Summary
Choosing between dedicated and shared IP addresses for email sending in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region involves a blend of global best practices and specific regional nuances. While general guidelines often recommend dedicated IPs for high-volume senders seeking greater control over their sender reputation, and shared IPs for those with lower or inconsistent volumes, the diverse nature of APAC markets adds layers of complexity. Factors like country-specific ISP behaviors, differing anti-spam measures, and even cultural preferences influence the optimal IP strategy.
Key findings
- High Volume and Control: Dedicated IPs are typically recommended for senders transmitting over 100,000 emails daily or 250,000 monthly, or those with large lists, as they offer precise control over sender reputation, allowing for independent brand reputation building and risk mitigation from other senders.
- Low Volume and Flexibility: Shared IPs are well-suited for senders with lower, inconsistent, or infrequent email volumes, offering ease of management and a cost-effective solution, especially for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs).
- Reputation Management: Dedicated IPs enable senders to build and maintain their own unique reputation, isolating their deliverability from the sending practices of others, which is crucial for consistent and timely delivery of critical messages.
- Universal Applicability: The core principles for IP choice, volume, consistency, and reputation control, are universally applied and extend to the APAC region, though with additional considerations for local market variations.
Key considerations
- APAC's Diverse Landscape: The Asia-Pacific region is not monolithic; it encompasses a wide array of countries, each with unique internet service providers (ISPs) and specific email filtering rules, making a one-size-fits-all IP strategy challenging.
- Country-Specific Requirements: Senders must account for country-specific requirements and nuances, such as Japan's reported preference for smaller volumes across multiple IPs and its scrutiny of 'foreign' mail, which might challenge the typical dedicated IP approach for high volumes.
- ISP Filtering Mechanisms: APAC ISPs often rely more heavily on content filtering, may have less sophisticated infrastructure, and consumers frequently use anti-spam software, meaning deliverability success is not solely dependent on IP type but also on diligent content management and adaptation to local filtering methods.
- Budget and Scale: For SMBs, particularly in markets like India, shared IPs are a common choice due to budgetary constraints, whereas larger entities globally may use a combination of shared and dedicated IPs based on market size and specific needs.
- Control Over Local Nuances: For those targeting specific APAC markets where ISP behaviors and filtering can vary widely, a dedicated IP can provide a more stable foundation for building a trusted sender reputation and more control over local deliverability nuances.
What email marketers say
14 marketer opinions
The standard for dedicated versus shared IP usage in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region largely mirrors global best practices, with a strong emphasis on sending volume and the need for reputation control. For entities transmitting high volumes of email consistently, dedicated IPs are generally preferred across APAC. This preference stems from the desire for independent sender reputation, direct control over deliverability, and the ability to mitigate risks associated with other senders on a shared IP. However, the diverse nature of APAC, with its unique country-specific requirements and varied ISP landscapes, introduces critical nuances. While dedicated IPs empower senders to navigate complex regional filtering rules, shared IPs remain a viable and often practical choice for lower volume or intermittent senders, particularly for small to medium-sized businesses constrained by budget.
Key opinions
- High Volume IP Standard: Dedicated IPs are the standard choice for high-volume email senders, typically those with large lists or sending hundreds of thousands of emails monthly, as they offer independent control over sender reputation and are crucial for consistent deliverability in the diverse APAC landscape.
- Low Volume IP Standard: Shared IPs are generally suitable for senders with lower, inconsistent, or infrequent email volumes, as well as for small to medium-sized businesses, providing ease of management and a cost-effective solution.
- Reputation Control: Senders who prioritize complete control over their brand reputation and seek to avoid the deliverability risks posed by other users on a shared IP typically opt for dedicated IPs, a critical factor for maintaining strong performance across varying APAC ISP environments.
Key considerations
- APAC Regional Diversity: The APAC region is exceptionally diverse, with email deliverability standards and ISP filtering rules varying significantly by country, making a one-size-fits-all IP strategy less effective.
- Japan Specifics: Japan presents a unique case, with some ISPs preferring lower email volumes distributed across multiple IPs rather than large volumes from a single dedicated IP, and showing increased scrutiny towards 'foreign' mail.
- Budgetary Influence: Budgetary constraints, particularly for small to medium-sized businesses in markets like India, often lead to the adoption of shared IP environments, while larger global entities may use a combination of IP types.
- Navigating Complexity: Regardless of IP choice, effective email deliverability in APAC requires proactive management and adaptation to local nuances, including varying ISP behaviors and unique filtering rules, which can be particularly challenging.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that IP choice depends on volume and suggests avoiding dedicated IPs, especially for Japan and similar APAC regions.
1 Dec 2021 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that IP choice in APAC depends on originating region, such as Japan's scrutiny of "foreign" mail, and volume, due to mechanical limitations like connection and throughput, suggesting ESPs in APAC would likely offer shared environments.
23 Sep 2024 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
1 expert opinions
Email deliverability in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region presents unique challenges compared to Western markets, primarily due to ISPs' greater reliance on content filtering, often less sophisticated infrastructure, and pervasive consumer-level anti-spam software. Given this landscape, explicit, universally defined IP standards for dedicated versus shared addresses are less common. Instead, successful email delivery in APAC depends heavily on senders' proactive content management and their understanding of how IP reputation, regardless of type, interacts with these specific local filtering nuances.
Key opinions
- Unique APAC Filtering: Email deliverability in Asia-Pacific markets is characterized by ISPs' greater reliance on content filtering, less sophisticated infrastructure, and more prevalent consumer-level anti-spam software, distinguishing it from Western regions.
- IP Reputation Nuances: The effectiveness of an IP address, whether dedicated or shared, in APAC is significantly influenced by how its reputation interacts with these specific regional filtering practices and local anti-spam tools.
- Adaptable IP Usage: Successful IP usage in the APAC region is less about adhering to fixed dedicated versus shared IP standards and more about a sender's adaptability to local filtering methods and content requirements.
Key considerations
- Prioritize Content Management: Given the higher reliance on content filtering by APAC ISPs, senders must prioritize diligent content management and ensure their emails are crafted to navigate these specific filters effectively.
- Understand Local Filtering: It is crucial for senders to deeply understand the unique filtering nuances of individual APAC markets, including local ISP infrastructure sophistication and the prevalence of consumer-level anti-spam software, as these directly impact deliverability.
- Adaptable IP Strategy: Rather than seeking a universal fixed standard for dedicated or shared IPs, senders in APAC should focus on an adaptable IP strategy that accounts for how their chosen IP's reputation will interact with the region's diverse and often content-focused filtering mechanisms.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that email deliverability in Asia-Pacific regions differs from Western markets due to a higher reliance on content filtering by ISPs, less sophisticated ISP infrastructure, and more prevalent consumer-level anti-spam software. While not explicitly defining IP standards, these unique regional characteristics imply that senders need to be more diligent in managing content and understanding how their IP reputation (whether dedicated or shared) interacts with these local filtering nuances, potentially affecting typical IP performance compared to other regions. This suggests that the 'standards' for successful IP usage might be more about adaptability to local filtering methods rather than a set rule for dedicated vs. shared IPs.
4 May 2025 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
3 technical articles
Regarding typical dedicated versus shared IP standards for email senders in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, documentation from leading providers like Twilio SendGrid and Amazon Web Services (AWS) emphasizes that global best practices primarily guide the choice. While no distinct, APAC-only standards exist, the consensus leans towards dedicated IPs for high-volume senders, generally exceeding 100,000 emails daily. This preference is driven by the critical need for precise control over sender reputation, enabling effective IP warming, ensuring consistent deliverability across diverse APAC Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and meeting specific compliance requirements. Conversely, shared IPs remain suitable for lower volume or less frequent senders. Ultimately, maintaining a robust IP reputation through consistent and legitimate sending practices is a universal principle that underpins success in APAC, regardless of IP type.
Key findings
- High Volume and Control: Dedicated IPs are widely recommended for email senders with high volumes, typically over 100,000 emails per day, due to the need for precise control over sender reputation and consistent deliverability across various ISPs, including those in APAC.
- Reputation Management Focus: Major platforms like Amazon SES advise dedicated IP pools for customers seeking more granular control over their sending reputation, facilitating IP warming and adherence to specific compliance needs, which are vital for global and APAC recipients.
- Universal Best Practices: The principle of maintaining a good IP reputation through consistent sending behavior and avoidance of spam is a fundamental best practice, implicitly supporting the use of dedicated IPs for high-volume senders across all regions, including APAC.
Key considerations
- Achieving Consistent Deliverability: For senders targeting APAC, dedicated IPs offer a crucial advantage in achieving consistent deliverability by allowing precise management of sender reputation, which is paramount when dealing with the region's diverse ISPs and filtering systems.
- Tailored Deliverability Strategy: Using dedicated IP pools enables senders to develop a more tailored and controlled deliverability strategy, allowing for specific IP warming processes and meeting unique compliance requirements relevant to various markets within APAC.
- Importance of IP Reputation: Regardless of explicit regional standards, the core emphasis from major providers is on a strong IP reputation, a factor that dedicated IPs enable greater control over, thereby improving deliverability outcomes in competitive and diverse environments like APAC.
Technical article
Documentation from Twilio SendGrid explains that dedicated IPs are typically recommended for senders with high sending volumes-over 100,000 emails per day-or those who require precise control over their sender reputation and deliverability, which is a crucial consideration for maintaining consistent performance with diverse ISPs, including those in APAC.
2 Jul 2024 - Twilio SendGrid Documentation
Technical article
Documentation from Amazon Web Services (AWS) explains that Amazon SES customers typically use dedicated IP pools for email sending when they need more control over their sending reputation, want to warm up their IPs, or have specific compliance requirements, allowing them to manage their deliverability strategy for various global recipients, including those in the APAC region.
13 Mar 2025 - Amazon SES Documentation
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