Several of the most popular Mailbox Providers are automatically sorting received content by Folders or Tabs. When performing Seedlist Testing within Inbox Monster, you can gain direct insight into where your emails are being sorted.
Folder/Tab sorting is an enhancement to your subscriber's experience. Understanding and leveraging the Folder/Tab placement for your content creates an opportunity to further enhance the end user experience, without needing to be concerned about where you're sorted. Here are our thoughts on the topic.
Facts about Folder/Tab Placement
Each Mailbox Provider employs their own custom solutions for sorting, but there are a few facts about this process and reporting which are consistent across each:
Folders/Tabs = Inbox Placement: In order to be "sorted" by these mailbox providers, your content is first defined as Not Spam. As a result, the Folder/Tab placement does not negate your content from landing in the Inbox. Folders/Tabs are UI - not filtration.
Spam Placement will prevent reporting: Following the same logic as above, Spam Placement will prevent a Folder/Tab assignment for your campaign. In Inbox Monster's reporting, we refer to this as "Not Available"
User Control: Subscribers have the option to re-categorize their messages, or even disable Folders/Tabs entirely. The seeds are reflecting of the "default" assignment for each campaign. Individual Preferences will only influence sorting if a large portion of subscribers perform similar reclassifications.
Folder/Tab Reporting
Folder/Tab placement is reported within the Inbox Monster platform in two areas: Dashboard and Campaign Reports.
Dashboard
Within the Dashboard, there are two optional tiles for at-a-glance average placement for both Google's Tabs and Outlook's Tabs. These can be toggled on or off for each account via Settings (⚙️) > Dashboard > Other Tiles:
When Enabled, you'll see the Tiles populate in the top half of the dashboard, reflecting the average Folder/Tab placement for the selected date range:
Campaign Reporting
Folder/Tab placement is also reflected within Campaign Reporting, just below the overall Inbox Placement metrics in the top right portion of the report.
Below is a screenshot of some sample Folder/Tab Placement data:
💡 Please note: You'll only see Folder/Tab placement for Mailbox Providers that are both Enabled for your Domain's reporting and received your content within the Inbox (not spam or missing).
In the above example:
100% all Gmail seeds with Folder Placement data reported that the content landed in Promotions
100% of all Outlook seeds with Folder Placement data reported that the content landed in Other (Not Focused)
iCloud Folder/Tab Placement is "Not Available", as this particular campaign landed in the Spam Folder for all iCloud seeds. iCloud's sorting is by Category.
100% of Centrum.cz seeds were sorted into the Bulk folder. "Bulk", in this context, refers to "bulk messages from e-shops, discount portals, social networks, and other websites that typically send large numbers of the same messages to many addresses." (From Centrum's documentation)
89% of Seznam.cz seeds were sorted into the Newsletters and 11% in Inbox. Seznam's "Newsletters" are similar to "Bulk" in Centrum's sorting, where newsletters and commercial offers are grouped. (Seznam's documentation)
57% of Onet.pl seeds were placed in the Promotions and 43% in Inbox. Onet.pl uses Smart Folders, similar to Gmail, for Promotions, Social, etc. (Onet's documentation)
💡If you're accessing Folder/Tab Placement via the Inbox Monster API, you may notice that not all seeds report this data for every campaign.
As more Mailbox Providers adopt similar Folder/Tab/Category sorting methods, Inbox Monster will keep you up to date on changes and the data directly related to your email program.
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Below you'll find additional details for Gmail, Outlook, and iCloud Folder/Tab placement
Gmail Tab Placement
Here's what to know about Gmail Tab Placement:
This is how Gmail categorizes your email placement based on the algorithm that allows users to easily choose which folder they'd like to browse according to the type of content.
The different types of folder placements that users can access:
Primary
Social
Promotions
Updates
Forums
Even if you are landing in these folders, it's still considered to be inboxing.
Click here, If you are interested in learning about Improve Subscriber Engagement (& Deliverability) Without Leaving the Promo Tab.
Outlook Tab Placement
Here's what to know about Outlook Tab Placement:
This feature brings in the campaigns that Outlook deems important and everything else will land in the Other tab. Both Focused and Other are considered to be Inboxing.
Focused
Others
In the Inbox Monster instance, you can find a predictive folder placement for both Gmail and Outlook according to how the seeds are landing. You can find the view below in "Delivery" > "Campaigns."
Ex. In this case, Gmail is landing in the Promotions folder 100% and Outlook is landing in the Other folder 100%.
iCloud / Apple Mail Tab Placement
Here's what to know about the iCloud Tab Placement:
Apple Mail's tab system is designed to organize incoming emails into distinct categories, making it easier for users to manage their inbox efficiently. This feature is especially useful for individuals who receive a large number of emails from multiple sources. The main tabs in Apple Mail include:
Primary – This section prioritizes emails from important contacts, such as family, friends, and colleagues, ensuring that crucial messages remain easily accessible.
Social – Messages from social networking sites, dating platforms, and similar services are grouped here, preventing them from cluttering the main inbox.
Promotions – Marketing emails, special offers, and retailer deals are filtered into this tab, keeping promotional content separate from personal and work-related emails.
Updates – Notifications related to bills, receipts, confirmations, and transactional messages are stored here, making it simpler to keep track of important interactions with various businesses and services.
Forums – Emails from online discussion boards, mailing lists, and forum subscriptions are categorized in this tab, ensuring they don’t overwhelm the primary inbox.
iCloud / Apple Mail Tab Placement can vary for individuals, so the data from the seeds can be helpful to understand the "default" tab assignment for your campaigns.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to support@inboxmonster.com.
Thank you!