How to manage SFMC email delivery issues in Yahoo with delays and no bounces?

Key findings

• Delayed delivery: Emails are eventually received by Yahoo users, but with substantial delays, often hours later.
• No bounces reported: SFMC's delivery reports indicate 100% delivery, meaning Yahoo is not outright rejecting the messages with a bounce.
• Small volume issues: The problem can occur even with very low sending volumes (e.g., 50-100 emails), suggesting it is not purely a volume throttling issue.
• Hidden inbox placement: The emails may be accepted but routed to spam or other folders, or heavily delayed due to poor sender reputation.

Key considerations

• Log analysis: Accessing and thoroughly examining SMTP logs and Salesforce Marketing Cloud's specific delivery logs (like the Bounce Data View) is crucial to understand Yahoo's actual responses.
• Sender reputation: Even with small volumes, a poor sender reputation can lead to throttling or folder placement issues. For more on this, see how to diagnose Yahoo deliverability issues.
• Email authentication: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are correctly configured and aligned, as this significantly impacts how mailbox providers like Yahoo trust your emails.
• Inbox placement testing: Verify where your emails land by sending to personal Yahoo accounts and checking all folders, including spam. A proven checklist for deliverability testing can assist here.
• Engagement monitoring: Monitor engagement metrics for Yahoo recipients. Low engagement can negatively impact sender reputation, leading to delays or spam placement.
• Contact salesforce support: For access to granular logs or specific SFMC insights, engaging with Salesforce support is often necessary. More information can be found on how to fix Yahoo delivery problems.

Key opinions

• 100% deliverability paradox: Many marketers observe 100% deliverability in SFMC reports despite recipient delays or non-receipt, which can be misleading.
• Bounce data view limitations: The built-in Bounce Data View might not offer insights when emails are accepted but delayed or spam-foldered, as these are not considered hard bounces.
• Hope for improvement: Some marketers believe that consistent sending over time, coupled with a good sender reputation, might eventually lead to improved delivery times.
• Manual checks: Marketers often resort to manually checking spam folders and recipient filters on Yahoo accounts to see if emails are being misdirected.

Key considerations

• Beyond bounce reports: Do not solely rely on SFMC's 100% delivery reports for Yahoo, as they may not reflect actual inbox placement or significant delays.
• Manual inbox checks: Always perform manual inbox placement tests by sending test emails to various Yahoo accounts and checking all folders (inbox, spam, promotions, etc.). Understanding why your emails go to spam is critical.
• Sender reputation impact: Recognize that even small sending volumes can be impacted by existing sender reputation issues, leading to throttling or filtering.
• Time sensitivity: Consider the time-sensitive nature of your emails; significant delays can render marketing messages ineffective, even if eventually delivered.
• Engaging with recipients: Encourage recipients to check their spam folders and add your "From" address to their safe sender list to improve future delivery. More on consistent issues with Yahoo/AOL can be found.
• Diagnose sfmc issues: For comprehensive troubleshooting, review how to diagnose and fix deliverability issues within SFMC.

Key opinions

• No silent deletion: Experts confirm that Yahoo does not silently delete emails. If an email is not in the inbox or spam, it was explicitly rejected, either temporarily (deferred) or permanently.
• SMTP logs are critical: Access to actual SMTP transaction logs is paramount for diagnosing these issues, as they show the exact rejection codes or deferrals from Yahoo's servers.
• Configuration importance: Delays without bounces strongly suggest Yahoo's low opinion of the email, making proper configuration of sending infrastructure (authentication) a primary concern.
• SFMC's role: If Yahoo is not bouncing mail and it is not appearing, it likely means SFMC declined to send it based on internal rules or prior deferral responses.

Key considerations

• Demand SMTP logs: Press Salesforce support for access to the detailed SMTP logs for the specific mail streams experiencing delays, as these contain the definitive communication from Yahoo.
• Verify authentication: Double-check all authentication records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to ensure they are correctly set up and aligned. Misconfigurations can lead to reputation issues and delays. For more details, see understanding DMARC reports.
• Monitor deliverability tools: Use third-party deliverability tools or Yahoo Postmaster Tools (if accessible) to gain deeper insights into sender reputation and potential throttling.
• Understand deferrals: Recognize that "delays" often equate to "temporary failures" or "deferrals," where Yahoo accepts the message but queues it due to suspicion or rate limiting. This is a common aspect of why your emails fail.
• Proactive reputation management: Focus on maintaining a strong sender reputation through consistent sending, managing complaints, and monitoring engagement. More troubleshooting steps can be found in the art of marketing cloud email deliverability.

Key findings

• Delivery vs. inbox: SFMC documentation often clarifies that "delivered" means the email was successfully accepted by the recipient's mail server, not necessarily placed in the inbox.
• Bounce classifications: Documentation outlines various bounce types (soft, hard), but the scenario of delayed acceptance without an explicit bounce code is less commonly detailed in standard definitions.
• Logging capabilities: SFMC offers various logging and reporting features, such as the Bounce Data View and Email Studio Reports, which can aid in troubleshooting, though access to raw SMTP logs usually requires support.
• Sender authentication emphasis: Official Salesforce guides strongly emphasize the correct implementation of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for optimal deliverability and compliance with ISP requirements.

Key considerations

• Consult sfmc support documentation: Refer to Salesforce's official deliverability troubleshooting guides and knowledge articles for specific SFMC-related issues with Yahoo.
• Understand delivery metrics: Internally educate teams that 100% "delivery" from SFMC does not guarantee inbox placement, especially with challenging ISPs. For tips on boosting email deliverability rates, check our blog.
• Leverage all available reports: Utilize all SFMC reporting tools, including specific data views and journey analytics, to spot unusual patterns or recipient behavior that might indicate filtering.
• Adhere to best practices: Ensure your sending practices align with industry best practices for list hygiene, content quality, and sending frequency, as detailed in deliverability documentation.
• Review yahoo's guidelines: Periodically check Yahoo's official postmaster guidelines for any updates to their filtering policies or new requirements for senders. More can be found in the art of marketing cloud email deliverability.
• Fix dmarc issues: For issues related to email authentication, learn how to fix common DMARC issues.