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.
Email appending happens when you have customer records without email addresses and you hire a data vendor to fill in the gaps. They match your data against their databases and give you what they believe is the right email for each person. On paper it looks like a fast way to grow your list. In practice you are adding emails for people who never asked to hear from you.
That lack of consent is the core problem. These contacts are more likely to ignore your messages, mark them as spam, or complain. Over time this hurts your sender reputation so even your real subscribers see more emails in spam. In some countries using appended emails for marketing can also create legal risk if you do not have clear permission.
For most teams the better move is to collect emails directly from customers. Ask for an email address at checkout, in support chats, or by sending a simple postcard that invites people to subscribe. Make the value clear, like order updates or a small discount, and let them choose what they want to receive. You end up with a smaller list that performs better and keeps you in good standing with inbox providers.
Related Terms
Batch Email(Batch Send)
Batch email is when you send the same email to many people at once. Your email platform sends it in groups so you can reach a large list without hurting deliverability.
Learn more →Triggered Email
A triggered email is a message your system sends automatically when someone does something specific, like signing up, leaving items in a cart, or reaching a milestone. It goes to one person based on their action instead of going to your whole list at a fixed time.
Learn more →Email Alias(Plus Alias)
An email alias is a version of your email address that still delivers to the same inbox. It lets you create different addresses for signups and tracking without managing more accounts.
Learn more →Email Client(Email Program)
Software or apps people use to read, send, and manage email, such as Gmail or Apple Mail. Different email clients can display the same email in different ways, which affects how your emails look and perform.
Learn more →