Is it normal for service companies to send emails on behalf of actual vendors?

Summary

It is a common practice for service companies to send emails on behalf of actual vendors, driven by various motivations, including brand recognition, outsourced operations, and affiliate marketing. This is seen across multiple industries, especially in B2C financial services and co-branded campaigns. However, this practice presents risks, including potential reputational damage from questionable senders, increased vulnerability to compromised accounts, and deliverability challenges. Authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are essential for ensuring compliance and preventing emails from being flagged as spam or phishing attempts. Transparency, careful vetting of third-party senders, and strict oversight of their practices are vital for maintaining trust and safeguarding sender reputation. Proper contracts and enforcement mechanisms are also critical, particularly in affiliate marketing scenarios. Additionally, this approach can serve as a workaround for DMARC challenges, but only with meticulous configuration and attention to security.

Key findings

  • Prevalence: Sending emails on behalf of vendors is a widespread practice.
  • Motivations: Drivers include brand recognition, outsourced operations, and affiliate marketing.
  • Risks: Potential for reputational damage, compromised accounts, and deliverability issues.
  • Authentication is Key: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are critical for compliance and preventing emails from being flagged as spam.
  • Transparency Matters: Transparency and oversight are vital for maintaining trust.

Key considerations

  • Authentication Implementation: Ensure proper configuration of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
  • Sender Vetting: Carefully vet and monitor third-party senders.
  • Transparency with Recipients: Maintain clear communication and transparency with recipients.
  • Contractual Safeguards: Establish proper contracts and enforcement mechanisms, especially for affiliate programs.
  • Security Measures: Implement robust security measures to protect against compromised accounts.

What email marketers say
12Marketer opinions

It is a common practice for service companies to send emails on behalf of actual vendors, especially in B2C financial services, affiliate marketing, co-branded campaigns, and outsourced email marketing. This practice allows companies to maintain brand recognition, expand reach, focus on core operations, and leverage specialized expertise. However, it introduces risks related to sender reputation, deliverability, transparency, and potential liability. Proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), strict oversight of third-party practices, clear disclosures, and relevant content are crucial to ensuring compliance and maintaining trust.

Key opinions

  • Common Practice: Sending emails on behalf of vendors is widespread across various industries.
  • Benefits: Allows brand recognition, expanded reach, specialized expertise, and focus on core operations.
  • Risks: Increases risk of damaged sender reputation, deliverability issues, and potential liability.
  • Authentication: Proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is essential for legitimate sending.

Key considerations

  • Transparency: Be transparent with recipients about who is sending the email and why.
  • Oversight: Maintain strict oversight of third-party sending practices to ensure compliance and protect sender reputation.
  • Authentication Setup: Ensure proper configuration of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to authorize senders and prevent emails from being flagged as spam.
  • Relevant Content: Ensure the email content is relevant and not misleading to maintain recipient trust.
  • Liability: Consider the potential liability associated with allowing third parties to send emails on your behalf.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel Digital explains that affiliate marketing often involves third-party vendors sending emails on behalf of the main company, especially for promotional offers. This is done to expand reach but should be transparent to maintain trust.

July 2024 - Neil Patel Digital
Marketer view

Email marketer from StackOverflow explains that to prevent emails from being flagged as spam when sending on behalf of another vendor, it is essential to use proper authentication methods like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, and also to ensure the email content is relevant and not misleading.

November 2023 - StackOverflow
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit shares that it’s common for companies to outsource email marketing to agencies or vendors who send emails on their behalf. This allows companies to focus on core operations while leveraging specialized email marketing expertise.

June 2021 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Quora responds that white-labeling involves service companies sending emails on behalf of other vendors, often without disclosing their own involvement. While common, transparency is key to maintaining trust with recipients.

September 2023 - Quora
Marketer view

Email marketer from G2 shares that marketing automation platforms often allow service companies to send emails on behalf of their clients. Proper configurations with SPF and DKIM are crucial for maintainability and brand reputation.

May 2021 - G2
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet outlines the use of subaccounts, that enable to send emails for multiple clients under one main account. It is important to authenticate each domain to maintain a good sender reputation.

February 2023 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email on Acid explains that email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are vital when service companies send emails for vendors. Correct setup ensures emails are delivered and not flagged as spam or phishing.

January 2025 - Email on Acid
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that this is a common practice, especially with B2C financial services where companies outsource components but want to maintain brand recognition. He also notes that some financial services avoid direct involvement with fulfillment to limit liability, even if it's made simple to delegate.

September 2021 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus shares that strategic partnerships in email marketing often involve sending emails on behalf of each other. Transparency with recipients and adhering to best practices are crucial for success.

March 2022 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from MarketingProfs shares that co-branded email campaigns, where two companies collaborate, often involve one company sending emails on behalf of the other. Proper disclosures and consent are vital to ensure compliance and transparency.

June 2022 - MarketingProfs
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that even with respectable partners, more authorized senders increase the risk of compromised accounts damaging the domain's sending reputation, advising against allowing uncontrolled third-party senders to authenticate with your domain.

April 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks explains that this practice can be suspect, citing instances where they shut down senders claiming to represent a known brand when it was found to be false, especially concerning questionable affiliate senders.

January 2024 - Email Geeks

What the experts say
3Expert opinions

It is a common practice for service companies to send emails on behalf of actual vendors, often seen in scenarios such as outsourcing marketing or transactional emails and in affiliate marketing. This practice is sometimes a DMARC workaround to avoid giving authentication access to vendors. Experts emphasize the importance of vetting third-party services and maintaining oversight to protect sender reputation, as poor sending habits of these services can negatively impact deliverability. Monitoring affiliate practices closely and ensuring proper contracts and enforcement are also critical.

Key opinions

  • Common Practice: Sending emails on behalf of vendors is a common practice in scenarios such as outsourcing marketing, transactional emails and affiliate marketing.
  • DMARC Workaround: Using third parties to send emails is sometimes a DMARC workaround.
  • Reputation at Risk: Poor sending habits of third parties can negatively affect brand's reputation and deliverability.

Key considerations

  • Vetting Services: Carefully vet third-party services before engaging them.
  • Maintaining Oversight: Maintain strict oversight of third-party practices to protect sender reputation.
  • Monitoring Practices: Monitor affiliate practices closely.
  • Enforcement: Ensure proper contracts and enforcement with third parties.
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise responds that many companies engage in affiliate marketing, where third parties send emails to promote products or services. They warn that it’s vital to monitor affiliate practices closely, as poor sending habits can negatively affect your brand’s reputation and deliverability. Proper contracts and enforcement are critical.

March 2024 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that this practice sounds like what companies like PayPal and Intuit do. She also says it's a DMARC workaround because previously, they would have just used the main company in the from address, but DMARC made that non-viable, as companies don't want to give authentication access to their vendors.

October 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains that it's common for companies to outsource email sending to third-party services, especially for marketing or transactional emails. They emphasize the importance of carefully vetting these services and maintaining strict oversight to protect your sender reputation, as their practices directly impact your deliverability.

June 2022 - Spam Resource

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

When service companies send emails on behalf of vendors, proper email authentication configuration is crucial. SPF records, as defined by RFC 4408, authorize these vendors to send emails using your domain and prevent spam flagging. DMARC policies also require careful setup to ensure emails are authenticated and not marked as phishing. Platforms like Office 365, Sendgrid, and Google Workspace provide mechanisms for authorizing third-party senders, emphasizing the importance of correct configurations for email delivery, security, compliance, and managing sender identities with DKIM and SPF.

Key findings

  • SPF Importance: SPF records are crucial for authorizing third-party vendors to send emails using your domain.
  • DMARC Configuration: DMARC policies need careful configuration to ensure emails are authenticated and not flagged as phishing.
  • Platform Authorization: Platforms like Office 365, Sendgrid, and Google Workspace provide tools for authorizing third-party senders.
  • Authentication Standards: Authentication with DKIM and SPF is vital for compliance and managing sender identities.

Key considerations

  • SPF Setup: Properly configure SPF records to authorize legitimate third-party senders.
  • DMARC Policies: Implement and carefully configure DMARC policies to authenticate emails and prevent phishing attempts.
  • Platform Configuration: Utilize the authorization mechanisms provided by platforms like Office 365, Sendgrid, and Google Workspace.
  • Authentication Protocols: Set up DKIM and SPF correctly to ensure deliverability, security, and compliance.
  • Secure Delegation: Securely delegate email sending permissions to third-party services, adhering to email security standards.
Technical article

Documentation from DMARC.org explains that DMARC policies need careful configuration when using third-party senders. Properly setting up DMARC ensures that emails sent on your behalf are authenticated and don't get flagged as phishing attempts.

October 2022 - DMARC.org
Technical article

Documentation from RFC 4408 explains that using SPF records is crucial when third-party vendors send emails on your behalf. SPF records authorize these vendors to send emails using your domain, preventing them from being marked as spam.

November 2024 - RFC 4408
Technical article

Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help outlines how to securely delegate email sending permissions to third-party services. Proper configuration ensures compliance with email security standards and prevents unauthorized sending.

February 2025 - Google Workspace Admin Help
Technical article

Documentation from Sendgrid outlines the processes for managing sender identities when sending emails on behalf of other companies. Proper configurations with DKIM and SPF are critical for deliverability and compliance.

December 2021 - Sendgrid
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft Support outlines that in Office 365, organizations often authorize third-party services to send emails. Configuring these authorized senders correctly is essential for proper email delivery and security.

November 2023 - Microsoft Support