MARKETING
New feature: Top 5 use cases to deal with Apple Mail Privacy Protection (AMPP)
Apple Mail Privacy Protection (AMPP) was introduced in September 2021 and since then it is difficult to evaluate the behavior of Apple Mail users accurately because of automatically generated opens. Depending on the industry and campaign, the information on real opens could be lost up to 25% of the total recipients. In order to avoid the distorting of your KPIs and incorrect sending, the automatically generated openings by the Apple system are filtered out in Optimizely Campaign since the AMPP release and no longer influence your opening statistics.
As of today, Optimizely Campaign provides a new feature in the target groups, which allows you to clearly identify and manage users of AMPP. You can individually set up the “automated open was detected” filter by time, frequency and mailing reference, what gives you completely new possibilities for targeting, segmenting and analyzing your email campaigns.
In this blog post, we’ll give you five practical examples how to use the new target group filter:
- Identify recipients with automated opens
- Identify inactive recipients more accurately
- Target out dynamic content
- Record AMPP usage in the recipient list
- Determine the proportion of automated opens and adjusted open rate
How to identify recipients with automatic openings
The new target group filter “automated open was detected” helps identify the recipients who have generated at least one opening by the Apple Mail Privacy Protection System in the past. Without any restrictions, the entire lifecycle of the recipients is taken into account.

Tip: In order to limit your target group to the users with Apple Mail Privacy Protection in case of a possible expansion of the systems, select a specific automated system, instead of “All”, in the last filter option.
Additional restrictions allow you to further refine the target group to get a more up-to-date picture of AMPP users. Assuming that recipients change their devices and email clients over time and also access their emails using second or third devices, we recommend using the time filter in combination with a frequency based on your sending frequency. By excluding real opens and clicks in the affected period, users activity on second devices is not considered. So that at any given time, you can filter those recipients who have recently received your emails with activated Apple Mail Privacy Protection.
For a client who gets two emails per week, a suitable target group might look as follows:

Example time periods and frequencies by sending frequency:
Sending frequency per month (number of e-mails) |
Reviewed period of the target group (in days) |
Received mailings in the reviewed period |
Expected frequency of automatic openings in the reviewed period |
1 |
90 |
3 |
2+ |
4 |
30 |
4 |
3+ |
8 |
14 |
4 |
3+ |
Since Apple Mail Privacy Protection only generates an automated open when Apple Mail is active on the receiving device, we do not expect an automated open for every received e-mail. In general, however, this can be assumed.
If a recipient changes the device or deactivates the Apple Mail feature, automated opens will no longer be generated. The structure of the above mentioned target group shows that these recipients are automatically recognized as “regular” recipients and are no longer included in the target group.
Identify inactive recipients more accurately
Missing opens are used as an important indicator for future email campaigns, especially when reactivating the campaigns or trying to keep the recipient lists clean. This metric is also popular for follow-up and reminder emails. Unrecognized opens, due to AMPP, make targeted communication to relevant recipients difficult and clean-up processes inaccurate.
With the help of the new targeting functionality, non-openers can now be analyzed more accurately. The filter allows you to target AMPP users separately or exclude them completely from your reactivation activities.
Following the target group setup could be used as a starting condition for a reactivation campaign that is targeting inactive recipients in the last 60 days.

This setup is not only checking for missing opens and clicks in the selected period, but also excluding the recipients who have automated opens in the same period. Your campaign will therefore only target trackable contacts with no measured activity. The risk of sending unsuitable mails to unrecognized openers is reduced.
Target out dynamic content
One advantage of dynamic (live) content, such as countdown timers or product recommendations, is the high time relevance due to the generation of content at the time of opening. Automated opens through AMPP reduce this relevance, as the content is no longer generated at the actual opening time, but shortly after the dispatch happens. Countdown timers then no longer show the correct time, and the product recommendations could already be out of stock by the time the recipient clicks. It may therefore be worthwhile to provide recognized AMPP users with separate fallback content.
With the help of the sample target group shown in point 1, mailing content can be targeted specifically at Apple Mail Privacy Protection users. For example, instead of the paragraph with a countdown timer, they would receive a static graphic with the end time of the promotion. You could create separate widgets for product recommendations, that only show products with very high availability.
For separate targeting, simply connect the created group to the appropriate content or outline the paragraph that contains the fallback content.
For recipients without AMPP usage, use a corresponding counter-target group that includes only recipients with no or few automated open during the reviewed period. Important: Make sure that your two target groups are mutually exclusive and that in total all recipients are covered by the target groups. This is the only way to distribute the content accurately.
Record AMPP usage in the recipient list
In some cases, it is useful or preferred to record Apple Mail Privacy Protection usage by updating a recipient list field in the recipient’s record. This allows to run a data analysis based on the distribution list. In addition, the information can be transferred to CRM or other customer systems as part of synchronization processes.
The requirements for this is a corresponding recipient list field (e.g. of type “Boolean” or “String”) and the use of the “Advanced” or “Ultimate” version of Marketing Automation in Optimizely Campaign, which allows you to use the “Change Recipient” action node.
As a starting node, we set an “Advanced” node that checks daily, for example, the target group shown in point 1 under “Start only for”. Connected to the “Change recipient” node, the new recipient list field can now be set to true/yes as soon as a recipient meets the conditions of the starting node. From that point onward, the recipient will have the information about the AMPP usage as a flag in the data record.


If a recipient no longer generates regular automated opens because his/her receiving device or e-mail program were changed, the status of the recipient can be again set to false/no. For this we need another starting and “change recipient” nodes and an additional target group that work on the contrary to the first condition. For example:

The nodes can be used in the same Marketing Automation. If the recipient meets the criteria and fires the trigger, the relevant recipient list field can be set to false.

To ensure that the Marketing Automation also takes effect in the event of regular changes in user behavior, it should be possible to run the automation multiple times. To do this, set the selection in the first dropdown of the Advanced node to “always” or “when the recipient is not currently going through the marketing automation”.
Determine the proportion of automated opens and adjusted open rate
The main function of the new target group filter is the segmentation of recipients based on automated AMPP opens. Mailing-specific evaluations can also be carried out in combination with our Analytics feature “Deep Analytics”. That can be the starting point for calculating the proportion of automated opens per campaign. It is also possible to display open, click, and click-through rates adjusted to AMPP users.
In the first step, you need a mailing-specific target group that filters recipients with recognized automatedopens for selected mailing.

In order to exclude recognized active recipients (e.g. through openings on secondary devices), you can add this as an additional condition.
In the second step, create a new deep analytics report. Limit the analysis to the determined mailing, select the desired measurement values and activate the groupings for “Mailing Name” and just created “Target Group”. In order to calculate the share of automated opens, you need the “Recipients minus bounces” in the measured values.

Run the report and download the result as an Excel file. In the data sheet with summary rows, you will get three rows for the selected mailing.

The first row shows the recipients of your target group and their measured performance. If you have excluded recognized clickers and opens, the measured values should be 0. Without this exclusion, you get information about how many of your AMPP users are generating clicks and/or are active on secondary devices (opens & clicks).
The second row shows the “rest”, i.e., all measured values for email recipients that do not match your target group and accordingly did not generate automated opens. The open rate number in this row can also be understood as an adjusted open rate, since only recipients that are actually trackable are included.
Line three is the sum line. It allows us to put the absolute number of detected AMPP users (recipients minus bounces, C2) in relation to the total recipients (C4) and thus determine the proportion of automated opens. In the shown example, the proportion is 14.95% of identified AMPP users (32,739 of 218,926 recipients). According to our own analyses, depending on the industry, distributor and campaign, the value is usually between 13% – 20%, in some cases even higher.
We have already summarized the impact of the iOS15 update for iPhone and iPad in this blog post 2021.
For more information on creating target groups, see our documentation. If you have any technical questions or issues, feel free to contact our support team or your customer success manager. If you need more comprehensive support in implementing your AMPP-specific projects in Optimizely Campaign, feel free to contact our colleagues from Business Consulting.
MARKETING
The benefits of extending Optimizely into a B2B app

Paper order forms, faxes and even old-fashioned phone calls still tend to dominate the wholesale sales process. While B2B is way behind B2C, the move to digital commerce is underway and accelerating. This is precisely why ecommerce platforms that specialize in delivering B2B tools, features and functionality (like Optimizely) are seeing such rapid growth.
A recent Gartner report examines the rapid move toward B2B digital enablement and a key finding is that buying decisions and the actual purchases are no longer being driven by sales reps, as online ordering surges. In fact, at the time of the study, only 17% of the wholesale purchase journey was attributed to sales rep interactions and, among millennials, fully 44% said they prefer no sales rep interaction at all when making buying decisions.
This quote from the report struck me as particularly important. “As baby boomers retire, and millennials mature into key decision-making positions, a digital-first buying posture will become the norm. Further, we expect the acute spike in digital buying during the COVID-19 pandemic to have sustained influence on customer comfort with digital learning and buying.”
Covid-fueled retail ecommerce has exploded and B2B is finally starting to catch up. Smart B2B businesses are starting to adopt a “digital-first” stance and considering an app as a logical extension of their online wholesale ordering platforms.
The reason apps play such a big role in B2B is utility. B2B buying is very complex and ecommerce platforms are usually tied into an ERP and CRM. Tools for account-based custom pricing and order list management are typically folded in.
The B2B path to purchase can be a winding one and an app can straighten this road by personalizing the online buying experience and delivering it in an always-on manner, literally in the pocket of buyers. Reducing customer service time/expense and data entry error is often cited as a primary goal of wholesalers considering an app.
After all, all wholesale buyers are consumers themselves and covid-driven retail app adoption and use has skyrocketed in the last two years. Mobile app usage was up 40% during covid. Another factor is that, increasingly, wholesale customers expect an app to make ordering easier and more personalized.
Ask yourself when was the last time you logged into the Amazon mobile browser? Odds are, you never have, since the instantly-personalized experience of the app is far-superior. With an app, there’s no need to enter payment information, no need to type in your address and order history is called up instantly. Page load times are nearly instantaneous and you get the app-only option of using push messaging to drive deeper engagement with wholesale accounts.
Chef’s Warehouse is one of our biggest B2B customers they recently re-platformed to Optimizely. We built their B2B app out to leverage and extend new Optimizely B2B features and functionality and the results have been fantastic. Their reps can easily access customer order history and account-specific pricing, etc. The app consistently delivers a conversion rate that is three times that of the mobile website and the majority of buyers/chefs now use the app for wholesale ordering.
Apps were once thought of as “nice to haves” but this is changing fast, as buyers demand tools to make complex wholesale ordering processes easier. As more and more wholesale businesses move online and the business starts to catch up to retail, the leaders in the space will be first to market with an app, so they can learn and iterate and phase in new features.
According to Digital Commerce 360, in 2021, online B2B sales grew 17.8% to $1.63 trillion from $1.39 trillion in 2020. In fact, B2B ecommerce sales grew faster than all other manufacturing and distributor sales in the U.S.
Gartner calls the successful delivery of digital, online tools to help smooth the path the purchase “Buyer Enablement” and concludes the research with the following: “Customers are migrating decisively from in-person channels to digital alternatives…new digital channels must be purpose-built to drive sales performance, justified by a simple truth: customers learn and buy digitally.”
Apps are all we do, we make the process easy, and the ROI is typically rapid. Orders placed on the app “pour into” your current Optimizely operations and data is seamlessly synched between the app and Optimizely.
If you are interested in a custom app to meet your specific needs, please consider visiting our page on the Optimizely solution marketplace. We work with Optimizely customers like Chef’s Warehouse and Binny’s Beverage Depot and can customize an app project specifically designed to meet your unique requirements.
Got app? If not, you should be considering the potential benefits to your wholesale business.
MARKETING
The Future of Invoice Payment: Emerging Trends and Technologies

As technology evolves at an unprecedented rate, it is fairly obvious that companies must adapt in order to remain competitive. This is especially true regarding invoicing, which is an essential element of any service-based business.
Pandemic challenges have also accelerated the implementation of certain technologies, such as mobile payments and eInvoicing. Companies that are the first to adapt to these recent developments will sustain and resolve new business challenges in the coming years. However, let us quickly review what an invoice is and what it is used for.
What Is An Invoice?
An invoice is a document containing a description of goods or services provided by one party to another and a statement of the amount owed for those goods or services. In other words, it is a bill sent out to require a payout after work has been completed successfully.
An accounting system for a small business relies heavily on invoices. It informs your client of the amount they owe you, the payment date, and the services you supply.
What Is an Invoice Used for?
Invoices serve as a starting point for business accounting. Invoices are useful for recording all sales transactions that a company has with its customers. Businesses use invoices for a wide range of reasons, such as:
- To demand prompt payment from clients;
- Keeping track of sales;
- Inventory tracking for businesses that sell products;
- Using historical information to estimate future sales;
- To keep track of business profits for tax purposes.
Emerging Trends and Technologies in Invoicing
Let’s look at some of the developing trends and technologies available to businesses that would like to deal with the ever-changing world of invoicing.
Automation of the invoicing process
Businesses no longer need to track their financial transactions because the invoicing process has been automated. Most businesses no longer use paper bills in the United States. Even businesses that have not fully automated their billing process prefer to use blank invoice templates for service providers.
The automation of invoice management allows organizations to receive notifications for due dates and payments. It has also aided the country’s businesses to stay on track with their billing and payment schedules.
Business owners and employees can focus on other critical tasks by automating the manual tasks of generating and sending out payment reminders. Businesses may also save money since these responsibilities do not necessitate the hiring of additional personnel.
Blockchain
Blockchain technology may have the ability to make invoicing safer and more straightforward. Many businesses have turned to blockchain technology to help them optimize their billing and invoicing procedures. One potential advantage of using blockchain for invoicing is the ability to create a permanent record of all financial transactions.
This can help to reduce fraud and establish confidence among businesses and their customers. Furthermore, because blockchain eliminates the need for intermediaries and third-party vendors such as banks, it can help speed up payments.
Blockchain technology has improved not only financial management but also the entire invoicing process. The technology eliminates the risk of fraudulent activities by preventing any deception or unintended deletion of invoices after they have been recorded and sent to the client.
AI and Machine Learning
Advances in AI and machine learning have facilitated the automation of receiving payments online. Most software providers can provide a comprehensive solution that goes far beyond the basic invoicing cycle.
AI and machine learning intervention unlocked previously unimaginable software capabilities. Companies can process large numbers of invoices in a short period of time while also processing a great deal of accounting data.
Identifying and verifying previous transactions is also much easier, giving businesses greater control over their costs and supply chain. AI and machine learning can also detect anomalies and mistakes with minimal human intervention.
Cloud invoicing
Most billing technologies now operate from the cloud, thanks to the increased use of the Software as a Service (SaaS) model. They enable companies to view financial records and data from any Internet-connected device in the world.
People can also receive real-time business updated information and take appropriate action using cloud-based invoicing. To protect their company’s reputation, managers can address any emergency payment issues in real-time. Digital wallets are already a part of cloud invoicing.
eInvoicing
E-invoicing, or electronic invoicing, simplifies invoice management and the interaction of invoices and compliance documents. It minimizes the potential of invoice errors and exceptions by digitizing invoice records and comparing them against contracts, purchase orders, service entry sheets, and product receipts.
E-invoices can be confirmed automatically before posting for payment when they are transmitted over a digital business network and programmed with related document data and business rules.
Eco-friendliness
There is no denying that the invoice automation process using electronic invoicing is environmentally friendly. However, it is still typical to stumble upon an office with bundles of paper invoices stacked up on desks and filing cabinets stuffed with more than ten years’ worth of unnecessary invoices.
These offices do not require a larger filing cabinet but rather educate on how accounts payable digitization can help them save money and improve productivity. In the future, e-invoicing solutions will help eliminate more than 80% of paper from many accounting departments while significantly lowering an organization’s carbon footprint.
Mobile-friendly experience
Did you know that in 2021, mobile phone users outnumbered desktop users? According to Hootsuite research, mobile phone users generated 54% of all web traffic in 2021. This means that their first interaction with a company’s bill or payment notification came via their mobile phones.
As a result, many businesses will need to incorporate a reliable system that allows for a fully integrated mobile payment process. Developing their company requires capitalizing on this emerging trend. This trend was accelerated by the popularity of mobile wallets, which presented customers with convenience when making in-store purchases.
In Conclusion
Personalization in invoices allows businesses to utilize customer information to enhance customer relationships. Keeping an eye on recent technologies and recognizing their influence on businesses worldwide is one way to gain an edge over competitors and achieve business objectives.
MARKETING
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