Why do I still receive emails after unsubscribing through Gmail's unsubscribe button?
Summary
What email marketers say8Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Reddit suggests that some companies have separate lists for different types of communications. Unsubscribing from one doesn't unsubscribe you from all.
Email marketer from Quora User explains that many large companies maintain several mailing lists. Opting out from one list does not guarantee you'll be removed from all their lists.
Email marketer from EmailGeeks Community explains that some companies have a delay in processing unsubscribe requests, sometimes up to 10 days, as allowed by CAN-SPAM laws.
Email marketer from Marketing Forum mentions that the 'unsubscribe' button provided by email clients might not always work due to technical glitches or because the sender is not properly processing those requests.
Email marketer from StackExchange Super User suggests that you should wait 24 hours as the email sending could have already been scheduled and could take this long to filter through the system.
Email marketer from MarketingProfs explains that legitimate companies honour unsubscribe requests promptly. If a company is ignoring your request, consider if the email is legitimate.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that some big brands argue they have 10 days before they need to unsubscribe, even though they believe 2 days is sufficient. Sending emails after someone opts out will hurt sender reputation in the long run.
Email marketer from Consumer Reports explains that if the Gmail unsubscribe is not working or you think it's a dodgy company that is sending the mail, it might be best to just mark as spam.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks explains that list-unsubscribe-post is new and poorly understood. Some have added the headers without implementing the POST functionality correctly, leading to non-interactive unsubs not working.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that the issue might be 'graymail' – marketing emails that aren't spam but that you don't necessarily want. Unsubscribing is the key, but make sure it's a real unsubscribe link to avoid problems.
Expert from SpamResource explains that if a company doesn't honor unsubscribe requests, report them. Legitimate senders should respect your choice immediately.
What the documentation says6Technical articles
Documentation from RFC2369 explains that the best practise for email providers is to respect and correctly interpret the list-unsubscribe header, to ensure that when people request to unsubscribe through that method, they are effectively unsubscribed from the list. However, this relies on the sender properly implementing it.
Documentation from Litmus explains that using List-Unsubscribe headers can improve email deliverability and sender reputation. It's not a guaranteed solution to prevent emails after unsubscribing, but it is a step to follow for responsible email sending.
Documentation from Mailchimp explains that senders use List-Unsubscribe headers that email clients can automatically display, however, this feature may not be available for all email clients and depends on the sender's implementation.
Documentation from ReturnPath emphasizes the importance of honoring unsubscribe requests promptly and accurately to maintain a positive sender reputation and avoid being marked as spam. Failure to do so can lead to serious penalties.
Documentation from Google Workspace notes that even after unsubscribing, marking emails as spam helps Gmail learn which types of messages you don't want to see, further improving filtering.
Documentation from Federal Trade Commission states that under the CAN-SPAM Act, companies have 10 business days to process an unsubscribe request. They must also provide a clear and conspicuous way for recipients to opt out of receiving future emails.