According to Inc, a new industry report from marketing optimization platform DESelect reveals a major shift in how companies measure email success. The report, based on a survey of 34 marketing operations leaders and in-depth interviews, found that open rates have become a much less reliable indicator. This is directly due to enhanced privacy protections rolled out by Apple and Google. As a result, marketing teams across consumer goods, retail, software, and healthcare are now focusing on click-through rates and conversions to gauge campaign potency. The change comes after a year where startups heavily leveraged newsletters on platforms like Substack and Beehiiv for growth, even with small subscriber lists.
Why Open Rates Broke
Here’s the thing: open rates were always a bit of a vanity metric. But now, they’re basically broken. When Apple introduced its Mail Privacy Protection feature, it started pre-loading images in emails, even if the user never opened them. That means an email sent to an iPhone user gets counted as “opened” automatically by most tracking systems. Google has implemented similar privacy measures. So, your beautiful 40% open rate? It might be completely fictional. It’s not measuring human eyes on your subject line anymore; it’s measuring a privacy bot. And if your core success metric is based on faulty data, how can you possibly make good decisions?
The Shift To What Actually Matters
So what are smart teams tracking instead? Clicks and conversions. It’s a no-brainer when you think about it. An “open” is passive. A click is an action. It shows intent. It means your content resonated enough for someone to engage further. And a conversion—a sign-up, a sale, a download—that’s the ultimate goal, right? We’re not just blasting emails to feel good about ourselves; we’re doing it to drive business. This shift forces marketers to think harder about email content and strategy. Is your copy compelling enough to drive a click? Is your offer strong enough to trigger a purchase? That’s a much healthier focus than just obsessing over a subject line to trick someone into an “open.”
What This Means For Your Inbox
This might actually lead to better emails for all of us. If marketers are judged on clicks and sales, the incentive changes. The subject line still matters, but the content inside becomes paramount. No more “OPEN ME!” gimmicks that lead to a hollow message. The pressure is on to deliver real value upfront, because that’s what drives the metrics that now count. For businesses in any sector, from software to physical manufacturing, understanding what drives a customer to act is everything. It’s about moving from noise to genuine engagement. And that’s a change worth making.
