Summary
BIMI, or Brand Indicators for Message Identification, significantly enhances email engagement by increasing brand visibility and fostering sender trust. By displaying a verified brand logo directly in the inbox, BIMI helps emails stand out, reassures recipients of the sender's legitimacy, and combats phishing concerns. This visual authentication is widely expected to lead to higher open rates and improved overall user engagement, including click-through rates. While isolating the precise quantitative impact can be challenging, anecdotal evidence from marketers suggests observed engagement boosts. The general consensus among experts is that BIMI provides a crucial visual cue that strengthens brand recall, builds recipient confidence, and ultimately drives better interaction with email campaigns.
Key findings
- Enhanced Brand Visibility: BIMI significantly boosts brand visibility and recognition by displaying a verified logo directly in the recipient's inbox, helping emails stand out in crowded mailboxes.
- Increased Sender Trust: The display of a verified brand logo through BIMI fosters greater sender trust and legitimacy, reassuring recipients of the email's authenticity and reducing fears of phishing or spoofing.
- Higher Open Rates: Improved brand recognition and enhanced trust are widely expected to translate into higher open rates, as recipients are more likely to engage with emails from familiar and trusted senders.
- Improved Engagement Metrics: Beyond open rates, BIMI is anticipated to positively influence overall email engagement, including click-through rates and general user interaction, by making emails more credible and inviting.
- Tangible, Though Limited, Boosts: Some marketers have reported observing tangible engagement boosts, ranging from 4% to 9%, seemingly attributable to BIMI, although detailed, isolated data for comprehensive analysis is still developing.
- Reinforces Brand Identity: BIMI strengthens a brand's identity and professionalism in the inbox, contributing to a more positive brand perception and reinforcing sender legitimacy.
Key considerations
- Metric Definition Clarity: When discussing engagement increases from BIMI, it is crucial to clarify which specific metrics are being referenced, such as open rates, click-through rates, or other forms of interaction.
- Precise Data Needed: There is a need for more precise and provider-specific statistics regarding BIMI's impact, as loosely reported large percentage increases can be misleading. Further analysis is required for robust data.
- Quantification Challenges: While many experts anticipate positive effects, isolating BIMI's direct and specific impact on engagement metrics can be challenging, making it difficult to attribute changes solely to its implementation.
- Percentage Calculation: Marketers should clarify whether reported engagement boosts represent an additive or multiplicative change to existing metrics, ensuring accurate interpretation of performance improvements.
What email marketers say
13 marketer opinions
BIMI's role in improving email engagement is primarily driven by its ability to enhance brand visibility and instill recipient trust. By displaying a verified brand logo directly within the inbox, BIMI helps emails stand out and assures recipients of the sender's authenticity, mitigating concerns about phishing. This visual cue is widely recognized by email marketers as a factor that can lead to higher open rates and improved overall interaction, including click-through rates. While some anecdotal reports suggest tangible engagement increases, experts acknowledge the ongoing challenge of isolating and precisely quantifying BIMI's direct impact on specific metrics. Nevertheless, the consistent message is that BIMI bolsters brand credibility and professionalism, which are key indirect drivers of better email performance.
Key opinions
- Enhanced Inbox Presence: BIMI significantly boosts a brand's presence and recognizability directly in the inbox, making emails more distinctive.
- Strengthened Trust and Credibility: The verified brand logo builds greater recipient trust and assures legitimacy, reducing concerns about spoofing or phishing and encouraging engagement.
- Potential for Higher Open Rates: Increased brand recognition and trust are widely cited as contributors to improved open rates, as recipients are more inclined to open emails from verified senders.
- Improved Overall Engagement: Beyond opens, BIMI is seen as a driver for better overall email interaction, including click-through rates, by fostering a sense of credibility.
- Reported Engagement Boosts: Some marketers have observed initial engagement increases, such as 4-9%, which they attribute to BIMI implementation, though these require further validation.
- Boosts Brand Professionalism: BIMI contributes to an enhanced perception of sender professionalism and reinforces brand identity, positively influencing recipient behavior.
Key considerations
- Need for Precise Measurement: There is an acknowledged challenge in precisely isolating and quantifying BIMI's direct impact on specific engagement metrics, highlighting the need for more robust data.
- Clarifying Metric Definitions: It is important for marketers to specify which engagement metrics, such as open rates or click-through rates, are being referenced when discussing BIMI's impact.
- Scrutinizing Percentage Claims: Skepticism exists regarding broadly reported large percentage increases without detailed, provider-specific data, emphasizing the need for clarity on how these percentages are calculated-additive versus multiplicative.
- Ongoing Data Collection: Marketers and analysts are continuing to gather more detailed and isolated data to better understand BIMI's long-term and specific effects on email engagement.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that a client observed a 4%-9% engagement boost seemingly attributable to BIMI's logo, while acknowledging the need for more detailed data for future analysis.
21 Jan 2025 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks advises on clarifying engagement boost percentages, questioning whether an increase means an additive or multiplicative change.
4 Jun 2024 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
2 expert opinions
Building on its foundational benefits of visibility and trust, BIMI is widely anticipated to positively influence key email engagement metrics. By prominently displaying a verified brand logo in the inbox, BIMI helps recipients quickly recognize legitimate senders and assures them of authenticity. This visual trust signal is expected to translate directly into improved open rates, higher click-through rates, and overall enhanced user interaction with email campaigns. While BIMI itself does not directly report on these metrics, its core function of differentiating trusted brand communications is seen as a critical factor in encouraging recipients to engage rather than ignore or mark emails as spam.
Key opinions
- Increased Brand Visibility: BIMI enhances brand visibility by displaying a recognizable logo, helping emails stand out in a crowded inbox.
- Boosts Sender Trust: Displaying a verified logo builds recipient trust, assuring them of the sender's authenticity and reducing concerns about phishing.
- Higher Open Rates Expected: The enhanced recognition and trust are anticipated to lead to improved open rates for email campaigns.
- Improved Click-Through Rates: BIMI's role in building trust and visibility is expected to contribute to higher click-through rates.
- Enhanced User Interaction: Overall user engagement and campaign performance are predicted to improve due to the clearer identification of legitimate senders.
- Reduces Negative Actions: By helping recipients quickly identify trusted senders, BIMI can reduce the likelihood of emails being ignored or marked as spam.
Key considerations
- Indirect Metric Influence: BIMI influences engagement metrics indirectly through visual trust and recognition, as it does not provide direct measurement data itself.
- Facilitates Sender Identification: Its primary impact on engagement is by helping recipients quickly identify and verify legitimate senders, fostering greater interaction.
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource explains that BIMI, by increasing brand visibility and trust through displaying logos in the inbox, is expected to improve open rates, click-through rates, and overall user interaction with emails. While BIMI itself doesn't provide direct engagement metrics, its role in helping recipients quickly identify legitimate senders is anticipated to enhance engagement and reduce the chance of emails being ignored or marked as spam.
5 Feb 2022 - Spam Resource
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise shares that BIMI's visual indicator of authenticity, by displaying a brand's logo in the inbox, can help recipients quickly identify trusted senders. This increased recognition is expected to lead to higher open rates, click-through rates, and improved overall user engagement and campaign performance, as a recognizable logo makes emails stand out in a crowded inbox and builds sender trust.
21 Jan 2023 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
BIMI significantly influences email engagement by establishing a clear visual trust signal within the inbox. Displaying a verified brand logo next to the sender's name boosts brand recognition and assures recipients of an email's legitimacy. This visual authentication reduces recipient apprehension, fostering greater confidence in the sender's identity, and ultimately encouraging more confident interaction with email content. The outcome is a more secure and trusted email environment that drives improved engagement metrics, as recipients are more inclined to open and click through messages from authenticated and recognizable brands.
Key findings
- Visual Trust Signal: BIMI displays verified brand logos, acting as a strong visual cue that enhances brand recognition and builds recipient trust.
- Boosts Recipient Confidence: By visually confirming sender identity, BIMI increases recipient confidence in the legitimacy of emails, which helps alleviate concerns about spoofing.
- Drives Email Engagement: The enhanced trust and recognition fostered by BIMI directly lead to improved user engagement, including higher open rates and click-through rates.
- Reinforces Brand Identity: BIMI actively reinforces a brand's image and professionalism, encouraging recipients to interact more confidently with email communications.
- Fosters Trusted Environment: It contributes to creating a more secure and trusted email environment, where recipients are more willing to engage with verified senders.
Key considerations
- Authentication Dependency: BIMI's effectiveness hinges on robust email authentication protocols, particularly DMARC, ensuring the verified logo is displayed only for legitimate senders.
- Indirect Metric Impact: BIMI influences engagement metrics indirectly by building trust and recognition, as it does not directly report or alter tracking data.
- Part of Broader Strategy: Its full impact on engagement is realized when integrated into a comprehensive email deliverability strategy that includes other best practices.
Technical article
Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help outlines that BIMI enables the display of verified brand logos next to sender names, fostering sender trust and improving brand recognition, which indirectly supports better user engagement.
30 Mar 2023 - Google Workspace Admin Help
Technical article
Documentation from BIMI Group explains that BIMI helps by providing a strong visual authentication of the sender, increasing brand visibility and trust, which empowers recipients to confidently engage with emails.
5 Oct 2022 - BIMI Group
Does BIMI impact email deliverability?
Does BIMI improve email deliverability?
Does BIMI improve email deliverability and engagement?
What are the benefits and requirements of BIMI for email deliverability and branding?
What impact does BIMI have on email KPIs like clicks, conversions, and revenue?
Where can I find statistics on BIMI adoption by email senders?
