A system for monitoring email and website behavior of an email recipient
is provided. According to one exemplary embodiment, the system includes a
mail enhancement server and a logging server. The mail enhancement server
is configured to intercept all outgoing emails from a mail server. The
mail enhancement server then modifies each outgoing email to include a
tracking code. The tracking code is embedded in an image call which in
turn is also inserted into the outgoing email. If the outgoing email
contains hyperlinks, each hyperlink is also modified to include the
tracking code. The tracking code is uniquely associated with the outgoing
email. The image call (and the tracking code) is used to detect when the
recipient of the outgoing email has opened that email. The tracking code,
when embedded in a hyperlink, is also used to monitor whether the
recipient has opened the email and/or clicked through on one or more of
the hyperlinks in the email. The logging server associates a cookie with
the recipient of the outgoing email. When the logging server receives an
image call, the corresponding image and the cookie are concurrently
delivered to the recipient. The cookie is used to monitor the behavior of
the recipient at a website, regardless of how the recipient arrives at
that website, be it through a click-through from the email or otherwise.
The logging server is configured to capture and store relevant
information relating to the outgoing email thereby allowing the sender of
the outgoing email and the recipient to be linked and the behavior of the
recipient to be monitored via the tracking code, the image call and the
cookie.