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Email marketing analytics and deliverability

By the editors of Analytics1.comLast reviewed 19 October 2026

The short answer

Is our email reaching the inbox, and is it producing clicks and sales?

On this page 8 sections
  1. Opens are no longer a reliable metric
  2. Start with the question
  3. Rules since February 2024
  4. Guides
  5. Choosing and pricing
  6. Tool profiles
  7. Other tools in this space
  8. Questions

Email analytics has two layers. Deliverability asks whether the message reached the inbox at all: authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), sender reputation, bounces and spam complaints. Performance asks what recipients did: clicks, conversions, revenue, unsubscribes. A campaign can look healthy on opens while half the list never saw it in the inbox.

Opens are no longer a reliable metric

Since Apple Mail Privacy Protection launched in September 2021, Apple Mail preloads images for users who turn it on, and that registers an open whether or not the person read the email. Opens are inflated, and anything triggered by opens (resends, send-time optimisation, A/B winners chosen on opens) is skewed. Judge campaigns on clicks, conversions and revenue, and see email marketing metrics for the full list.

Start with the question

If the question isLook first atWhy
Which campaigns produce sales or leads?Your email platform plus UTM-tagged links in GA4Clicks carry the source into analytics, where they meet the conversion.
Are we landing in spam?Google Postmaster Tools, a placement test, a deliverability toolPostmaster shows Gmail's view of your domain; seed tests show placement.
Why are bounces rising?List verification (Bouncer)Removes invalid addresses before they damage reputation.
Is the list growing or just churning?Net growth rateNew subscribers minus unsubscribes, bounces and complaints.
Is cold outreach working?A cold email platform (Instantly)Measures replies, meetings and pipeline per campaign and mailbox.

Rules since February 2024

Gmail and Yahoo now require bulk senders (Google's threshold is about 5,000 messages a day to Gmail addresses) to authenticate with SPF and DKIM, publish a DMARC record, offer one-click unsubscribe and keep spam complaints below 0.3%, with 0.1% as Google's recommended ceiling. Every sender benefits from meeting them.

See the options in best email marketing analytics tools and best cold email software, and work out your email list growth rate.

Not legal advice: marketing email needs consent in the EU and UK (GDPR and PECR), and US commercial email must follow CAN-SPAM, including a working opt-out and a physical address.

Guides

Email marketing metrics that still mean something

Open rate after Apple Mail Privacy Protection, click rate, click-to-open, bounces, unsubscribes and spam complaints, with Gmail's 0.3% spam-rate line and how to measure revenue per email.

Choosing and pricing

Roundup

Best email marketing tools for analytics and deliverability (2026)

Email platforms and deliverability tools by job: Sender, GetResponse, Mailchimp, Klaviyo, Brevo, plus InboxAlly, Bouncer and Google Postmaster Tools for inbox placement.

Roundup

Best cold email software with deliverability and analytics (2026)

Cold email platforms for B2B outreach: Instantly, Apollo.io, Amplemarket, Lemlist and Smartlead, plus the verification and deliverability steps that make the analytics meaningful.

Alternatives

Mailchimp alternatives: 5 options compared

Alternatives to Mailchimp for email marketing and its analytics: Sender, GetResponse, Brevo, Klaviyo and MailerLite, by pricing unit and who each suits.

Pricing

GetResponse pricing by list size

GetResponse Starter, Marketer and Creator prices by contact count from 1,000 to 100,000, the 18% yearly discount, the free plan and what each tier adds.

Pricing

Sender pricing: free plan, Standard and Professional

Sender's Free Forever plan (2,500 subscribers, 15,000 emails), Standard and Professional plans by subscriber count, pay-as-you-go credits and the first-year discount.

Pricing

Instantly pricing: outreach plans and bundles

Instantly's cold email bundles from $94 a month ($85 yearly), the Growth outreach plan at $47, what emails, contacts and lead credits each includes.

Tool profiles and comparisons

Profile

Instantly

Cold email platform with a B2B lead database, warmup, inbox placement tests and pipeline-level reporting.

Profile

Sender

Low-cost email and SMS marketing with automation, popups and a free plan up to 2,500 subscribers.

Profile

GetResponse

Email marketing and automation with landing pages, webinars, SMS and web push in one platform.

Profile

InboxAlly

Email deliverability platform: seed-based engagement, warmup, inbox placement tests and reputation scoring.

Comparison

GetResponse vs Mailchimp for email marketing

GetResponse and Mailchimp compared: plans, automation, testing, reporting, landing pages and webinars, for small businesses choosing an email platform.

Comparison

Sender vs Mailchimp: low-cost email marketing compared

Sender and Mailchimp compared for small lists: free plan limits, paid plan prices, automation, A/B testing and ecommerce reporting.

Comparison

Instantly vs lemlist for cold email

Instantly and lemlist compared for cold outreach: pricing model, sending volume, email accounts, warm-up, lead database and multichannel steps.

Other tools in this space

Plain links, no commission. Listed so you can compare fairly.

  • Mailchimp: The best-known email marketing platform, owned by Intuit.
  • Klaviyo: Ecommerce email and SMS built on store data.
  • Brevo: Email, SMS and transactional email priced by volume sent.
  • Google Postmaster Tools: Free Gmail reputation, spam rate and authentication data for your domain.

Questions

Why is my email open rate so high?
Usually Apple Mail Privacy Protection. Since September 2021 Apple Mail can preload images for users who opt in, so an open is recorded whether or not the email was read. Use click rate and conversions instead.
What spam complaint rate is too high?
Google's sender guidelines require bulk senders to stay below 0.3% spam complaints as reported in Postmaster Tools, and recommend keeping it under 0.1%.
How do I see email revenue in GA4?
Tag every link in the email with utm_source, utm_medium=email and utm_campaign. GA4 then attributes sessions and key events to the campaign. Many email platforms add UTM tags automatically if you switch it on.

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