The only constant in business, online or offline, is that change is inevitable, and if you don't ride the wave of the next tidal shift, you risk being swept away and going under.

With the release of Apple's iOS 15 update comes some major changes that every Shopify and e-commerce brands absolutely needs to be aware of when it comes to email marketing, and engagement expert Stephanie Griffith is here to make sure you understand them all.

What has been lost

• Open rate tracking. In an increasingly open world, customers want to be tracked less, and enjoy their privacy more. Previously, tracking your paid media, such as advertising, has been all that's affected, but the limitations have now expanded to emails, along with...
• IP address tracking. Further looking to protect consumer privacy, you'll no longer be able to track I addresses, which many customers have been demanding for years

What has been gained

While these new restrictions may, on the face, mean your job and e-commerce marketers has become much more difficult, says Griffith this should instead be seen as an opportunity to embrace change and adapt to better, metrics-based business practices that should have been adopted long before.

• Clicks to replace open rates for tracking activity, giving you more on the ground information on their UX behaviour and interests, without invading your customer's privacy
• An expanded definition of "successful conversion". A conversion isn't just a sale, it can be a sign up to SMS, engagement in a contest, feedback on an event or sharing a new product with their friends and followers, giving you a total sense of engagement, not just at the checkout
• A newfound focus on making sure the message you convey is the best quality it can be, and that the customer's email experience is fully optimized to result in action and engagement, via mapping and understanding your entire customer funnel, from start to finish. This will allow you to see not only what works, but what doesn't, and let you focus on those weak spots

BE AWARE: With these changes will come some very odd behaviour in the data, as the systems adapt to the new restrictions. This will likely result in inflated numbers, showing many more artificial engagements than customer driven, organic activity. Don't respond or base any marketing campaign decisions on these numbers, wait to see if they settle down after a few months to be sure that they are accurate before adapting your outreach strategies.

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