With Apple’s introduction of Mail Privacy Protection, three major providers in the email ecosystem (Apple, Google, Yahoo!) now use proxy servers at the mailbox provider or app level to cache email images—including tracking pixels. Image caching can affect open, geolocation, and device data.
While proxy data is still a valuable signal, it can be best understood separately from other kinds of open signals. Platform Distribution gives you the context to see which opens represent proxy engagement and which represent user engagement.
In the Platform Distribution widget, your recent engagement data is segmented into platform categories including Apple Privacy Proxy, Google Proxy, Yahoo Proxy, Desktop, Mobile/Tablet, and other. Learn more about each category.
The Platform Distribution widget breaks down engagement data in several ways:
- Platform: The platform categories listed above.
- % Audience: The percentage of your total audience over the last 30 days that each platform represents.
- For example, in the image above, 15.2% of all tracking pixel opens in the last 30 days fall under the Google Image Proxy platform category.
- Recipients: The number of unique recipients (tracked by the e= parameter, like email address or subscriber ID) over the last 30 days tracked under each platform category.
- In the image, 201 recipients opened on a mobile or tablet app other than Apple Mail, Gmail, or Yahoo!, but some may have opened one email once, others multiple emails once, and still others may have opened just one email or multiple emails more than one time.
- Opens: The number of total opens over the last 30 days tracked under each platform category.
- In the image, 173,754 opens were recorded, which could include an email being opened more than once or opened after forwarding.
- Use Case: The data that each platform category can be used to confirm or measure. See the next section for more details.
To filter each platform category in or out of your Platform Distribution view and open metrics, select Add Filter in the Filters section on the left side of the Engagement page, then filter by Platform. This filter gives you different ways to understand your campaign performance.
How should I use the data from each platform category?
The Desktop, Mobile/Tablet, and Google Proxy platforms show real user unique open data from the majority of the subscriber base for most email programs. Desktop and Mobile/Tablet also track geolocation, device, and email client.
The Apple Privacy Proxy and Yahoo Proxy categories also provide value. They serve as validation that the recipient email address is valid (as mail is only pre-fetched if address is valid), and they serve as a positive signal on inbox placement (as mail is only pre-fetched if it goes to the inbox).
|
Platform Category |
How to use this data? |
|
Apple Privacy Proxy
|
Although this is not an accurate measurement of actual real opens due to Mailbox Privacy Protection, this data is still valuable as it confirms: 1. the number of valid email addresses you mailed to that are Apple Mail clients 2. the number of messages that reached the inbox 3. the % of your audience who are Apple Mail users. |
|
Google Image Proxy
|
This data is an accurate measurement of real unique opens if subscriber and campaign tags are properly implemented into the tracking code (it prevents collection of geolocation data). |
|
Yahoo Image Proxy
|
Similar to the data for Apple Privacy Proxy, Yahoo Proxy data should not be used to measure real opens. However, it is still valuable to validate the email addresses on your list, measure inbox placement, and identify the % of your audience within this segment. |
|
Desktop (Pixel)
|
This is an accurate measure of open and provides details about the geolocation, device, and email client that a recipient used when opening your message. |
|
Mobile/Tablet (Pixel)
|
This is an accurate measure of open and provides details about the geolocation, device, and email client that a recipient used when opening your message. |
What data can I track overall within Everest Engagement?
You can track opens patterns; understand read times; explore details like geolocation, device, mail client at the subscriber level, enthusiasm (read duration), and time of day signals; and get a clear breakdown of providers your subscribers use. Filtering options and the ability to track and view custom parameters round out Engagement.
How can I use this data for greatest impact on my email program?
Open rate data has long been directional in nature. As the meaning of opens changes across providers, consider using other metrics in new ways.
- More focus on acquiring “zero-party data.” Use preference centers and progressive profiling to request demographic data directly from subscribers.
- Monitor reputation metrics. Since major mailbox providers use subscriber engagement in their spam filtering algorithms, reputation scores provide important clues as to whether emails generate positive or negative engagement.
- Data hygiene. Rather than using open rate data for inactive strategies, try click-based reengagement campaigns. Ask subscribers to update preference center details or claim a discount code. Also closely monitor spam traps, particularly recycled spam traps.
- Inbox placement monitoring. Senders achieving better inbox placement rates benefit from better open rates. It also provides a partial proxy for open rates.
- Measure metrics deeper down in the conversion funnel such as clicks, website visits and conversions. They provide stronger indications of subscriber interest. Senders should also pay more attention to spam complaints.
