• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, 2 hours ago

Retailers unable to get their email on track have a free new tool to help them: Listrak’s Email Marketing Audit. 

The audit evaluates emails based on over 30 best practices, the goal being to “help illuminate blind spots across content, compliance and composition,” says Ross Kramer, co-founder and CEO of Listrak. 

Listrak argues that small changes can often help retailers improve their opens, clicks and conversions. 

It starts with content, the component that helps brands capture attention and encourage subscribers to take action, audit reviews elements such as the preheader, SMS opt-in invitation, social media, the manage preferences link, early call-to-action, subject line, spam triggers and clickable logo.

Then there is composition, assuring that email renders, loads and performs across inboxes and devices. The audit analyzes mobile-first design, Gmail clipping risk, image payload size, coupon code accessibility, GIF usage, button-style CTAs and live text.

And don’t overlook compliance, the element that builds trust and insures that the email will even be delivered. The audit assesses CAN-SPAM compliance, ADA accessibility criteria and SMS compliance if opt-in sources are present. Included are criteria like: unsubscribe link, Image Alt Text, Color Contrast, company physical address and urgency claims, and more.

Why is all this important? Email click-throughs fell 11% in Q2 2026, according to Listrak platform data. Yet email remains a robust workhorse, driving 30% of ecommerce revenue. 

"Every marketing email serves to shape how customers experience retail brands, but emails are often created in silos across creative, merchandising and marketing teams, making it easy to miss important nuances that inhibit email performance," Kramer says.