What is the best way for a car rental company to let customers email their friends about car rental availability using the customer's Gmail account?
Summary
What email marketers say15Marketer opinions
Email marketer from SendGrid suggests implementing rate limiting to prevent overwhelming Gmail's servers and protect sender reputation.
Marketer from Email Geeks responds that "Cold email" services that use a Google Workspace account might be an option.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that you can't just spoof someone's email address. It's better to send details and ask them to forward it. Processing data without consent is dodgy.
Email marketer from Mailchimp recommends monitoring bounce rates and handling them effectively. High bounce rates can negatively impact deliverability and sender reputation.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains if consent and authentication are obtained, it's essentially building an email client. Ensure only consented notifications are sent and be mindful of security reviews for restricted scopes.
Email marketer from Reddit shares that the car rental company should prioritize obtaining explicit consent from users to access their Gmail accounts and send emails on their behalf. This includes outlining the purpose, scope, and duration of access.
Email marketer from Email on Acid recommends including clear unsubscribe links in all emails and ensuring compliance with CAN-SPAM regulations to avoid being flagged as spam.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum advises on creating a standard email template with customizable fields. This template should include the car rental company's branding but allow users to personalize the message for their friends.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains you cannot send emails using the user consumer email address via 3rd party platforms unless you obtain user consent and credentials via OAuth2 to send mail on their behalf via the provider's SMTP servers.
Email marketer from HubSpot advises implementing a double opt-in process to ensure that users actively confirm their consent to send emails via their Gmail accounts.
Email marketer from Quora suggests that using the Gmail API directly is an efficient way to handle sending emails through users' accounts. This enables programmatic control over email composition and sending.
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign advises on educating users about best practices for sending referral emails, such as personalizing messages and avoiding spammy content.
Email marketer from StackExchange suggests providing users with a shareable link that they can manually send to their friends. This avoids the need to access their Gmail accounts directly.
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor warns about the risks associated with directly accessing user email accounts. He suggest companies consider alternative options such as referral programs and shareable links to avoid potential issues with deliverability and legal compliance.
Email marketer from MarketingProfs emphasizes the importance of data privacy and security. The car rental company must implement measures to protect user data and comply with privacy regulations like GDPR.
What the experts say2Expert opinions
Expert from Spam Resource highlights the legal and compliance aspects. The car rental company must adhere to CAN-SPAM and GDPR regulations, which necessitate clear unsubscribe mechanisms and transparent data handling practices for the Gmail account users and their contacts. Ensuring emails are not misleading and accurately represent the sender's intent is crucial.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that regardless of technical implementation, gaining explicit permission and proper authentication via OAuth 2.0 from the Gmail account holder is paramount. This includes clear communication about the purpose and scope of the email activity.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Google Developers explains that OAuth 2.0 is the recommended protocol for authorizing access to Gmail accounts. The car rental company should implement OAuth 2.0 to request permission from users to send emails via their Gmail accounts.
Documentation from IETF explains that the car rental company should ensure that emails sent via users' Gmail accounts comply with email authentication standards such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to improve deliverability and avoid being flagged as spam.
Documentation from Google Developers warns that the car rental company should be aware of and adhere to Gmail API usage quotas. This includes daily email limits and other restrictions that may impact the number of emails that can be sent.
Documentation from Google Workspace explains that implementing security best practices is crucial when accessing user Gmail accounts. This includes secure storage of access tokens and regular security audits.