Apple Privacy Updates & Implications on Email Performance Metrics

[Jmhayes]

I've been reading up on Apple Privacy updates recently, and this article from Litmus caught my attention: Identifying ‘Real Opens’ Is Key to Adapting to Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection

Basically, the upcoming privacy updates from Apple Mail may have implications on "true" email performance metrics. This line caught my eye in particular:

Apple will pre-fetch every email’s content at the time of delivery. That will not only make open times inaccurate, but will make it appear that nearly 100% of your emails that are received by subscribers who use Apple email clients are opened, whether they actually are or not.

I'm wondering if there is functionality that exists already within Marketo that will help determine "true" email metrics once these updates from Apple are pushed. Is there a way to currently segment out Apple Mail users when reporting?

If not, is there anything down the pipeline coming from Marketo to address these updates? Curious if anyone has any additional resources to share on these coming updates from Apple as well, thanks!

[Phillip_Wild]

My opinion only: I would move away from opens as a metric you use to gauge success. This is likely only the first step in a range of moves to block open tracking from email providers. If you rely on opens to gauge success, you will be always fighting an uphill battle. If it's possible, use conversions - or failing that, clicks will provide more insight since they are based on your site and metrics you control more. 

It is likely possible to put a filter over your email performance reports of "not opened email where device is Apple" but it's really a bandaid solution, and has its own limitations.

[Jmhayes]

Appreciate your input here! A large suite of our email comms are more content & awareness-based so conversions don't necessarily apply there. 

[SanfordWhiteman]

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I'm wondering if there is functionality that exists already within Marketo that will help determine "true" email metrics once these updates from Apple are pushed.

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There is not, and it’s unlikely there will ever be.