Email marketing has long relied on open and click rates as primary metrics to measure the effectiveness of campaigns. These metrics help marketers understand recipient engagement, adjust strategies, and ultimately drive business decisions. 


However, the rise of nonhuman interactions (NHI) has complicated this landscape, leading to inflated and often misleading metrics. NHIs occur when automated systems, such as security software, trigger email interactions that are recorded as opens or clicks, even though no human action took place.


Understanding NHIs and their impact on email metrics is crucial for marketers seeking accurate data. Below, we address common questions about NHIs and provide best practices to mitigate their effects.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are nonhuman interactions (NHI) in email metrics?

A: Nonhuman interactions (NHI), also known as "automated clicks," occur when email engagement metrics like opens and clicks are triggered by software programs, such as security scans by email providers, rather than by human recipients.

Q: How do NHIs affect email metrics?

A: NHIs can inflate open and click rates because security software may follow links in emails to check for malicious content. This can result in recorded interactions that do not represent actual human engagement.

Q: Why is NHI a concern for email marketing?

A: Reliance on open and click rates to measure campaign performance can lead to inaccurate metrics due to NHIs. This can impact business decisions, such as targeting and engagement strategies, reducing the reliability of these metrics.

Q: What is the typical impact of NHIs on Business to Consumer (B2C) emails?

A: For B2C emails, NHIs generally have less than a 10% impact on engagement metrics. The effect is typically smaller for well-established brands.

Q: What is the typical impact of NHIs on Business to Business (B2B) emails?

A: For B2B emails, NHIs can have a more significant impact, ranging from 20% to 80%. This is due to the stricter anti-spam software used by businesses, which frequently scans emails for security purposes.

Q: How can NHIs affect the reputation of brands and Email Service Providers (ESPs)?

A: NHIs can skew engagement metrics, making it difficult to accurately assess recipient engagement. This can degrade the sender's domain reputation and affect the overall performance of email campaigns.

Q: What best practices can reduce the impact of NHIs?

  • Use HTTPS for all links to avoid triggering security scans.
  • Separate campaigns for engaged and non-engaged recipients.
  • Monitor and maintain high content quality.
  • Build and maintain a positive sender reputation to minimize the impact of NHIs.

Q: Is it possible to completely eliminate NHIs from email metrics?

A: No, it is not possible to completely eliminate NHIs as they are designed to mimic human interactions closely. Senders should be aware of NHIs and adjust their strategies accordingly, but full removal is not feasible.