Friday, March 30, 2012

Return Path's Deliverability Report

Last week, our partner Return Path released their semiannual Global Email Deliverability Benchmark Report, covering the second half of 2011. There are a few interesting findings from this report which we'd like to share.

First of all, there was a noticeable decline in global inbox delivery. Previously, inbox delivery was stable at around 80%. However, that rate dropped to 76.5%.

This was likely caused by a combination of factors, including:
  • A spike in complaints and fluctuating volume during the busy holiday season.
  • Email overload. People are opting in to more newsletters and deals emails than ever before. Per Microsoft, 50% of inbox email is of this type.
  • ISPs are constantly adjusting their filtering rules.

We believe that JangoSMTP can help on all fronts:
  • We participate in complaint feedback loops with all of the major ISPs, which allow us to receive, process, and monitor complaint details. Our large pool of sending servers distributes spikes in volume to reduce deliverability issues.
  • Personalization features (even something as simple as greeting a recipient by name) can go a long way in recipients wanting to continue receiving your campaigns. It is also important to clearly state why the user is receiving the mailing.
  • We are constantly monitoring deliverability rates, and working with ISPs and our users to resolve any new issues that arise.

A figure involving complaints also stood out to us. 75% of Microsoft recipients use the "Report Junk" button, rather than an unsubscribe link, to remove themselves from mailings. As mentioned earlier, we receive these reports via the complaint feedback loop. However, a high complaint rate can cause delivery issues, so it is critical to have a clear, working unsubscribe link. Many email marketers are now also placing opt-in details and the unsubscribe link at the top of the message. This is a great way to lower the complaint rate.

Finally, for the best deliverability, we offer our customers whitelisting with Return Path. Those who meet the program requirements and are accepted have all their emails sent via Safe Senders. See our website for more information!

View Return Path's full report for further details, including figures broken down by region and country.