How Email Tracking Works

The Touchpoint Interactive Marketing Platform tracks email sending, opening and other activities, so that the results can be reported on in the management console.

Open Tracking

The management console is able to track the opening of HTML email Messages. In order to do this, a special image tag is inserted into the HTML email. When the email is opened, an image is downloaded from the Touchpoint server. This action is recorded and the results can be viewed and analyzed in the management console.

Some email clients, such as Microsoft Outlook, may prevent the automatic downloading of pictures. Most Contacts will still choose to download images and this will enable recording of the open to take place. However, some Contacts will open HTML email messages, but choose not to download the images. In this scenario, no open action will be recorded for that Contact.

As plain text emails cannot contain images, open tracking only functions with HTML emails.

Forward Tracking

Forward tracking utilizes the same mechanisms as open tracking. The first time that an email is opened a cookie is stored on the Contact's computer that uniquely identifies it.

Subsequent opens will check this cookie. If the unique identify is different from the first one then the open will be recorded as a forwarding of the Message.

Click-through Tracking

If an email Message is sent with click-through tracking enabled, any links inserted are automatically converted to a special tracking URL. When a Contact clicks on a link that action is recorded in the management console.

The link domain is changed to a domain that is controlled by the Touchpoint Interactive Marketing Platform and a tracking token is embedded in the URL. When a Contact clicks on the link, the click-through is recorded and the Contact is automatically redirected to the correct destination.

Click-through tracking mechanisms function in both HTML and plain text email Messages.

If the links in a Message are personalized for each Contact, then the click-through tracking will not work.

Bounces

When an email is undeliverable the email server will return a message stating that this was the case.

Reply Tracking

Any replies that are received for a Message are matched against the outgoing Message and recorded.

Unsubscribes

If the unsubscribe web page is hosted on the Touchpoint Interactive Marketing Platform, when a Contact unsubscribes the Message that contained the unsubscribed link will be recorded.

Subscribes and Updates

If the subscribe web page is hosted on the Touchpoint Interactive Marketing Platform, when a new Contact subscribes (normally from a forwarded Message) the Message that contained the subscribed link will be recorded.

If a Contact updates their details, the Message that contained the link to the website will be recorded.