Send Time Optimization - how does it calculate what time to send for the first launch?

[gtorba]

Hi Emarsys experts,

I want to launch a recurring batch email campaign, but I am not sure to activate STO or not. The schedule I used until now works quite well for me, but there is still room for improvement. I am wondering that if STO is activated, when the next launch goes out, how does the platform decide which contacts to send at different times and which to keep on the old schedule?

Thanks in advance,

Gergely

[WillYoung · Accepted solution]

The first thing to understand about STO is that is looks for the best times to send an email that will result in an open.

• For example, if a contact receives an email at 6pm on a Wednesday, ignores it, and then opens it over breakfast the following Saturday, the 6pm launch time will be considered successful for that contact.

When STO is activated for the first time, it will focus on inactive customers first. Those who have responded will continue on the same schedule while the non-responders will be split up into different launches and regularly moved until they get a response.

Over time, the active contacts will come into play and STO will experiment with different times to see if that makes a difference. In the long run, it will settle on the optimal time for everyone.

The chart below is a real example of how STO learned the habits of one contacts.