What do Gmail image changes mean for email marketers?
Dive Brief:
- Yesterday, Google announced that all images delivered to Gmail will now come through its servers rather than directly from the senders.
- The good news for email marketers is that open rate tracking should improve because it will no longer rely on email users manually choosing to load images when they view a message.
- The downside is that marketers will no longer be able to see other information, like IP address, user agent, whether it was a mobile open, or which mobile device was used because Google is trying to protect user privacy.
Dive Insight:
While the loss of mobile data coming from the change is a loss for marketers, the improved open rate tracking is a win for marketers. Still, mobile use has gone through the roof and marketers are working to catch up. Losing the ability to track mobile opens from the world's largest email provider may sting a bit.
Recommended Reading:
Marketing Land : Google: Gmail Image Change May Improve Open Rate Data, But Will Strip Other User Data
Campaign Monitor: How Gmail’s image update will affect email reports
Campaign Monitor: How Gmail’s image update will affect email reports
