Validity’s Certification Helps Philips Maximise Deliverability & Revenue
The challenge:
Poor email performance due to lack of visibility.
Managing multiple email audiences for different sectors of the business, Philips was struggling to gain insight into its email deliverability and performance. Indeed, with little monitoring in place, the company was sending emails blindly without any awareness of how each campaign was being received. Following a campaign implemented in 2014, the company discovered that its Sender Score – a comprehensive reputation measurement that assesses a sender’s email reputation – was 7 out of a possible 100.
“When we launched the campaign in 2014, we realised that a significant amount of our emails were falling into a black hole and our reputation amongst mailbox providers was at an all-time low. In fact, we were later told by Validity that our IP was completely blocklisted, which meant our emails were very rarely reaching our subscribers’ inboxes. We needed a more strategic plan in place and a solution that would give us much-needed insight into our reputation and email performance,” said Charlie Wijen, Digital and CRM Specialist at Philips.
The organisation turned to Validity for its Certification solution to improve the company’s reputation amongst mailbox providers, prevent emails from being blocklisted, and provide greater visibility of its email program.
“Our inbox placement rates, sending to both B2C and B2B audiences, have risen to an impressive 91-98%. We are clear there’s a straight-line relationship between better inbox placement performance and Philips’ program revenue. We also now have a deep understanding of what affects our deliverability and why, which has improved our engagement levels significantly.”
Charlie Wijen – Digital and CRM Specialist, Philips
The solution:
Certification, Sender Score, and increased visibility.
Philips bought three new IP addresses and underwent a rigorous Certification process with Validity. A Certified allow list, it is the only one of its kind to be accepted by mailbox providers across the globe. Following Certification, brands’ emails are acknowledged as secure and reputable, which leads to reduced filtering and more successful inbox placement with major mailbox providers.
The company was also educated about the importance of understanding its Sender Score. Much like a bank’s credit score, the Sender Score measures the health of a company’s email program, taking into consideration factors like spam complaints, industry blacklists, and poorly maintained lists.
“Validity has made us realise that insight and awareness is key when implementing email campaigns – particularly on such a global scale. Brands we work with rely on us to ensure our emails are delivered to our subscribers, so it was crucial we were able to prove this.”
Charlie Wijen – Digital and CRM Specialist, Philips
The results:
Fewer emails in spam folders and a solid sender reputation.
Getting Philips’ IP addresses Certified in 2014 delivered immediate benefits. Less emails were directed to subscribers’ spam folders and average inbox placement rates quickly increased to 70%.
This was just the start of the journey. Seven years later, Philips’ relationship with Validity is stronger than ever. The global email program now enjoys an average Sender Score of 99, and over 5,000 campaigns per year achieve average inbox placement rates up to 98%.
The wealth of reporting data that is now available guided Philips as it implemented new content and design optimisation strategies across the company. This began with the building of a standardised email campaign creator to deliver more efficient, collaborative, and reliable email campaigns. Most recently, Philips deployed a sophisticated multi-variate testing program that has almost doubled average click-through rates.
Technology company Philips is a household name and one of the largest electronics companies in the world. Split into two divisions, Philips spans across the consumer and healthcare markets. The company’s email marketing program is a key component of its communications strategy, with promotional and discount emails being sent to 66 countries over 24 business groups. With more than 250 email campaigns implemented per month across its B2C and B2B clients, Philips needs a high-performing, reliable email program – particularly in the company’s burgeoning healthcare division.