How does high email volume during BFCM impact sender reputation?

High email volume during BFCM can intensify scrutiny from mailbox providers. If your sending practices are poor, this increased volume can quickly lead to higher spam complaint rates or a rise in bounce rates, which negatively affects your sender reputation. A weakened reputation can result in emails being sent to the spam folder or even outright rejected.

What are common reasons emails get blocklisted during Black Friday and Cyber Monday?

Emails often get blocklisted during BFCM due to sudden, unmanaged spikes in volume, sending to unengaged or old lists that contain spam traps, or high complaint rates from recipients overwhelmed by promotions. Failing to properly authenticate your emails (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) can also contribute to blocklisting.

How far in advance should I start preparing my email campaigns for BFCM?

You should ideally start preparing your email campaigns and infrastructure several months in advance of BFCM. This includes cleaning your email lists, warming up new IP addresses, and planning your sending schedule to account for potential volume surges and "Black Week" trends.

What are the key metrics to monitor during the BFCM period?

During BFCM, closely monitor key metrics such as email open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, bounce rates (both hard and soft), spam complaint rates, and unsubscribe rates. These metrics provide vital insights into campaign performance and potential deliverability issues.

Is it better to send fewer, highly targeted emails or a higher volume of broader emails during BFCM?

Generally, it is better to send fewer, highly targeted emails during BFCM. While the temptation for high volume is strong, focusing on engaged segments with relevant offers often yields higher conversion rates and better deliverability, reducing the risk of being filtered or blocklisted.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday Email Volume Statistics - Basics - Email deliverability - Knowledge base

Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) are unequivocally the most critical periods for email marketers. The sheer volume of emails sent during this concentrated shopping window is staggering, transforming the email landscape into a high-stakes environment where every message counts.

Understanding the magnitude of this email traffic, along with the associated deliverability challenges, is paramount for any business looking to capitalize on holiday sales. Without insight into these trends, even the most compelling offers can fall short of their intended recipients.

This article delves into the latest statistics and insights surrounding BFCM email volume, exploring the implications for your email deliverability and outlining strategies to ensure your campaigns land in the inbox, not the spam folder.

The immense scale of holiday email sending

Each year, the volume of emails sent during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday period continues to set new records. Major email service providers report processing billions of messages over these few days. For instance, Twilio SendGrid observed over 11.7 billion emails processed on Cyber Monday, marking a substantial 14.2% year-over-year growth. Braze also reported impressive figures, with 13.9 billion messages sent on Black Friday and 13.2 billion on Cyber Monday.

This consistent year-over-year growth underscores email's enduring importance as a primary marketing channel, even amidst the rise of other communication methods. Sinch Mailgun and Mailjet, for example, collectively witnessed a significant 33% increase in email volumes on both Black Friday and Cyber Monday, indicating a broad industry trend of heightened activity. Campaign Monitor's data further corroborates this, showing 116.5 million emails sent on Black Friday and 106 million on Cyber Monday in recent years, making these days prime sending opportunities.

The sheer concentration of this volume within a short timeframe also means incredible hourly peaks. For some providers, this can translate to hundreds of millions of emails sent in a single hour, a testament to the robust infrastructure required to handle such demand. This massive influx of messages naturally intensifies competition for inbox placement and places unique pressure on email infrastructure and deliverability.

Regional differences and evolving trends

While Black Friday and Cyber Monday are global phenomena, email sending patterns and consumer responses can vary significantly by region. For instance, some data suggests that European markets might have different peak days or overall volumes compared to the US. Our own observations from the community indicate that while US volumes might see dramatic spikes on Black Friday itself, European volumes sometimes show significant increases earlier in "Black Week".

The concept of "Black Week" is an evolving trend, where promotional emails begin circulating well before Black Friday weekend. Omnisend's analysis revealed a 34% increase in email volume two weeks prior to Black Friday, indicating that many marketers are extending their holiday campaigns. This earlier start aims to capture consumer attention ahead of the main event, but it also means the overall period of elevated email volume is expanding.

Furthermore, cultural reception plays a role. In some regions, there's a degree of skepticism or even outright rejection of the Black Friday concept, leading some brands to opt out or adjust their sending strategies. This localized response means that email marketers need to be highly attuned to regional nuances rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach to their holiday sending strategy.

Impact on deliverability and sender reputation

The astronomical email volumes during BFCM present unique challenges for email deliverability. Mailbox providers become highly vigilant, and even minor sender reputation issues can lead to increased filtering or messages landing in spam. The heightened scrutiny means that email senders are at a greater risk of experiencing deliverability issues during peak sending events, which can have significant repercussions. An immediate consequence of poor sending practices during these periods is the increased likelihood of your IP address or domain being added to a blocklist (or blacklist). When your domain is on an email blacklist, your messages may be rejected outright, leading to a massive loss of potential sales. Even if not entirely blocked, a diminished sender reputation can lead to emails consistently hitting the spam folder, a common issue during high-volume events.

Proactive preparation is therefore critical. Ensuring your email list is clean and verified, implementing proper IP warming for new sending infrastructure, and carefully managing your email frequency and volume are crucial steps. This proactive approach helps maintain a strong sender reputation and prevents common issues like high bounce rates on Cyber Monday that can arise when sending to disengaged or invalid addresses, especially before such critical periods.

Increased filtering

Spam folder placement: More emails increase competition, leading to higher spam rates for senders with even minor reputation issues.
Blocklisting risk: Aggressive sending or poor list hygiene can quickly land your IPs or domains on a blocklist.
Resource strain: High volume can stress email sending infrastructure, causing slower delivery or send failures.

Mitigating risks

List hygiene: Regularly clean your lists to remove invalid or inactive addresses, which helps prevent emails going to spam.
IP warming: If using new IPs, gradually increase sending volume well in advance to build a positive sender reputation (e.g., as seen with Mailgun).
Sender authentication: Ensure proper configuration of your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to prove legitimacy (e.g., vital for Twilio SendGrid).

Navigating volume spikes for inbox success

Effectively managing email volume during Black Friday and Cyber Monday is a delicate balance. It's not just about sending more, but about sending smartly. Understanding how email volume and volume fluctuations affect deliverability is key to avoiding pitfalls. Senders must be mindful of their usual sending patterns and anticipate how peak periods might deviate, adapting their strategy accordingly.

To mitigate risks during these periods, focus on highly engaged segments of your audience. While the temptation might be to send to everyone, targeting those most likely to open and click can significantly improve your overall engagement metrics, which mailbox providers closely monitor. Maintaining strong engagement is crucial, as low open rates or high spam complaints can swiftly lead to deliverability issues. This is especially true when attempting to troubleshoot exceptionally low email open rates during BFCM.

Example SPF record snippetDNS

v=spf1 include:_spf.example.com include:spf.sendgrid.net ~all

Ultimately, email deliverability underpins the success of any BFCM campaign. Salesforce data indicates that email marketing accounts for a significant portion of online sales during this period, reinforcing its importance. By prioritizing sender reputation and optimizing for inbox placement, businesses can convert the massive email volume into tangible revenue, ensuring their holiday efforts pay off.

Views from the trenches

Best practices

Prepare your email infrastructure well in advance, scaling up and testing for increased Black Friday and Cyber Monday volume.

Prioritize sending to your most engaged subscribers during peak days to maximize positive engagement signals.

Monitor your deliverability metrics closely throughout the entire Cyber Week period.

Common pitfalls

Sending to unengaged or old lists, which can trigger spam traps and damage your sender reputation.

Neglecting to segment your audience and sending generic messages to everyone, leading to lower engagement.

Failing to account for regional differences in Black Friday and Cyber Monday email volume spikes and consumer behavior.

Expert tips

Consider starting your holiday campaigns earlier than Black Friday to spread out sending volume and avoid last-minute congestion.

Analyze past Black Friday and Cyber Monday performance data to inform your current year's strategy and identify areas for improvement.

Diversify your marketing channels beyond email to reach customers, reducing sole reliance on email during peak times.

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks says that Klaviyo reported sending over 700 million emails, noting this significant volume from a deliverability perspective.

December 2, 2019 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks shared that their company saw 100 million emails sent, which was a 40% increase compared to their usual daily volume of 70 million.

December 2, 2019 - Email Geeks

Maximizing your holiday email impact

The Black Friday and Cyber Monday period undeniably represents the pinnacle of email marketing activity. The sheer volume of messages underscores the channel's power, but also magnifies the importance of robust email deliverability practices. Neglecting the potential repercussions of high volume, such as increased blocklist risk or spam folder placement, can severely undermine your sales objectives.

Success during these high-stakes days hinges on a proactive and data-informed approach. By understanding global and regional sending trends, meticulously preparing your infrastructure, and prioritizing engaged subscribers, you can navigate the surge in email traffic effectively. The ultimate goal is to ensure your well-crafted campaigns not only reach the inbox but also drive the desired engagement and revenue during the busiest shopping season of the year.