Why do marketing automation platform switches cause drop in email open rates?

Email marketer from ActiveCampaign explains that new marketing automation platforms have different deliverability configurations. Failing to properly configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records can cause emails to land in spam folders, reducing open rates.

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that sometimes the beacon through which they measure opens fails. Some ESPs take a click and ensure it’s also counted as an open if not already measured as an open. Others don’t do this. Check whether all click events also have an open.

Email marketer from Quora shares that a new platform may not import your list, but makes users double-opt-in causing a smaller more engaged list, however, this may initially cause a drop in open rates.

Email marketer from Litmus shares that discrepancies in open rate tracking methods between platforms can create the illusion of a drop. Different platforms might use different criteria for counting opens.

Email marketer from Sendinblue shares that moving to a new platform can expose outdated or poorly maintained email lists. Sending to unengaged subscribers lowers your sender reputation and impacts open rates.

Email marketer from Email on Acid shares that changes in email design or content during the platform switch can affect engagement. If the new templates or messaging don't resonate with subscribers, open rates can decline.

Email marketer from G2.com explains that the new platform may require rebuilding your segments, or the new platform uses different methods of managing segments. This causes issues in targeting engaged customers.

Email marketer from StackOverflow states that the problem can be caused due to the migration process missing subscribers, incomplete migration leads to audience fragmentation, affecting campaign performance.

Email marketer from Reddit explains that default settings on a new platform might differ from the old one, especially in areas like double opt-in or subscription management. This can unintentionally affect list quality and engagement.

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that shared IPs can have blacklisted ones among them, and suggests to carefully monitor each sendout. Also check if the drop is across the board or only with certain inboxes.

Email marketer from Neil Patel Blog explains that failing to properly warm up your IP address after switching platforms can significantly impact your open rates. A sudden increase in email volume from a new IP can trigger spam filters.

Expert from Word to the Wise emphasizes the importance of maintaining subscriber engagement during and after a platform migration. She suggests focusing on sending relevant content to active subscribers to improve open rates and overall deliverability.

Expert from Spam Resource explains that any time there is a major change, a red flag is raised with mailbox providers. Therefore any change such as an IP, or platform should be done slowly, and monitored closely.

Expert from Email Geeks explains if the company is relying on calculations from the marketing automation platform, the difference could simply be how the numbers are calculated.

Expert from Email Geeks shares a situation where the new ESP added more code, leading to clipping issues in Gmail and preventing the tracking pixel from appearing unless the user clicked "view entire message".

Expert from Email Geeks explains that the big difference is the denominator, as some places use sent and some places use accepted, and the counting clicks as opens as well, as some use unique opens, some don’t.

Documentation from SparkPost explains that switching platforms impacts sender reputation. New IPs and sending domains need to build a positive reputation with mailbox providers through consistent and engaged sending.

Documentation from Mailjet shares that improper email authentication setup during migration can hurt deliverability. Make sure SPF, DKIM and DMARC are properly configured and aligned.

Documentation from RFC Editor states that ensure your sending IP address has a valid reverse DNS record (PTR record) that points back to your domain. Many email servers use PTR records to verify the legitimacy of sending servers.

Documentation from Google explains that sender reputation must be monitored when moving to a new platform, in Google Postmaster Tools. Sudden changes can quickly impact your inbox placement, and consequently open rates, with Gmail users.