[PDF] An Analysis of Worldwide Inbox and Spam Placement Rates - Validity
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The MAGY monopoly: how global mailbox providers are impacting deliverability When sending emails, MBPs are the gatekeepers that determine if messages make it to the inbox, the spam folder, or get blocked entirely. So, to achieve strong deliverability, senders must stay in good standing with major MBPs. MAGY dominates the composition of most email lists around the world (Figure 4). These four MAGY entities make up 87 percent of relative market share (i.e., seven out of every eight emails). These numbers will vary in individual countries depending on the representation of local MBPs. For example, Gmail coverage is highest in developing countries like Brazil and India, where mobile usage skews towards non-Apple (less expensive) products where Gmail comes pre-installed as part of the Android OS. Nonetheless, at least 75 percent of a typical list will be formed by these four MBPs (or technically three MBPs, as Yahoo and AOL are effectively a single entity).2023 Email Deliverability Benchmark 10 “Verify all new email addresses” THE MAGY MONOPOLY: HOW GLOBAL MAILBOX PROVIDERS ARE IMPACTING DELIVERABILITY Gmail Deliverability performance: Gmail Gmail sets high standards for email marketers and expects them to consistently follow email best practices. Deliverability problems at this MBP aren’t solved overnight and are generally caused by issues related to acquisition, infrastructure, data hygiene, and subscriber engagement, according to Gmail’s postmaster guidance. It’s important to note that inbox placement at Gmail is spread across the tabs of its interface (Primary, Promotional, etc.). Gmail classifies and places emails based on user interaction, who the email is from, content type, and how users have interacted with similar messages, among other factors. Therefore, senders should also monitor tab placement for each campaign to learn where their emails land most frequently and refine their approach accordingly. Gmail also has recommendations for how to achieve optimal tab placement, such as use of separate IP addresses, separate sending domains/ from addresses, and different content strategies. For example, newsletters that are text-based might be more likely to be placed in Primary, whereas offers that are image-based might be more likely to be placed in Promotions. FIGURE 5 Spam: 3.8% Missing: 8.1%Inbox: 88.1%2023 Email Deliverability Benchmark 12
Deliverability performance: China Deliverability performance: India China India Asia Pacific Asia Pacific Chinese senders have high levels of MAGY and enjoy good inbox placement rates overall. However, achieving strong deliverability with local MBPs can be far more challenging. Email subject lines in China must be prefaced with “AD” to identify their purpose, culturally insensitive words or phrases should be avoided, and politically sensitive topics may also cause email to be filtered. It’s also worth noting email is not widely used for communication in China. Instead, consumers primarily rely on instant messaging apps such as WeChat. In India, MBP market share is dominated by Gmail, due largely to the popularity of Android mobile devices in this country. However, email scams in India are common, and this is reflected by the country’s comparatively low IPRs. India is currently in the process of introducing new GDPR-style privacy legislation, although many privacy experts have concerns about key elements of the original legislation (e.g., consent) being watered down. DELIVERABILITY BY REGION FIGURE 20 FIGURE 21 Inbox: 92.7% Inbox: 68.9% Spam: 3.6% Spam: 5.7% Missing: 3.7% Missing: 25.4%2023 Email Deliverability Benchmark 27 “Consent: In many countries, consent is either not required to send B2B email or a lower standard of consent is required” Global B2B market share Many businesses will use a hosting company to provide their email infrastructure, along with a third-party filtering solution. Both play a role in determining whether emails get delivered, effectively giving senders two sets of hoops to jump through. Hosting and filtering companies present additional challenges Global hosting companies The global B2B market share breakdown (Figure 22) is not dissimilar to how MAGY dominates B2C. Ninety-five percent of all marketing emails sent go to addresses hosted by either Google Workspace or Microsoft Office 365. Inbox placement rates for B2B senders are lower than for B2C—and missing rates are substantially higher. This is likely because while the filtering processes used by Google Workspace and Microsoft Office 365 are similar to those used by their B2C counterparts, many businesses are also using a third-party filtering solution, which complicates deliverability (more on this later). Additionally, B2B acquisition practices are generally weaker—even in countries where new-generation privacy laws are already effective. Factors such as weaker consent, lower data quality, and less- sophisticated targeting and segmentation all contribute to poor deliverability. B2B VERSUS B2C EMAIL DELIVERABILITY DELIVERABILITY PERFORMANCE: Global Hosting FIGURE 22 FIGURE 23 Spam: 4.1% Missing: 16.3%Inbox: 79.6% Office 365: 48% Google Apps: 47% Other: 5%2023 Email Deliverability Benchmark 29
Finance & Insurance Brand Highlight It isn’t impossible for financial senders to get great IPRs—they just need to work a little harder. Brazilian investment bank BTG Pactual provides a great illustration of this, with average IPRs close to 100 percent. This sender understands the power of personalization—they send emails containing multiple data points that fraudsters are unlikely to have to win subscribers’ trust. BTG Pactual applies personalization to over 90 percent of emails. They also use a broad range of best practices that include design and content testing, subject line previews, A/B split testing, and send time optimization. Learn more about this email program by listening to their appearance on Validity’s State of Email Live webinar series. Businesses that promote financial products and services face major deliverability challenges. The offering is not a particularly exciting one, the interval between purchases is often lengthy, and the heightened threat of fraud in this sector is a serious engagement dampener. These challenges in mind, it’s no surprise that deliverability for this sector is second from the bottom, with combined Spam and Missing rates over 33 percent higher than the global benchmark. DELIVERABILITY BY INDUSTRY2023 Email Deliverability Benchmark 35 “Having access to and monitoring your inbox placement rate will allow you to more accurately judge the health of your program.” Monitor your sender reputation Your sender reputation is one of the main factors mailbox providers use to determine whether to place your messages in the inbox or the spam folder, or block them entirely. Regularly check your sender reputation to make sure mailbox providers will evaluate your messages favorably. Check your Sender Score (a numerical representation of your sender reputation) for free at SenderScore.org. Boost your brand’s trustworthiness with BIMI Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) is more than just a cute brand logo. It supports email deliverability by showing subscribers your emails come from a verified, trustworthy sender—and thus, are OK to click. As consumer privacy concerns reach all-time highs, this protocol could provide the validation subscribers need to engage. Check to see if you’ve been blocklisted Blocklists are lists of known spammers that mailbox providers reference when making deliverability decisions. Use a free blocklist lookup tool to check if your IP address is on the Return Path Blocklist. If you are listed, consult that specific blocklist’s delisting requirements and follow their stated procedures. 4 6 5 SIX STEPS TO REACH MORE INBOXES2023 Email Deliverability Benchmark 37
Finance & Insurance Brand Highlight It isn’t impossible for financial senders to get great IPRs—they just need to work a little harder. Brazilian investment bank BTG Pactual provides a great illustration of this, with average IPRs close to 100 percent. This sender understands the power of personalization—they send emails containing multiple data points that fraudsters are unlikely to have to win subscribers’ trust. BTG Pactual applies personalization to over 90 percent of emails. They also use a broad range of best practices that include design and content testing, subject line previews, A/B split testing, and send time optimization. Learn more about this email program by listening to their appearance on Validity’s State of Email Live webinar series. Businesses that promote financial products and services face major deliverability challenges. The offering is not a particularly exciting one, the interval between purchases is often lengthy, and the heightened threat of fraud in this sector is a serious engagement dampener. These challenges in mind, it’s no surprise that deliverability for this sector is second from the bottom, with combined Spam and Missing rates over 33 percent higher than the global benchmark. DELIVERABILITY BY INDUSTRY2023 Email Deliverability Benchmark 35 “Run your entire list through a contact verification solution and make sure any new addresses you add are verified as real, active email accounts.” Monitor your sender reputation Your sender reputation is one of the main factors mailbox providers use to determine whether to place your messages in the inbox or the spam folder, or block them entirely. Regularly check your sender reputation to make sure mailbox providers will evaluate your messages favorably. Check your Sender Score (a numerical representation of your sender reputation) for free at SenderScore.org. Boost your brand’s trustworthiness with BIMI Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) is more than just a cute brand logo. It supports email deliverability by showing subscribers your emails come from a verified, trustworthy sender—and thus, are OK to click. As consumer privacy concerns reach all-time highs, this protocol could provide the validation subscribers need to engage. Check to see if you’ve been blocklisted Blocklists are lists of known spammers that mailbox providers reference when making deliverability decisions. Use a free blocklist lookup tool to check if your IP address is on the Return Path Blocklist. If you are listed, consult that specific blocklist’s delisting requirements and follow their stated procedures. 4 6 5 SIX STEPS TO REACH MORE INBOXES2023 Email Deliverability Benchmark 37
Six steps to reach more inboxes One out of every six messages failed to reach subscribers in 2022—meaning marketers are missing a lot of potential revenue. While reaching the inbox isn’t easy, there are a few simple steps that can increase the chances your messages will pass through filters and reach your subscribers. Track your inbox placement You can’t fix a problem you don’t know about. Having access to and monitoring your inbox placement rate will allow you to more accurately judge the health of your program. It can also alert you when your messages are being blocked by mailbox providers. Keep your list clean Keeping a subscriber list free from spam traps, unknown users, and inactive subscribers will help boost your sender reputation and your ability to reach the inbox. Run your entire list through a contact verification solution and make sure any new addresses you add are verified as real, active email accounts. Senders should also establish a sunsetting policy for inactive email accounts. Authenticate your email program Email authentication is a foundational element of strong deliverability. Authentication helps protect your email program from phishers and spammers and helps legitimize your email program to mailbox providers. To boost the security of your domains (and your deliverability), be sure to have the three primary email authentication protocols in place: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. 3 1 22023 Email Deliverability Benchmark 36 “Regularly check your sender reputation to make sure mailbox providers will evaluate your messages favorably.” Remember: Reaching the inbox is a privilege—not a right. To learn more about how Validity can help you reach more inboxes and execute record-breaking campaigns, schedule a demo with our email experts today. Schedule a demo Conclusion In this email climate, even senders who follow best practices should never assume their emails are reaching the intended destination. A technology partner like Validity can provide peace of mind that your messages are reaching the inbox. Validity Everest, the market-leading email deliverability platform, provides unparalleled insights and expert guidance to help senders increase engagement and achieve maximum inbox placement. Validity BriteVerify, the industry’s longest- standing contact verification solution, provides secure, scalable list validation so senders can start every campaign with a clean list.2023 Email Deliverability Benchmark 38