In addition to regular click tracking, Google Analytics can now also measure the opening of e-mails and link them to website objectives and revenue. This gives marketers new insights into the behavior of customers in connection with e-mail campaigns. The implementation is quite simple.

E-mails are always optimized according to opening rate and click-through rate. The problem for most CRM managers is that these statistics are not part of the Web analytics concept. Only when a user clicks on a link in an e-mail does the Web analytics system record this and can show which conversions are achieved in connection with e-mail clicks. As a result, CRM managers are often forced to make their mails particularly click-free – and not particularly informative or interesting. The e-mails were not necessarily better – in the worst case, the content of the message does not solve the full-bold promise of the subject line at all. This is a stupid compromise. Because also someone who quickly reads on the phone a mail – and then without click later converted from the laptop, has nevertheless responded to the e-mail. So far it was very, very difficult to measure. From now on, it’s easy.

What has changed? What are the advantages?

Google Analytics has introduced the possibility to also place tracking pixels in e-mails. This allows connections between opening and buying behavior to be established. It’s post-view tracking for emails.
What questions can marketers answer in Google Analytics?
Have my e-mails been opened at all?
What is the click rate of my emails?
Have certain users (segments) bought something after opening an e-mail? (Even if they have not clicked?)
Utilize user (segments) that open my emails even my site or app more frequently? (Even if they do not click?)
Are there any users (segments) that open my emails, even though they no longer use my site?
In principle, e-mail openers can be viewed as a separate segment in Google Analytics – and connected to all other metrics.

How does the implementation work?

The “Measurement Protocol” is used to measure e-mail openings in Google Analytics. You have to build a URL from different parameters and then integrate them as an image URL into your e-mail template.