Subscription Management
NetSuite provides us with the tools we need to manage the email preferences of those with whom we do business. Email message we send through email campaigns or bulk email merge operations contains a message in the footer with a link and instructions to unsubscribe.
Email recipients can have one of four subscription statuses:
- Confirmed Opt-In: When an email recipient subscribes to our marketing campaigns or bulk email merge operation, NetSuite assigns this subscription status. Only a lead or customer can set their subscription status to Confirmed Opt-In.
Getting recipients to opt in results in better delivery rates and faster delivery because these messages are less likely to be labeled spam by ISPs. - Soft Opt-In: Recipients with this status receive all email marketing campaigns or bulk emails received by recipients with the Confirmed Opt-In status. They also receive opt-in messages that enable them to confirm whether they want to receive the email campaigns or bulk emails.
Recipients cannot set their own status to Soft Opt-In. We can set this status in NetSuite either manually or through mass update. - Soft Opt-Out: Recipients with this status do not receive campaign email messages or bulk email messages, but they do receive opt-in messages.
We can change this subscription status to Soft Opt-In manually or through a mass update. If we set a recipient’s status to Soft Opt-Out, NetSuite unsubscribes the recipient from all subscription categories. - Confirmed Opt-Out: Only the recipient can set their subscription status to Confirmed Opt-Out.
Recipients with this status do not receive email campaigns, bulk emails, or opt-in messages. Recipients with this status can opt in again through the Customer Center. They can also click the link in a campaign message they received prior to opting out.
| Status | Receive campaigns? | Receive opt-in message? | Set by |
| Confirmed Opt-In | yes | yes | recipient only |
| Soft Opt-In | yes | yes | manual or mass update |
| Soft Opt-Out | no | yes | manual or mass update |
| Confirmed Opt-Out | no | no | recipient only |
We can set new records to one of the soft statuses when we create them manually or through a CSV import. We cannot set confirmed statuses on the record or through an import.
Note: Certain jurisdictions have regulations regarding whether we can contact entities if we do not have their explicit permission to do so. For example, the European Union (EU). We should check that our global subscription status adheres to the regulations in the recipient’s jurisdiction.
NetSuite tracks subscription status in the Global Subscription Status field on each record. This field is located in the Subscriptions subtab of the Marketing subtab. The Subscription Message History subtab contains information about all subscription invitation and confirmation email messages sent to the entity after June 2018.
We can set the default global subscription status at Setup > Marketing > Preferences > Marketing Preferences.
If we use the Duplicate Detection and Merge feature, when we merge two records, NetSuite maintains the subscription statuses from the primary record on the final merged record.
Creating Subscriber Lists Using Saved Searches
We can use search filters to keep track of our campaign subscriptions and build exportable mailing lists. NetSuite uses saved searches to build these lists, and lists can apply to both customers or contacts. A list of the most commonly used filters is as follows.
| Filter | Options | Comments |
| Global Subscription Status | Soft Opt-In Soft Opt-Out Confirmed Opt-In Confirmed Opt-Out | Refine our list to target the more receptive (confirmed opt-in) customers. |
| Inactive | Either, Yes, No | Set to No to only search for active customers or contacts. |
| Subscription | Select item from Campaign Subscriptions list. | First enable Subscription Categories, at Setup > Company > Enable Features. |
| Subscription Status | Either, Yes, No | Set to Yes and use with subscription filter to return positive instances of that Campaign Subscription. |
When we set up the saved search, we can export the search results in the required format. Supported formats include CSV, Excel, and PDF.