Set up email tracking in Artshell
• UPCOMING FEATURES •
Introduction
Under the "Email Tracking " section, you can configure tracking for opens and clicks in messages sent through Artshell. You can choose how recipients manage their preferences, set the default tracking options, and view the duration of consent.
To learn more about how tracking works and our privacy policy, see the article How Email Tracking Works in Artshell.
Access the tracking settings
To access the settings, open the Settings panel by clicking the icon at the bottom left, then select the option Privacy & Policy; finally, select Email Tracking.
Link to tracking preferences
At the bottom of emails sent through Artshell, there is a link that says Unsubscribeat the bottom of emails sent via Artshell, which allows recipients to unsubscribe from communications. To enable recipients to manage their tracking preferences, Artshell provides a second link dedicated to tracking preferences.
You can choose between two options:
-
Manage Tracking: Opens a page where the recipient can choose whether to allow or disable tracking of email opens and clicks.
Cancel Tracking: Opens a page where the recipient can only disable tracking of opens and clicks related to the emails they have received.
In either case, the recipient can access the page without logging in and will see a confirmation message after saving their selection.
Note
Disabling tracking does not mean unsubscribing from newsletters. Recipients will continue to receive your communications.
Artshell will still be able to track opens and clicks anonymously and include them in the overall newsletter analytics, without linking them to the recipient's first name, last name, or email address.
Link to the Preferences page
The "Link to Preferences Page " field allows you to copy the link to the page where the recipient can manage the tracking of their interactions.
The link is the one automatically inserted at the bottom of emails and varies depending on the option selected just above— “Manage Tracking ” or “Cancel Tracking.”
Use this link in a dedicated message
If you want to inform your Contacts subscribers about the tracking methods used in your communications, you can send a dedicated email and include text such as “You can manage your email tracking preferences at any time, ” linking the text to the URL copied from this field.
This way, the recipient can go directly to the preferences page even without using the link that appears automatically at the bottom of the emails.
Default Tracking
This setting defines how to handle email addresses that have not yet indicated a preference regarding tracking.
You can choose one of the following options:
- Active tracking: By default, opens and clicks are tracked and associated with individual email addresses until the recipient changes their preference.
- Tracking disabled: By default, opens and clicks are not associated with individual email addresses. Any interactions tracked anonymously may still contribute to the overall newsletter analytics.
Important: Consent to Tracking
For " Contacts " who have not yet expressed a preference, we strongly recommend that you set "Tracking Disabled " as the default behavior, thereby adopting a more cautious approach to privacy protection.
If, on the other hand, you choose " Active Tracking," make sure you have an appropriate legal basis for tracking recipients' interactions and that you have provided them with the necessary information.
When individual tracking is not permitted, Artshell can still track opens and clicks anonymously, without linking them to the recipient’s first name, last name, or email address.
The default setting applies to both email addresses already in the database and those added later, provided they do not have an explicit preference on file.
Important
Changing the default tracking setting does not alter the preferences already specified by recipients. If an email address has a saved preference, Artshell continues to honor it even after the general setting is changed, taking into account the validity of the consent.
How do I choose the default setting?
The choice depends on how you manage tracking consent and on the preferences already expressed by recipients. The following table shows how Artshell behaves in different situations, based on the selected setting.
| Situation | Tracking is enabled by default | Tracking is disabled by default |
|---|---|---|
| New contact added manually, with no saved preferences | Tracking Active | Tracking disabled |
| Contact already exists in the database, with no preferences on file | Tracking Active | Tracking disabled |
| A contact who has explicitly chosen to enable tracking | Tracking is active as long as consent remains valid | Tracking is active as long as consent remains valid. The preference takes precedence over the default setting. |
| A contact who has explicitly chosen to disable tracking | Tracking is disabled. This setting overrides the default. | Tracking disabled |
| Contact whose consent expired after 12 months | Tracking Automatically Disabled | Tracking Automatically Disabled |
| The administrator changes the account's default settings | Contacts s without explicit preferences follow the new default. Saved preferences remain unchanged. | Contacts s without explicit preferences follow the new default. Saved preferences remain unchanged. |
Expiration of Consent
Consent for email tracking has a default duration of 12 months, which cannot currently be changed. The period begins when tracking is enabled for the email address in Artshell, and upon expiration, the address automatically changes to the "Not Tracked " status, and subsequent opens and clicks are no longer associated with the recipient.
If the recipient renews their consent, the address returns to the " Tracked " status, and Artshell can once again associate interactions with their information.
The expiration of consent applies exclusively to the tracking of interactions and does not result in unsubscribing from communications.
Note
In the coming months, this feature will be updated to allow account administrators to customize the duration of tracking consent by selecting a period other than the current 12 months.
Check the status of a contact tracing case
You can check the tracking status directly in a contact's details, next to each email address.
Artshell displays one of the following indicators:
- Tracking enabled: Individual tracking is enabled for this email address.
- Tracking disabled: Individual tracking is not enabled for this email address.
The status displayed depends on the account's default setting, any preferences specified by the recipient, and the validity of the consent.
If a contact has multiple email addresses, each one can have a different tracking status.
