How Email Open Tracking Works

• UPCOMING FEATURES •

Introduction

When you send a message through Artshell, the recipients' interactions are tracked in the Newsletter Analytics. Some of these interactions—specifically email opens and link clicks—are tracked using specific tracking technologies that recipients can choose to enable or disable by managing their privacy preferences.

In this article, you'll learn how these technologies work, what factors can influence the results, and how to interpret the analytics correctly—especially when users have not consented to individual tracking.

Important

Following the publication of new guidelines by the Italian Data Protection Authority, Artshell is updating its pixel tracking procedures to comply with the requirements of privacy regulations.

The deadline for compliance is October 29, 2026. The new provisions require greater transparency in the use of email tracking systems and, in the cases specified, the prior collection of recipients’ consent and the option to revoke it.

This update is therefore required to comply with regulatory changes and is intended to allow you to continue using Artshell's communication tools in accordance with applicable regulations.

For more information, please refer to the Guidelines on Tracking Pixels published by the Italian Data Protection Authority.

How does open tracking work?

To track when emails sent through the software are opened, Artshell uses a small, invisible graphic element calleda tracking pixel, which is embedded in the HTML code of the emails.

When the recipient's email program loads the images in the message, a request is sent to the server hosting the pixel. This request allows the system to record that the message has been opened.

Important

The number of email opens recorded by Artshell does not necessarily correspond to the number of recipients who actually read the message.

Tracking actually depends on the pixel being loaded: some email programs may load it automatically, even if the recipient hasn't read the message. Conversely, if image loading is blocked, the email may have been opened and read without Artshell detecting that it was opened.

Tracking openings may therefore have some limitations:

Image Blocking: If the recipient's email program prevents external images from loading, the fact that the message was opened may not be detected. In this case, the opening may not be recorded even if the recipient has actually read the message.
Automatic image loading: Some email programs may load images even without the recipient actually opening the email. This behavior can result in automatically recorded opens.
Privacy Protection: Features such as Apple's Mail Privacy Protection safeguard users' privacy by loading remote email content through intermediary systems. As a result, some opens may be recorded even when the recipient has not actually viewed the message.

How does click tracking work?

In addition to opens, Artshell can track clicks on links in communications. When a recipient clicks on a tracked link, the system records the click via a redirect and then directs the recipient to the landing page.

This survey also has some limitations. Security systems and spam filters can automatically check the links contained in emails, generating clicks that do not necessarily reflect a voluntary interaction on the part of the recipient.

Furthermore, a click does not prove that the recipient completed an action on the page they were directed to, such as signing up or making a purchase.

What is the difference between impressions and clicks?

Opens and clicks represent two different types of interaction with a message.

Openings	Click
They indicate that the system has detected the tracking pixel being loaded.	They indicate that access to a link in the message has been detected.
They may be affected by automatic loading or image blocking.	They may also be affected by automatic checks performed by email security systems.
They do not guarantee that the message has been read.	They do not guarantee that the recipient has completed an action after opening the link.

To assess the effectiveness of communications, it is therefore helpful to consider both metrics, without interpreting them as definitive evidence of the recipients' behavior.

How are tracking preferences managed?

To ensure more transparent tracking management, Artshell has introduced a preference system that allows recipients to choose whether or not to allow tracking of their interactions with your newsletters.

Depending on the tracking settings you've chosen in your account, at the bottom of all communications, next to the link Unsubscribe, you’ll find one of two links:

Link	How It Works
Manage Tracking	It allows the recipient to view and change their preferences by enabling or disabling tracking.
Cancel Tracking	It allows the recipient to disable tracking of their interactions.

The preference expressed by the recipient of the communication is saved in their contact record and is taken into account by Artshell when determining whether tracking can be performed.