Updated September 22, 2021.
Apple released iOS 15 on September 20th. The update comes with new email privacy features that may impact your email metrics. There’s a lot of information to take in, so we broke it down for you.
Here’s our take on what the updates mean for ecommerce marketers.
What changed with the iOS 15 updates
Mail privacy protection
This feature will prevent email services from determining if an email was opened by a user, where they were geographically when they opened the email, as well as if they’re on a mobile device or desktop.
Apple had indicated that it will open all emails you send to Apple Mail addresses, which may result in your email open rates and revenue attribution be artificially inflated.
Hide my email
Users with iCloud+ subscriptions can generate unique, single-use email addresses to keep their personal email address private. These addresses will forward to their personal address and can be enabled/disabled at their discretion.
This can impact true deliverability for iCloud+ folks using this feature. How much of an impact this will have on deliverability remains to be seen.
Three takeaways from the iOS 15 updates
Marketing is not static
You know the drill. Marketing has reinvented itself more times than Madonna. We’ve handled Facebook, Google, and Apple updates before, and we’ll handle this and future changes as well. The best marketers are always adapting - that’s why we’re in this business.
Email remains #1
There is no better medium to create an emotional connection between brand and customer. When customers share their email addresses with you, they are giving you permission to tell your brand story. That is powerful and personal.
The most impactful metrics are still intact
Yes, open rates or subject line testing may no longer be a trusty tool in your marketing toolbox. However, the most critical measures (click-through rates, onsite behavior, purchase history) remain.
What should you do next?
Prepare for deliverability impacts
Hide my email can result in cases where the email appears delivered but hasn’t actually been received. Prune your list now while your engagement data is fresh and accurate. Maintaining high deliverability remains your first priority.
Invest in winback workflows
If you aren’t already using winbacks as part of your marketing strategy, it’s a good time to start. You can see our winback playbook to start converting, or releasing, stale customers and prospects.
Breathe! We’ve got your back
In the coming weeks, we’ll be making changes to improve data accuracy and revenue attribution within Drip. Stay tuned to learn more about how we are tackling these changes.
