Reported email engagement rises while actual clicks and replies stay flat, because opens are recorded by automated prefetch systems rather than real readers. The gap between opens and clicks is the distortion — it makes a disengaged list appear active and delays the decision to re-engage or suppress.
Re-engagement and suppression decisions are delayed or skipped, degrading deliverability and wasting campaign spend.
The open rate loses its value as a leading indicator of list health and campaign performance.
Reported open rates trend upward while click volume, reply rate, and email-attributed revenue stay flat or decline. The gap between opens and clicks widens over time — the list appears active in the platform but is not responding in any measurable downstream way.