What is BIMI and Its Importance？ – SmartPush

BIMI authentication only supports the use of a custom domain. When authenticating the domain, you need to upload your brand logo. SmartPush will automatically generate SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and BIMI TXT authentication files for you. Your domain administrator can easily publish the TXT entries to your domain’s DNS records and complete the authentication in one go.

In this article you can learn about:

How to make brand logo comply with BIMI specifications

Upload format requirements:

The logo must be a square image with a 1:1 aspect ratio. It is best to have a solid-colored background as a transparent background may not display as expected.

The file size must be smaller than 32 KB.

It must be in the SVG 1.2 Tiny version.

Since BIMI has strict requirements for the logo, you can convert your logo to the appropriate SVG format for free with https://image2svg.com/.

If you encounter any issues while uploading the image, please contact the SmartPush Online Merchant Success team for assistance.

You can view the authentication status of all custom domain names by going to [Settings] > [Domain Management] on SmartPush.

What is BIMI?

BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) allows senders to use brand logos to authenticate their email messages with brand logos. It aims to help recipients identify legitimate emails from trusted senders and reduce the number of phishing and fraudulent emails, thereby increasing brand visibility.

BIMI is built on the DMARC standards and used for email authentication. Before your email enters the recipient's inbox, your email service provider will verify it based on the sender's DMARC record in the email to confirm its legitimacy.

Benefits of Implementing BIMI

Enhance brand trust through BIMI authentication

Email marketers need to earn customers' trust to make their brand successful. It’s particularly important to increase the visibility of their products and entice potential customers to open emails. BIMI is an effective way to stand out in your customers' inboxes. Additionally, your customers will be more willing to engage with your marketing emails, leading to better conversion rates and sales.

According to DMA's Consumer Email Tracker 2021 report, over 68% of consumers confirm that brand recognition plays a key role in deciding whether they’ll open an email or not. This highlights the critical importance of implementing BIMI in your marketing strategy.

Increase open rates through BIMI authentication

The higher the customers' trust in your brand, the higher your open rates will be. In the Yahoo Mail BIMI Beta test conducted by Verizon Media Group, adding brand logos through BIMI authentication resulted in a 10% increase in marketing campaign open rates.

Furthermore, another study on emails without brand logos showed a negative impact of 28% on consumers. Consumers always try to avoid phishing and other email threats, and they naturally remain cautious about opening emails from unknown sources.

Enhance email deliverability through BIMI authentication

Perfectly designed marketing emails are pointless without a firm guarantee of delivery. Initial marketing efforts are futile if your emails don't reach the recipient's inboxes.

Senders’ reputation score is primarily determined by positive and negative feedback from recipients. When recipients consistently fail to open the emails you send, your reputation score will decrease, leading to a higher proportion of your emails being sent to the spam folder or even being rejected. You can continuously improve your email's reputation score while increasing open rates by implementing BIMI authentication and creating a positive cycle.

How does BIMI work?

BIMI is built on top of DMARC. Therefore, before implementing BIMI, you need to comply with DMARC policies. Similarly, DMARC is based on having appropriate SPF and DKIM records.

To make BIMI work correctly, you must:

Enforce DMARC (implement p=quarantine or p=reject DMARC policy on your email sender domain).
Obtain a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC). Gmail requires having a VMC; if you don't have one, it may affect the display in Gmail but not other ISPs. If you have a VMC, contact SmartPush's Online Merchant Success Team for assistance (info@SmartPushedm.com).
Host your brand logo in a secure URL in SVG format.
Host your VMC in a secure URL in .pem file format.
Generate the BIMI record and publish it in your DNS.

Where is the BIMI logo displayed？

ISPs that have implemented BIMI authentication can determine where the BIMI badge will be displayed in their applications. If they believe your reputation is problematic or your brand doesn't meet their participation requirements, they can choose not to display your logo.

Email service providers that participate in BIMI

Different email clients display on web and mobile interfaces:

Display location	Email client	Web interface	Mobile interface
Open the email content page — sender’s name	Apple	No	Yes
	Fastmail	Yes	Yes
	Gmail	Yes	Yes
	La Poste	Yes	NO
	Yahoo	Yes	Yes
	Zone	Yes	NO
Inbox list —Email subject line	Apple	NO	NO
	Fastmail	NO	NO
	Gmail	NO	Yes
	La Poste	Yes	NO
	Yahoo	NO	Yes
	Zone	Yes	NO

Why doesn't my logo appear in the email?

If your logo does not appear in the email, please follow the steps below:

Make sure you have a valid VMC (Verified Mark Certificate) for Gmail and other email service providers that require VMC.
For Yahoo and other email service providers that do not require VMC, ensure that your domain has a good reputation to display your logo.
The correct display of the logo after BIMI authentication still requires ongoing effort. It is recommended to configure BIMI authentication as early as possible. You may experience a pleasant surprise in the future by following the compliance requirements of ISPs and establishing a good reputation with them.

Of course, you can also contact the SmartPush Online Merchant Success Team for assistance.