How to Measure True Email Opens

HI Jessica,
**Note -> My thoughts below are about marketing automation tools in general and how Open's get tracked. They all handle this in a similar way, but my comments are not Sugar specific. **

You are correct in that what counts as an "open" within marketing/email automation platforms is the pixel that triggers the "open" status when downloaded in the email. It is the ONLY thing that will trigger the "open". To answer some specific questions that you asked here:
1) If the recipient's email viewer/program is set to automatically load images, then it would count as open as soon as the person highlighted the email and their program changes it from "unread" to "read".
2) Manually clicking "download images" will also cause that to count as "open".
3) "Mark as read", as above, counts as "open" unless they have something within their email program that keeps images from downloading even if it is "read".
4) Preview pane -> same as #3. It depends on their settings. If it is set to download images upon preview, then, yes, this would count as an "open".

Alternatively, if they are set to NOT download images automatically or under any circumstance other than them clicking to do so, then it WON'T count as an open, even if they open and read the email. This can also sometimes be seen in cases where you have "Clicks" higher than "Opens".

This is a common issue with "vanity metrics" such as "open". It has not really been solved for mostly because, in my opinion, people tend to believe that the scenarios above that are indicative of someone not reading the email but counting as an "open" balances against the scenarios where someone reads the emails, but it does not count as open. Personally, I disagree with this as I believe more people have images set to auto download in some ways more than people have it set to blocked. 

[My opinion time] Opens/Clicks are ok to somewhat validate email content to a degree. I would not use it to judge an email campaign, or at least not heavily weight it. To me, "delivered" is important as it can speak to database health (although some potential issues there too). Attempting to have some level of attribution between the email campaign and the end goal (# sales call, MQL count, revenue, etc.) are typically better indicators of the success of a campaign. If your list is fairly static over time, you COULD use the "vanity metrics" to see if you are increasing engagement with that specific group of contacts. Just with the caveat that what qualifies as "open" is problematic.

Apologies for the length of this. Was trying to give as much info as I could. Happy to connect and "talk shop" if it would help at all. 

HI Jessica,
**Note -> My thoughts below are about marketing automation tools in general and how Open's get tracked. They all handle this in a similar way, but my comments are not Sugar specific. **

You are correct in that what counts as an "open" within marketing/email automation platforms is the pixel that triggers the "open" status when downloaded in the email. It is the ONLY thing that will trigger the "open". To answer some specific questions that you asked here:
1) If the recipient's email viewer/program is set to automatically load images, then it would count as open as soon as the person highlighted the email and their program changes it from "unread" to "read".
2) Manually clicking "download images" will also cause that to count as "open".
3) "Mark as read", as above, counts as "open" unless they have something within their email program that keeps images from downloading even if it is "read".
4) Preview pane -> same as #3. It depends on their settings. If it is set to download images upon preview, then, yes, this would count as an "open".

Alternatively, if they are set to NOT download images automatically or under any circumstance other than them clicking to do so, then it WON'T count as an open, even if they open and read the email. This can also sometimes be seen in cases where you have "Clicks" higher than "Opens".

This is a common issue with "vanity metrics" such as "open". It has not really been solved for mostly because, in my opinion, people tend to believe that the scenarios above that are indicative of someone not reading the email but counting as an "open" balances against the scenarios where someone reads the emails, but it does not count as open. Personally, I disagree with this as I believe more people have images set to auto download in some ways more than people have it set to blocked. 

[My opinion time] Opens/Clicks are ok to somewhat validate email content to a degree. I would not use it to judge an email campaign, or at least not heavily weight it. To me, "delivered" is important as it can speak to database health (although some potential issues there too). Attempting to have some level of attribution between the email campaign and the end goal (# sales call, MQL count, revenue, etc.) are typically better indicators of the success of a campaign. If your list is fairly static over time, you COULD use the "vanity metrics" to see if you are increasing engagement with that specific group of contacts. Just with the caveat that what qualifies as "open" is problematic.

Apologies for the length of this. Was trying to give as much info as I could. Happy to connect and "talk shop" if it would help at all.