AI Agent Conducts Large-Scale Email Deliverability Vendor Bake-Off
An AI agent evaluated three email vendors using 500,000 messages to optimize performance.
1Automating Vendor Comparisons
SaaStr utilized its AI agent, 10K, to conduct a comprehensive email deliverability bake-off. Unlike traditional methods involving small test batches and manual spreadsheets, the AI analyzed over 500,000 emails. This approach allowed for rigorous, large-scale testing that human teams previously could not execute due to time and resource constraints.
2Identifying Performance Discrepancies
The AI compared an incumbent email vendor against a challenger using matched audience groups of 2,300 recipients. The challenger achieved 50.5% unique opens compared to the incumbent's 21.0%. These results demonstrated that the gap in engagement was primarily driven by the underlying transport layer performance rather than content or timing.
3Detecting Dashboard Inaccuracies
The AI agent uncovered critical reporting failures within the incumbent vendor's system. While the vendor's dashboard displayed a green status and marked 80,708 sends as completed, the step-level records revealed zero successful deliveries. The AI confirmed these failures through four diagnostic sends, isolating the issue to the vendor's transport layer.
4Multidimensional Scoring Criteria
10K evaluated vendors based on seven specific metrics, including confirmed delivery at the step level, inbox placement, and human click engagement. A key differentiator was operator effort, which measured the human time required for audience preparation and reporting. This metric proved to be a significant factor in the final vendor selection.
5Structured Migration Strategy
The AI recommended a phased migration rather than an immediate full-list switch to mitigate deliverability risks. The plan involves ramping volume from 20,000 to full capacity while monitoring bounce and complaint rates. It also mandates synchronizing unsubscribe data across systems to ensure compliance and prevent potential legal or reputation issues.
6Efficiency Gains in Evaluation
A project that would typically require a dedicated deliverability team or an external consultant for an entire quarter was completed by the AI agent in just a few days. This efficiency allows the company to maintain continuous vendor comparisons rather than relying on infrequent, manual evaluations performed every three years.
7Changing Software Procurement Dynamics
The ability to test at production volume changes how companies buy software. By cross-checking vendor reporting against underlying logs, the AI agent identified discrepancies that status pages often mask. This transparency reduces the protection typically afforded to incumbent vendors, as challengers can now be tested against them on a weekly basis.
8Implications for B2B Sales
B2B software vendors must now prepare for customers using AI agents to evaluate their services. These agents query step-level data and score vendors on operational efficiency. As automated testing becomes standard, vendors will face increased pressure to provide verifiable performance data, as incumbency no longer guarantees long-term customer retention.
Original article: SaaStr — AI Agent Conducts Large-Scale Email Deliverability Vendor Bake-Off