Issue
Customers have reported a significant increase in unsubscribe events, which appear to occur automatically when emails are delivered. This issue is particularly concerning as it affects transactional emails sent via API, leading to customer complaints about not receiving emails anymore.
Product
SendGrid Email API & SendGrid Marketing
Cause
The increase in unsubscribe events is primarily due to non-human interactions, such as corporate security scanners or automated engagement bots. These systems automatically inspect email links, causing misleading email metrics. This behavior is characterized by:
- Unsubscribe actions occurring simultaneously with email opens or very rapidly after delivery.
- Repeated browser details and User-Agent strings, suggesting automated scanning rather than human interaction.
- IP addresses associated with corporate network security scanners being reported on events.
Resolution
To address this issue, follow these steps:
-
Monitor and Filter Non-Human Engagement:
- Leverage event webhook data, or reference events within the permitted activity feed timeframe, to identify and filter out non-human interactions.
-
Implement Group Unsubscribes:
- Use SendGrid's Group Unsubscribe functionality to reduce accidental or non-human triggered unsubscribe events.
- This feature requires more deliberate human action, such as multiple clicks or confirmation steps.
-
Use Address Allow List:
- Implement an address allow list to ensure that trusted email addresses are not inadvertently unsubscribed.
- This can help prevent automated systems from affecting your email metrics. However, it should be used appropriately.
-
Review Suppression Lists:
- Navigate to the "Suppressions" section in your SendGrid dashboard.
- Check for contacts on the Global Unsubscribes, Spam, and Invalid lists.
- Remove contacts from these lists if they are known good email addresses.
- If the contact is failing to deliver, consider removing the email from the list of addresses that are actively being sent to in the email program.
Additional Information
- Automated systems can cause unsubscribes as they inspect emails and links. This behavior is increasingly common due to enhanced security measures in corporate email systems.
- For more details, refer to SendGrid's article on Non-human Clicks and Opens Recorded.
By following these steps, you can mitigate the impact of non-human unsubscribe events and maintain accurate email engagement metrics.