Does deleting old contacts always help?

Removing inactive contacts often helps but isn't universally beneficial. Like jettisoning cargo, it depends what you're throwing overboard. Some "inactive" subscribers are valuable; they may purchase without clicking or open on devices that don't track.

Safe to remove: addresses that **hard bounce**, confirmed spam complainers, role addresses that never engaged, and contacts inactive for 12+ months who ignored re-engagement campaigns. These add risk without value.

Require caution: recent purchasers who don't click emails, subscribers in privacy-heavy environments (Apple **MPP** users appear inactive), and seasonally active contacts. Before mass deletion, try re-engagement campaigns and analyze actual purchase behavior, not just email metrics.