Designs & data
Fallback & missing rows
Who sees the fallback image, and why a broken image is never the answer.
When the fallback shows
The dynamic URL resolves per recipient. Three cases return the design's fallback image instead of a personalised GIF:
- The recipient is not in the batch (a new subscriber, a test profile).
- The row failed to render (rare; listed in the failed-rows CSV).
- The batch is still rendering and this row has not landed yet.
What the fallback is
A rendered version of the design with the fallback values you set per field (for example "there" instead of a first name). It is a real image at the same size, so layouts never shift and no email client shows a broken-image icon.
Missing values inside a row
A blank cell uses that field's fallback value; the rest of the row still personalises. Blank identifier cells are flagged at verify because they cannot be addressed.