How to handle spam traps and old addresses in a large B2C email program with single opt-in?

Key findings

• Legacy issues: Historical sign-ups, especially from periods with inadequate bounce management or sunsetting, can become long-term sources of spam traps.
• Impact on deliverability: Daily blocklist listings, such as on Abusix, directly impact email deliverability, particularly in markets that heavily rely on these blocklists like Italy and France.
• Re-optin impracticality: For large, high-revenue B2C operations, a full re-optin of the entire email list is typically not a viable option.
• Trap seasoning: Recycled spam traps are often seasoned, meaning they remain inactive and bounce for several years before being repurposed as traps, indicating their age.

Key considerations

• Targeted identification: Focus on methods to pinpoint the specific problematic addresses or segments rather than broad list actions. Learning how to identify email spam traps is essential.
• Historical data analysis: Delve into subscriber acquisition data from periods before robust bounce management and sunsetting were in place to identify potential sources.
• Engagement metrics: Cross-reference age of addresses with a lack of email or website engagement to flag high-risk, low-value contacts. This aligns with advice on inactive profiles' impact on deliverability.
• Blocklist feedback: Utilize feedback from blocklist providers (like Abusix) to gain insights into the characteristics of the addresses causing listings. More information on how spam traps get on your email lists can be helpful.

Key opinions

• Strategic segmentation: Dividing the email list into segments based on engagement (e.g., active, non-purchasers, inactive) helps isolate where the bad data might be hidden.
• Iterative quarantine: By splitting daily sends by time and observing which segment triggers blocklist hits, marketers can iteratively narrow down the problematic data for quarantine.
• Non-clicker exclusion: Filtering out subscribers who do not click can help remove unengaged users, which might include spam traps that do not interact with emails.
• External validation: Utilizing a third-party email validation service or API can provide a 'second opinion' on the quality of unengaged segments, helping to identify questionable addresses.

Key considerations

• Define engagement: Clearly define what constitutes active or inactive engagement for your specific B2C program to inform segmentation. Effective strategies to avoid spam traps are key.
• Test and observe: Implement A/B testing or controlled experiments with different segments to understand the behavioral patterns and identify where blocklist hits are occurring.
• Propose targeted solutions: Frame proposals for reconfirmation or suppression to C-level as highly targeted efforts on small, low-value subsets of the list, rather than a disruptive full-list approach.
• Continuous cleansing: Regularly cleanse your list or validate addresses with a lapse in engagement of 12+ months, as suggested by Optimove on avoiding deliverability pitfalls. This includes best practices for email address validation.

Key opinions

• Direct engagement with blocklists: Communicating directly with blocklist providers (e.g., Abusix) can often help pinpoint the specific entries causing listings, which is crucial when your domain is on an email blacklist.
• Age of recycled traps: Recycled spam traps, particularly those used by Abusix, typically bounce mail for at least two years before becoming active traps. This provides a strong indicator of the minimum age of the problematic addresses.
• Combine data points: Identifying addresses that are at least two years old and have shown no recent website activity can help narrow down the subset where spam traps are likely hidden.
• Targeted reconfirmation: For specific, low-value segments identified as problematic, a proposal for reconfirmation is more feasible than a full list re-optin, even for large B2C programs.

Key considerations

• Leverage blocklist insights: If you are hitting spam traps, you should investigate if spam trap hits are a concern. Don't hesitate to directly contact blocklist administrators. Their feedback can be invaluable for diagnosing the issue.
• Historical data depth: The long seasoning period for recycled traps means that delving into very old signup data (e.g., 2+ years) is critical to uncover the source of current problems.
• Value assessment: For addresses that are old and unengaged, their value to the business is likely minimal. This strengthens the case for more aggressive list hygiene on these segments, including reconfirmation or removal.
• Pristine trap awareness: While recycled traps are probable, maintain awareness that pristine spam traps (newly created specifically to catch senders) could also be a factor, requiring continuous real-time validation at signup as described by Higher Logic's guide to avoiding spam traps.

Key findings

• Consent importance: Strong consent practices, ideally double opt-in, are recommended to minimize the risk of spam traps entering email lists from the outset.
• Validation necessity: Employing email validation tools is crucial to detect and remove invalid or typo-ridden email addresses that could later become spam traps.
• List cleansing cycle: Regularly cleansing email lists, especially for contacts with extended periods of no engagement, is a critical preventative measure against deliverability issues.
• Spam trap function: Spam traps are specifically designed and used by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to identify senders who do not adhere to email best practices, indicating poor list quality.

Key considerations

• Implement real-time validation: Beyond signup, consider periodic validation of older or less engaged segments to proactively identify and manage questionable addresses.
• Strict sunsetting: Even with single opt-in, maintain and strictly enforce sunsetting policies for subscribers who show no engagement over a defined period. This is vital for understanding how spam traps work.
• Robust bounce management: Ensure that hard bounces are immediately and permanently removed from your list to prevent future hits on recycled addresses, which are a common type of spam trap.
• Reputation monitoring: Continuously monitor your sender reputation and blocklist status to react swiftly to any issues caused by spam trap hits or poor list quality. A comprehensive guide to email deliverability can offer more insights.