Unsubscribe function of Google Mail and Windows Live Hotmail

16.09.2009
If a subscriber would like to unsubscribe from a newsletter, they normally use an unsubscribe link. This is generally found at the bottom of the email. Alternatively, subscribers send an email to the sender asking to unsubscribe. Well, that’s the theory.

In practice, however, many users of webmail programs prefer the “Mark as spam/Report spam” function, as they can always find it in the same place on their preferred webmail program. The user doesn’t have to search for the unsubscribe instructions in the newsletter. And once a user has reported a sender as a spammer, the user will no longer receive newsletters from this sender in their inbox. Goal achieved.

From the marketer’s perspective, however, this behaviour is not desirable, as false spam complaints are thereby triggered. Each complaint reduces deliverability and therefore jeopardises the long-term success of future campaigns.

Google and Microsoft have recognised this and now offer users of Google Mail and Windows Live Hotmail an unsubscribe function directly in the email view. It is displayed for appropriately prepared newsletters and should be just as easy to access as the function for reporting spam emails.

Microsoft is setting an example here with Windows Live Hotmail. As soon as a sender qualifies as “Safe”, it offers the “Unsubscribe” function.


Unsubscribe function in Windows Live Hotmail

Google Mail has only had this function officially since the end of July 2009. It is displayed only for senders with a good reputation whom Google is sure will, in fact, honour the unsubscribe request.

Unfortunately, Google does not yet have full confidence in its unsubscribe function. It is somewhat hidden in the detail view of an email. Alternatively, it is offered in the dialog box for reporting spam emails. Neither positioning, in my view, is necessarily a successful implementation of the unsubscribe function. No doubt Google will still make some changes here.


Unsubscribe function in Google Mail

Marketers who deploy Inxmail Professional can very easily benefit from this new unsubscribe option. All they need to do is include in their mailings a text module provided by Inxmail. Unsubscriptions are logged in our email marketing software accordingly.

More details:
New unsubscribe function to counter false spam complaints