Data Retention
Also known as: Data Retention Policy, Retention Period
How long you keep customer and email data before you delete it. It sets clear rules for when you remove or anonymize contact and activity data so you only hold what you actually need.
Data retention is the plan for how long you keep customer and email data. It covers things like contacts, events, and purchase records. You decide what stays, what gets deleted, and when. The goal is to keep useful data without holding onto it forever.
Good data retention helps you respect privacy and stay within the law. It also keeps your email lists cleaner, which can help deliverability and reporting. When old or inactive contacts are removed on a schedule, you see more accurate open and click rates. Your team also has less clutter to work through.
Start simple with a few clear rules. For example, keep unsubscribed contacts only long enough to honor suppression lists, and remove inactive contacts after a set period. Write these rules down so your whole team follows the same approach. If your business or laws change, adjust the rules and update your tools.
Related Terms
Privacy Policy(Privacy Notice)
Your privacy policy explains what data you collect from people, how you use it, and how you keep it safe. It sets clear expectations so subscribers know what happens when they share their email and other details with you.
Learn more →Abandoned Cart Email(Cart Abandonment Email)
An automated email that goes out when someone adds items to their cart but leaves without buying. These emails show what they left behind and usually include a direct link back to their cart. Most businesses send a series of 2-3 reminders over a few days, sometimes sweetening the deal with a discount or free shipping offer.
Learn more →Analytics
The practice of tracking what happens after you hit send on your email campaigns. Analytics shows you who opened, who clicked, who bought, and who bounced—turning guesswork into data-driven decisions about what's actually working in your email program.
Learn more →Email Appending
Email appending is when you use a third party to add email addresses to your existing customer records based on other details like name or postal address. It is risky because these people did not ask to hear from you, which often leads to spam complaints and poor deliverability.
Learn more →