What is a potential risk associated with having an implicit opt-in?

An implicit opt-in refers to a situation where individuals are automatically subscribed to communications without explicit consent, often through pre-checked boxes or by virtue of their existing relationship with a brand. One significant risk associated with this approach is being marked as junk mail.

When recipients have not explicitly consented to receive communications, they may view these messages as unsolicited. If they do not remember opting in or if they feel their permission was assumed without their explicit consent, they are more likely to mark these emails as spam. This, in turn, can negatively impact a sender's reputation and deliverability rates. Email service providers monitor how often users mark messages as junk, and a high rate of such actions can lead to further penalties, including being blacklisted, which affects future email campaign success.

In contrast, options related to increased engagement, more subscriber control, and higher promotional success rates do not align with the risks inherent in an implicit opt-in approach, as they typically result from explicit and clear consent from subscribers.