Apple announced the new iOS 15 update this summer that will affect how email marketers’ currently think about email engagement. While this may seem like a big change, Hive is here to help you navigate every step of the journey.
To be fully prepared, here are some tips and strategies you can use to stay ahead of the change. Let’s dive in!
Let’s start off with a little refresher. With the new update, Apple has implemented new privacy features to protect those using their Apple mail app.
No more open rates
Email marketers’ will no longer have access to open rate data for those subscribers that use Apple mail. 90% of all emails are viewed through the Mail app on iPhone and iPad, so Apple removing access to open rate data will affect the way you measure success for your campaigns. ISPs track opens using small pixels that are embedded within each email, and Apple’s new update essentially removes pixel tracking.
In your Hive account, you’ll start to notice lower open rates. All emails received through the Mail app are automatically tracked as opened by Apple, but Hive removes the false opens so you don't get inflated numbers. This will affect your email automations like winbacks that are based on whether an email has been opened in a certain time frame to determine whether a subscriber is engaged. With the new update, your automation will miss those subscribers that use Apple mail since there's no accurate open rate data. No stress though! You still have other metrics that give you an even better idea of your email performance. More on that later!
Hidden email addresses
Hidden email addresses have been around for a while, but it’s now easier than ever for subscribers to hide their emails during sign up. When a new customer signs up to your list, they can choose to hide their email by using one of Apple’s unique, random email addresses, so their email isn’t shared with you during sign up.
Masked IP addresses
The new update will mask your subscribers’ IP addresses so that activity within the Mail app can’t be linked to other online activity or location. Instead, when an email’s opened, email marketer’s will see the location of one of Apple’s proxy servers and not the location of their subscriber. If you’re using location as a key demographic when segmenting your list, this will affect the way you’re sending future email campaigns.
How to get ahead of these new changes with Hive’s CRM features
These might seem like big changes but if you’ve been focusing on converting subscribers and not on surface level indicators like opens, you have nothing to worry about. While open rate has always been a popular indicator of how your emails are performing, it doesn't always translate to higher clicks, conversion or revenue. Remember, the goal of your email is not to get an open. It’s to get an open that leads to a conversion.
With Hive’s CRM capabilities you have a holistic view of your entire list that will make it easier to navigate these new changes.
Re-think how you measure engagement by focusing on clicks, not opens
The #1 indicator that your campaign is doing well and your email strategies are effective are high click rates and conversions. There’s a much higher chance that a click will drive higher revenue and lead to conversion compared to an email open. Clicks can tell you:
- who’s engaging with your CTA
- if your email copy, placement of images and copy are working
- who opened your email
- whether your subject line and timing of the send worked
By tracking clicks, you’re getting all the information you would from open rates and even more insight into your most engaged subscribers. Not only does focusing on click rates give you a deeper look into your subscriber base, but it’s more foolproof and accurate than opens because it doesn’t require pixels to measure.
Hive filters you should be using to measure engagement
What determines if a subscriber is active or not will largely be based on your brand’s unique needs. But with Hive, you get over 100 different parameters to choose from so you can create your own active segments using Hive’s limitless filtering capabilities. The sky’s the limit.
General Hive filters
These are the recommended Hive filters to use for anyone looking to measure engagement without open rate data. Mix and match the filters to find what works best for your brand. Instead of using opens for your winback automation, use the following filters to get a better idea of who you need to be targeting to drive a conversion:
- Clicked any of the last # emails they received
- Clicked an email in past # days
- Clicked any of your last # of email campaigns
Here are the best filters to use if you’re an ecommerce brand looking to find your most active subscribers and those you need to spend more time targeting with your campaigns:
To measure the general success of your email campaign, use:
- "Purchased item from email"
To figure out your highest value customers, use:
- "Total Amount Spent",
- "Spending Level" and
- "Purchased any item in last X days"
To find out who your most loyal customer are use:
- "Completed # Orders" and
- "Purchased any item in last X days"
Over 66% of your carts are being abandoned at any given time, so you need to filter your list to make sure you’re properly engaging those customers. Use:
- "Abandoned Cart", and
- "abandoned a cart containing specific item"
Specific event filters you should be using to measure engagement
For event marketers, use these Hive filters to find your VIP fans and get them to your next show:
To identify your VIP fans, use:
- "Total Amount Spent", and
- "Total spent on any single event"
To identify your most loyal fans that would never miss a show, use:
- "Purchased tickets for # of events",
To measuring the general performance of an email, and whether your campaigns are driving revenue use:
- "Purchased tickets from email", and
- "Purchased tickets from SMS"
How Hive is responding to these changes
The email landscape is constantly changing, and we’re constantly updating Hive with the features you need to drive growth with every email send. Use the upcoming iOS changes as an opportunity to dig deeper beyond open rates, and focus on metrics that are more tightly coupled to success. With Hive’s customer first approach, we’re in a position to adapt quickly to this change, and we’ll be there to help you navigate this new landscape every step of the way.