Open and click tracking
1×1 pixel, URL rewrite, device detection, deduplication
Open and click tracking
The two main tracking functions: open and click. Both work via technical tricks behind the scenes.
Open tracking (1×1 pixel)
How it works
- Bookinda appends an invisible 1×1 GIF image at the end of every email HTML
- Image URL is
/api/t/p/{trackingId} - If customer opens email and loads images, request shows: opened
- Pixel load time and metadata (device, client) stored
Limits
- If customer reads with image blocker (e.g., Gmail proxy, Apple Mail iOS 15+), tracking doesn't work
- Real open rate is higher than displayed (15-30% more)
- "Bounce" and "Failed" events don't trigger open event
Deduplication
- Within one email, only first open counts
- Repeats within 60 seconds ignored
Click tracking (URL rewrite)
How it works
- Every link in email auto-rewritten with tracking redirect
- Original:
https://salon.com/book - Tracked:
https://api.bookinda.hu/api/t/c/{linkCode}→ redirect → original - Redirect logs: who clicked, when, what
- Per-link external click ID
What we don't rewrite
- Unsubscribe link (mandatory clear URL)
- Mailto links (
mailto:support@...) - Tel links (
tel:+36...) - Anchor links (
#section)
Per-link data
- Position (link position in email)
- Anchor text (clickable text)
- Click count (total per-link clicks)
Device detection
Tracking event contains user-agent string, parsed by UAParser:
- Device: Mobile / Desktop / Tablet
- OS: iOS / Android / Windows / macOS / Linux
- Browser: Chrome / Safari / Firefox / Edge
- Email client: Gmail / Outlook / Apple Mail / Yahoo / Thunderbird
Breakdown visible on dashboard.
1×1 pixel ethics
Pixel tracking is industry standard, but some customer groups block:
- Apple Mail Privacy Protection (iOS 15+) – via proxy, always reports "opened" (false positive)
- Gmail Image Proxy – always loads images (always "opened")
- DNT (Do-Not-Track) header – Bookinda respects, no tracking
Real open rate estimate:
- Dashboard open rate × 1.2-1.4 = realistic
When useful
Scenario 1, campaign analysis Email campaign: 1000 sent, 250 opened (25%), 30 clicked (3%). Click rate low, content doesn't convert.
Scenario 2, link popularity Top 10 clicked links. "Booking" link click rate high → well-highlighted. Low → redesign.
Scenario 3, mobile-friendly check Device breakdown: 80% mobile. Template responsive? If not, high friction.
Scenario 4, dispute resolution Customer says didn't receive. Recent events: opened at 15:23. Proven.
Tips
- Open rate ~25% normal, don't worry if 15-30%.
- Click rate ~3-5% normal, 8%+ excellent.
- Real opens higher due to pixel blocking, don't use as marketing baseline.
- Click tracking is more accurate than open, can't be proxied.
- Unsubscribe link should never be tracked-rewritten, GDPR + UX.
- Device breakdown drives template design, mobile-first.