We know how important accurate open rates are to the success of your email program, so we are releasing new email metrics that adjust for inflated open rates caused by Apple's Mail Privacy Protection Program.

In short, Apple’s program causes all email sent to Apple’s Mail app to register as opened upon delivery. This intentionally makes it very difficult for you to track which emails are actually being opened by your recipients.

In response to Apple’s program, we will start considering opens from Apple’s Mail app to be “machine” opens, and track these separately from other “actual” opens that are triggered by user action.

In Targeted Email, the Email Test Case Comparison, and Email Comparison Reports, we will be introducing the following metrics:

Open Count/Rate: This is the existing count/rate. It will only count “actual” opens triggered by user action.
Machine Opens Count/Rate: This is a new metric. It will only count the “machine” opens.
Total Open Count/Rate: This a new metric. It will be a count of both “actual” opens and “machine” opens.

Additionally, we are also introducing a Targeted Email Summary stat, Most Recent Machine Open. This will be available on individual Contact Records and in the Targeted Email page section in Create a List.

We want to give you advance notice that as a result of these new metrics, you will see your Open Count/Rate go down, because “machine” opens will no longer be part of the Open Count/Rate.

Here is an example scenario of what you might see:

Your normal Open Rate was 18% before Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection Program release.
Following Apple’s release, your rate increased to 23% due in part to new automatic “machine” opens.
EveryAction releases new open metrics that distinguish between “machine” and “actual” opens.
Your Open Rate is now 12%, Machine Open Rate is now 11% and Total Open Rate is 23%.

As you can see, after “machine” opens were separated into their own category, the Open Rate has decreased. By looking at all 3 metrics together, you can get a more complete picture.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns.

Yours,

Mark Puleo

(He, Him, His)
Vice President of Client Services, NGP VAN