Good morning! No time for a thought provoking intro — we want you to spend all the time you can soaking up everything you need to know in the world of ecom today.
Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC:
You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Kelly Realtors, Bombshell HQ, and The Elders 👋
Meta has released a new feature called Link History which archives link data on Android and iOS devices.
They are currently rolling out this tool and plan to make it available globally. This feature is turned on by default but users can choose to opt-out.
But why?
Meta is promoting this tool as a way to help users easily find all their recent links in one place but…it’s also a response to Google’s mission to phase out cookies this year.
Google has already disabled cookies for 1% of users (affecting 30 million people) this month and aims to complete the process by Q3.
In a cookieless future, it’s harder to serve targeted ads and Link History is Meta's solution to that problem.
Link history allows the social media giant to still collect user data and serve relevant targeted ads despite this disruptive change.
What this means:
If Meta's link history proves to be successful and users continue to opt-in, it will be positive news for marketers and advertisers who depend on targeted ads to drive conversions. Let's wait and observe how it unfolds…
❌ Five Ways To Reduce Your Spam Complaint Rate
Spam emails are a big problem. They clutter your inbox, add no value, and make recipients frustrated. As a result, Gmail is making some major changes regarding email sends starting on Feb 1st, 2024.
Senders that rack up spam complaints will be in hot water. 😨
Who does this apply to?
Anyone who sends more than 5,000 emails a day to Gmail accounts will be affected.
If email revenue is a big driver for your business, you’ll need to pay close attention…
What’s changed?
A lot. But the biggest change is that senders will need to keep their spam rate below 0.3% or risk spam classification.
Luckily there are things you can do to avoid getting flagged as spam.
We spoke with Jordan Gordan, Pilothouse’s Director of Email and Customer Retention, on ways to reduce your spam rate and protect your sender reputation.
🔧 Five ways to reduce spam complaints
1. Add one-click unsubscribe
Senders need to make it easier for recipients to unsubscribe if they want to opt out of email communication. The link should be easy to find and readable.
If people are replying back to your email and are asking you to unsubscribe them manually then, it’s time to adjust that teeny tiny font.
2. Brand new addresses are a large source of spam complaints
If your new subscribers aren’t engaging with your emails, remove them while they are in the welcome flow or they might flag your emails as spam later on.
Turn on smart sending for follow-up emails (if you use Klaviyo or MailerLite). And later on, cart abandonment emails to help maximize your email performance.
3. Limit using implied consent when growing your list
While it’s legal to message someone, you should only do so when you have their expressed consent.
Some of the most common types of spam complainers are prospects who have signed up for email but have never opened or clicked.
An example of this is a prospect who has abandoned their cart and was added to your email list (but never formally opted in).
Or a prospect who signed up to grab a discount code from your welcome email but has not engaged afterwards.
4. Don’t send to unengaged subscribers
If someone hasn’t engaged in a year, don’t email them! ❌
Segment your lists: Send less to unengaged subscribers (aka. potential spam complainers) and bump up your send frequency to your engaged list. This will help decrease your spam complaint rate so you stay in Gmail’s good graces.
Do some list cleaning: Remove unengaged subscribers from your deployments after 6 months.
5. Review your email schedule
Take a look at your send frequency. Are you sending too often? 🤔
One or two messages a week is all most brands need for a successful email marketing program if you are an ecommerce business. Beyond that, you’re cannibalizing future revenues through unsubscribes and ruining your sender reputation with spam complaints.
Also, take customer’s expectations into account. Sending more during BFCM is more acceptable since they are expecting to hear news about sales and promotions, but having the same sending cadence during January or February tends to be overkill.
Take a look at key metrics like your unsubscribe rate for evidence of email fatigue and adjust your correspondence accordingly.
These are all great ways to reduce your spam complaint rate ahead of Gmail’s email update next month. Senders will need to implement these strategies to protect their sender reputation and prevent spam complaints.
The good news is that you still have a few weeks to create an action plan just make sure you get it all done before Feb 1st.
Here is the full list of changes coming for Gmail email deliverability.
👉 Listen to the podcast with Jordan Gordon here for more Gmail insights and tips.
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DTC Newsletter is written by Rebecca Knight and Frances Du. Edited by Eric Dyck.
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