Is email volume decreasing due to mailbox provider requirements?
Summary
What email marketers say10Marketer opinions
Email marketer from SuperOffice states that a high spam complaint rate can lower email volume and inbox placement since mailbox providers see these complaints as a signal of poor email practices.
Email marketer from Constant Contact details that compliance with the CAN-SPAM Act is essential for reaching inboxes. This influences email volume as businesses refine their lists and only send emails to those who have opted in.
Email marketer from Sendinblue Blog explains that senders are reducing email volume because of the new authentication policies and spam filter updates implemented by different mailbox providers.
Email marketer from Mailjet Blog shares that the increased scrutiny from mailbox providers may lead to a decrease in overall email volume as senders become more cautious and focus on sending relevant emails to engaged subscribers.
Email marketer from Hubspot shares that one of the key deliverability tips is to keep your contact lists current. Removing unengaged subscribers ensures email volume is directed to recipients most likely to open and click.
Email marketer from Litmus shares that while email volume may not be decreasing for all senders, changes in engagement rates (opens, clicks) due to privacy measures and mailbox provider filtering could lead some marketers to send less to unengaged segments.
Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog shares that increased spam filtering and deliverability challenges faced by marketers might lead to a reduction in the volume of emails sent as businesses become more cautious.
Email marketer from Gmass responds that due to the increased regulations and requirements, email senders are reducing the number of emails they send, especially cold emails.
Email marketer from EmailToolTester explains that senders are focusing on quality over quantity due to new deliverability rules. Smaller, more targeted campaigns mean fewer emails are being sent overall.
Email marketer from Automizy shares that high bounce rates damage your sender reputation and thus email volume, as many mailbox providers will block emails from senders with excessive bounces.
What the experts say5Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks suspects that there may have been a dialing down of non-consent based email from otherwise legitimate senders, due to the publicity around spam complaint thresholds and consequences.
Expert from SpamResource.com answers that recent changes to bulk email sending best practices have lead to email senders reducing volume to maintain and improve deliverability. These changes include stricter authentication, spam complaint rate thresholds, and easy unsubscription mechanisms.
Expert from Email Geeks thinks that a lot of folks expanded a LOT in the last 18 months and it might be they've hit the point of diminishing returns.
Expert from Word to the Wise shares that mailbox provider requirements related to authentication and engagement are indirectly influencing email volume. Senders are reducing their sending to unengaged recipients to maintain a positive reputation and improve deliverability, thus impacting the total email volume.
Expert from Email Geeks responds that it's part of the tech slowdown they're seeing and they've laid off half their marketing teams
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Google Workspace Updates explains new requirements for sending emails to Gmail accounts, including authentication, list unsubscribe, and spam rate thresholds, which can impact email volume as senders adjust their practices.
Documentation from SparkPost describes that ISPs (Internet Service Providers) use rate limiting (throttling) to control the volume of email they accept from a particular sender. This affects email volume because if a sender exceeds the limit, their emails are deferred or rejected.
Documentation from Microsoft Postmaster outlines best practices for email senders, including authentication and list management, which can lead to senders reducing volume to comply with guidelines and avoid deliverability issues.
Documentation from RFC explains that SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) are used to authenticate emails and prevent spoofing. Because of this they are increasing in use, which means that senders who do not follow authentication protocols can have their email volume reduced because it gets blocked by mailbox providers.