GoKawiilOmnivery data shows bot clicks surging across Gmail, Outlook inboxes
A new report from email platform Omnivery finds that automated bot clicks in consumer email inboxes have jumped from 2% to 16% since 2023, with Gmail alone seeing contamination rise from 2% to over 20%. The bots largely stem from mailbox providers' own security systems prefetching and scanning links before delivery, not malicious activity, but they still distort click-through metrics publishers rely on.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
As bot-generated clicks increasingly inflate engagement numbers, advertisers and publishers can no longer trust raw click data to gauge real reader interest, pushing the industry toward new standards like 'verified clicks.' This shift could reshape how email marketing performance is measured and priced across the publishing and advertising ecosystem.
- Bot clicks in consumer inboxes rose from 2% to 16% since 2023, per Omnivery.
- Gmail's bot contamination jumped from 2% to over 20%, while Outlook/Hotmail remains the most affected.
- Growing bot interference is pushing advertisers toward demanding 'verified click' metrics instead of raw click data.
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Published there as: “Advertisers Could Soon Demand 'Verified Clicks'”
Read the original report → The summary and analysis above are GoKawiil's own, written from reporting by the source above. Facts and quotes belong to the original publisher.