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Feeling insecure about whether your subscribers open emails in dark mode? Now you can track openings in dark mode using Advanced Analytics from Sinch Email on Acid.
Using dark mode is a popular topic of discussion among email developers and marketers alike. Many people wonder how popular dark mode for email really is. Broadly speaking, what is the breakdown between people who prefer dark mode over light mode? Turns out that's pretty hard to calculate.
But here's the thing: a statistic that covers the average doesn't mean much to you. What you really need to know is how many people in your contact list open emails in dark mode.
Why is it helpful to understand how to use dark mode?
Ask any email developer: coding emails for dark mode is not easy. It causes extra work because, as you may have heard, email clients are inconsistent in the way they render HTML and CSS. The dark mode user experience is another area of inconsistency.
Some email clients reverse the colors used in your email campaigns, and they all do it slightly differently. If you don't optimize your inbox for dark mode, your emails could be unreadable for some subscribers. There are also issues with logos in dark mode, as some graphics can disappear against the background in a darker UI.
It's very likely that a significant portion of your list views emails in dark mode. However, knowing how many subscribers prefer dark UX can help you understand how much time and effort you should invest in developing dark mode emails.
Introducing open tracking in dark mode
Now when you log in to the Email on Acid application, you'll notice a new breakdown of email clients in Analytics. In the top clients list, specific dark mode options are shown separately. For example, you'll notice that Apple Mail's results show a dark mode-specific result in the screenshot below.
Open tracking in dark mode in email on Acid Analytics
Observe, This is a hypothetical example and does not necessarily reflect a sender's typical results. It is also important to mention that this feature is only available for email clients that support the preferences-color-scheme-dark media query. This allows developers to create dark and light mode themes and track opens in dark mode. Learn more about this dark mode media query and get some code snippets. Check out the latest information on email client support for the Preferences Color Scheme query from CanIEmail.com.
You will also notice that this user is viewing the email in dark mode on the Acid platform. However, this is not because we have introduced dark mode settings in the app. That's because we received this screenshot from one of our software developers. Dark mode settings are very popular among developers because they are easier on the eyes when staring at code all day.
This brings up an excellent point. The key is understanding your audience. In email marketing, “your audience” is your contact list. Knowing how you prefer to view your emails will help you design your inbox to its best potential.
Let's assume that the graph above represents real results. In this case, about 50% of this sender's subscribers open emails in dark mode. So optimizing for these display settings will definitely be worth it.
In 2021, we used a pixel tracking hack to conduct an open tracking experiment in dark mode. Our developer found that up to 14% of Email on Acid subscribers used dark mode. We found that about two-thirds were using Light mode and another 21% were unknown (the test only worked with email clients that use WebKit).
Start testing email in dark mode
Email preview in dark mode for Gmail Pixel 5
Let's say you start tracking email opens in dark mode and notice that at least a third of your list seems to prefer a dark email interface. That's enough for your email team to decide that the challenges of dark mode are worth taking on.
So how do you know if you are best optimizing your campaigns for dark mode?
You must test and preview these campaigns before clicking submit.
Email on Acid's email previews cover all of the most popular customers. When you test email on our platform, you can preview emails in dark mode in Apple Mail, as well as in Outlook desktop clients for macOS and Windows. Additionally, you can preview what dark mode looks like on the latest iPhones and with Gmail on Google Pixel phones. Now view a sample test result.
Even if you can't track dark mode opens in Gmail, you can still use pre-send email testing to preview the dark mode experience for these inboxes and optimize it before launching a campaign.
Learn more about email in dark mode
We've put together a whole range of dark mode email content for you to try out. Here are some of our top tips:
As you familiarize yourself with the ins and outs of dark mode, the Email on Acid team will continue working to improve our platform so you're always presenting your best emails. Sign up now to start tracking email opens in dark mode or register today and benefit from our unlimited test offer.
Author: The Email on Acid Team
Email on Acid's content team is made up of digital marketers, content creators, and real email geeks. Connect with us on LinkedIn, follow us on Facebook, and tweet @EmailonAcid on Twitter for more great email marketing news and great convos.
Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
