Sunsetting

Definition

Sunsetting is the process of identifying and ceasing to send messages to disengaged users—in other words, cleaning up your list. Sometimes users become disinterested in a product, but don’t go to the trouble to unsubscribe from email lists or uninstall apps.

While there is hope for re-engagement in some cases with the proper strategy, in many ways, leaving these users in your campaigns and continuing to send messages is problematic. It negatively impacts your open rates and for email, may lead to low priority or spam sorting by ISPs, which can hurt deliverability for your entire list. Companies should develop sunset policies to identify when a user is sufficiently disengaged (based on spam reports, time since last click or open, etc.) so that they’re left off of active messaging lists. Some policies include one final attempt to engage before sunsetting.

Usage

Sunsetting as a term is a bit on the indirect side (as compared to say, cleaning a list), even though it is the accepted lingo for this type of campaign. While somewhat easy to understand or guess the meaning if you didn’t know beforehand, it's not as widely used a term as other marketing jargon. The term is also periodically used in other contexts, such as when foundations begin a strategic plan to spend down, which can lead to additional confusion with the term.