Apple Mail Privacy Protection: What Email Marketers Need to Know

The Crucial Post-Send Phase in Email Marketing

The most important stage within a marketing team's overall strategy and multichannel approach occurs following the dispatch of an email campaign: the post-send analysis and performance evaluation aspects of email marketing.

During this period, marketers are expected to collect key metrics and data to inform future email strategies and broader marketing initiatives. These email metrics can directly influence advertising copy and social media content, providing guidance to design, content creation, and product marketing teams.

Email Marketing's High Return on Investment

Email remains a highly profitable channel for connecting with target demographics – for every dollar invested, brands typically see a return of $36. This allows brands to directly engage their core audience: individuals who have actively subscribed to receive email communications.

Subscribers have explicitly chosen to receive updates from the brand. By leveraging analytics and the insights they provide, marketers can refine their spending and messaging to achieve specific business objectives.

The Impact of Apple's Mail Privacy Protection

Email plays a vital role in shaping marketing strategy and driving overall business success, functioning as the cornerstone of an effective multichannel campaign. However, Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection – introduced with the iOS 15 update – aims to limit the availability of email-related metrics and data.

According to Litmus’s Email Client Market Share report, Apple devices (iPhone, Mail, and iPad) accounted for almost 50% of all email opens in 2020. The loss of these insights will present challenges for targeted and personalized communication. Marketers and businesses must proactively adjust their email strategies and processes in anticipation of this update.

Growing Concerns About Data Privacy

Both companies and individuals are increasingly focused on data privacy. Businesses are striving to protect consumer data to avoid data breaches, reputational damage, and potential financial losses.

Consumer awareness regarding privacy issues has also risen significantly. A 2021 survey revealed that over half of respondents expressed greater concern about online privacy compared to the previous year. Consumers now expect brands to demonstrate trustworthiness before sharing personal information.

How Apple's Update Affects Data Collection

Responding to this growing demand for privacy control, Apple introduced new protections within its iOS 15 update, including Mail Privacy Protection. This feature allows Apple Mail users to conceal their IP addresses, locations, and other data from senders, effectively preventing brands from tracking metrics like open rates and geographic location.

Apple stated that Mail Privacy Protection is designed to “stop senders from using invisible pixels to collect information about the user.”

What implications does this update hold for marketers? Potentially, the erosion of a critical component of the marketing mix and multichannel strategy: the post-send and performance analysis pillars of email marketing.

Specifically, the disappearance of accurate open-rate data – with brands potentially seeing a reported 100% open rate.

The Scale of Apple Mail's Influence

Data from Litmus, based on over a billion email opens globally, indicated that Apple Mail held a 48.6% share across iPhones, Macs, and iPads in June 2021. Although slightly lower than the 51.1% share in April, this data strongly suggests that Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection will have a substantial impact on email marketers, marketing teams as a whole, and ultimately, consumers.

Consequences for Consumers

While distinct from third-party cookies, email data is now facing similar restrictions due to Apple’s policies. Marketers rely on email engagement data to understand customer preferences and tailor content accordingly.

This permission-based communication channel, email, fosters a reciprocal understanding between consumers and businesses. Apple’s actions may lead to a diminished level of personalization and relevance in communications, despite the fact that a significant majority of consumers – over 80% – express a desire to exchange data for customized experiences.

Reduced Personalization

The anticipated outcome is that brands will have less access to insights regarding individual consumer interests. Consequently, they may resort to sending generalized emails that lack contextual relevance.

Ultimately, Apple’s decision represents a disadvantage for consumers. Delivering the timely, pertinent, and personalized experiences that they increasingly expect will become more challenging for brands.

The Value of Data Exchange

Consumers have consistently demonstrated a willingness to share their data. This is done with the expectation of receiving more relevant and valuable interactions in return.

By limiting access to email data, Apple potentially disrupts this beneficial exchange, impacting the quality of the consumer experience.

• Personalized experiences are becoming a standard expectation.
• Data-driven insights are crucial for effective marketing.
• Consumer willingness to share data exists when value is provided.

The shift towards less personalized email marketing could result in lower engagement rates and a less satisfying experience for consumers overall.

Preparing for Changes in Email Engagement Tracking

Today’s consumers expect personalized interactions and brand experiences. Brands, in turn, aim to deliver relevant, targeted content. Failure to do so can negatively impact return on investment, engagement levels, and overall brand reputation, leading consumers to perceive messaging as unwanted “spam.”

To effectively utilize email analytics and data for future campaigns, marketers should begin preparations immediately.

Key Preparatory Steps

• Assess the Impact of iOS 15 Updates. Before the rollout of Apple’s iOS 15 update, it’s crucial to understand its potential effects on email lists. Identify subscribers who utilize Apple Mail.

While industry averages suggest roughly half of email opens occur through Apple Mail, this proportion can vary significantly based on factors like industry. For instance, retailers and e-commerce businesses often have a higher percentage of Apple Mail users compared to SaaS, pharmaceutical, or legal firms.

Organizations should analyze these metrics and explore alternative email solution providers. Tracking subscriber device preferences will reveal the number potentially affected by the iOS 15 update. Prioritize email analytics solutions that safeguard subscriber privacy by blocking personally identifiable information and removing IP addresses. Some providers offer features designed to mitigate the challenges of segmenting Apple and non-Apple users.

• Re-evaluate Long-Term Engagement Analysis. Successful campaigns depend on understanding and applying engagement data. Therefore, marketers should proactively plan for future multichannel and email initiatives.

Place greater emphasis on click-through rates, particularly if a substantial portion of subscribers use Apple Mail. Segment users who do not utilize Apple Mail and conduct A/B testing on elements like creative content, messaging, timing, and subject lines to establish a new baseline for long-term engagement analysis.

• Identify Reliance on Open Rates. While not a perfect metric, open rates provide insight into engagement within an email campaign.

Determine where open rates are currently used, as these processes may require adjustments. Avoid being caught off guard by the iOS 15 update by reviewing:

• Automated workflows and touchpoints.
• Re-engagement campaign strategies.
• Localization, content optimization, and deployment processes.
• Inventory analyses and countdown triggers.
• A/B testing methodologies.
• Segmentation of engaged and unengaged subscribers.
• Deliverability monitoring.
• Reporting procedures.

• Communicate with Subscribers. According to Salesforce, a significant majority of consumers (86%) desire greater transparency regarding how companies utilize their personal information. Furthermore, 81% are hesitant to purchase from brands they do not trust.

Therefore, a critical step involves email marketers:

• Clearly explaining the brand’s data information strategy and email tracking practices to subscribers.
• Detailing how regulations like GDPR and CCPA guide the protection of personally identifiable information (PII) and ensure compliance.
• Respecting consumer choices regarding data sharing and prioritizing stakeholder relationships.

The iOS 15 update and Mail Privacy Protection will affect all marketers. Just as they adapted to the shift from print to digital, marketers must now adjust to this new challenge to maintain competitiveness.

A proactive and strategic approach will empower brands and marketers to continue delivering the personalized experiences consumers desire through their preferred channel: email.