Glossary
Related glossary terms
Email open rate is the percentage of delivered emails that are reported as “opened,” typically calculated as:
(Number of emails opened / Number of emails sent) * 100 = Email open rate
But here’s the catch: an “open” is not a literal eyeball. It’s a pixel load. Most email platforms embed a tiny tracking pixel in the message. When the recipient’s email client loads that pixel, it counts as an open.
However, modern privacy features like Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) preload images (including tracking pixels) whether or not the recipient actually opens the message. This means many opens (especially from Apple devices) are no longer reliable indicators of real human engagement.
Open rates can be affected by:
Open rate is still useful (in context):
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