasizes that BIMI can enhance brand reputation by signaling to recipients and mailbox providers that the sender takes email security seriously, which can positively influence customer perception and trust.
25 Dec 2021 - Return Path
What the experts say
5 expert opinions
BIMI impacts email KPIs primarily by enhancing brand visibility and trust, ultimately driving engagement. While A/B testing is challenging due to technical limitations, anecdotal evidence and Yahoo (Verizon) results suggest improved click and open rates. BIMI's reliance on DMARC for authentication ensures domain protection against spoofing, bolstering trust. However, measuring the full impact on conversions and revenue remains an ongoing challenge, necessitating innovative measurement strategies.
Key opinions
- Increased Engagement: Multiple sources report an increase in email engagement (clicks and opens) after implementing BIMI.
- Enhanced Brand Visibility: BIMI improves brand visibility, fostering recognition and trust with recipients.
- Improved Authentication: BIMI leverages DMARC for email authentication, safeguarding against domain spoofing and enhancing trust.
Key considerations
- Measurement Challenges: Measuring the direct impact of BIMI on conversions and revenue is difficult due to technical limitations preventing A/B testing and other factors.
- DMARC Requirement: Proper implementation of DMARC is crucial for BIMI to function effectively and provide intended benefits.
- Limited Conversion Data: While BIMI shows promise in boosting engagement, concrete data linking it directly to increased revenue or conversions is limited.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks shares that guiding folks on how best to measure BIMI success is an ongoing challenge and shares a blog post with thoughts on how to measure BIMI impact, given technical limitations that generally prevent good A/B testing: <https://www.valimail.com/blog/how-to-measure-bimi-impact/>
18 Jul 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise highlights that BIMI relies on DMARC for proper authentication, so by implementing BIMI, you're ensuring your domain is protected against spoofing, which improves trust and potentially KPIs.
12 Apr 2022 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
BIMI leverages robust email authentication standards (SPF, DKIM, and DMARC) to establish sender legitimacy, reduce bounce rates, and improve overall email deliverability. A DMARC policy with quarantine or reject enforcement is a prerequisite for BIMI, protecting against domain spoofing and ensuring logo display only for legitimate emails. Verified Mark Certificates (VMCs) further validate logo ownership, enhancing security and recipient trust. Obtaining a VMC necessitates trademark registration and rigorous logo verification processes.
Key findings
- Authentication Reliance: BIMI's effectiveness hinges on the correct implementation and enforcement of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC protocols.
- DMARC Prerequisite: A DMARC policy set to quarantine or reject is mandatory for BIMI implementation, preventing unauthorized logo usage.
- VMC Validation: Verified Mark Certificates (VMCs) provide a layer of logo ownership validation, fostering trust and security.
Key considerations
- Technical Complexity: Implementing BIMI requires a solid understanding and careful configuration of email authentication protocols.
- VMC Acquisition: Obtaining a VMC involves trademark registration and logo verification, adding to the complexity and cost of BIMI implementation.
- Policy Enforcement: DMARC policy enforcement is critical; without it, BIMI's security benefits are significantly reduced.
Technical article
Documentation from DigiCert clarifies that BIMI uses Verified Mark Certificates (VMCs) to validate the ownership of the displayed logo, which adds an extra layer of security and trust for recipients.
19 Feb 2024 - DigiCert
Technical article
Documentation from Entrust details the process of acquiring a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) which is needed to display a logo with BIMI, emphasizing the importance of trademark registration and logo verification.
1 Sep 2024 - Entrust
Can BIMI logos be animated and how do Google profile images interact with BIMI?
Does BIMI impact email deliverability?
Does BIMI improve email deliverability?
Does BIMI improve email deliverability and engagement?
How do I display my logo in email inboxes, particularly Gmail, and what are the BIMI requirements?
How do I implement BIMI and get my logo to show in Gmail and Yahoo Mail?
