Trends in email marketing for 2024 that will boost your email program

What does 2024 hold for email-senders worldwide, following a period of significant technological advancements and impending threats to humanity in the form of bizarre AI developments? Will we eventually give in to technology, or will we be able to adapt to it and thrive in the process?

We summarize the email marketing trends and predictions that will influence 2024, from increased customer-centric email campaigns to improved deliverability and privacy awareness in data management. Continue reading!

An increase in the maturity of AI use

With everyone rushing to accomplish more and faster, the last year has been a whirlwind of excitement surrounding AI. In fact, by April 2023, over one-third of organizations were already using AI in at least one function, and many more were planning to increase their AI investment in the coming months, according to a McKinsey & Co. study on AI penetration.

This gold rush mentality will give way in 2024 to a more sophisticated and mature approach to email AI. A more intelligent selection of AI tools and features that actually improve how we write and send emails will replace the over-reliance on ChatGPT that exists today. Consider artificial intelligence (AI) writing assistants, subject line generators, and even template builders—all aimed at improving our email game.

Increased focus on the client in email correspondence

Since more emails are sent annually, particularly during busy periods, how can brands remain at the forefront of consumers’ minds? Hyper-relevant, customer-centric communications hold the key to the solution. Companies have been too preoccupied with what they want to convey to their audience. But as 2024 approaches, businesses will need to shift their emphasis from brand-centric messaging to satisfying customers’ expectations.

Understanding customer pain points and how the company’s services relate to them will be crucial to improving the relevance of communications through sophisticated segmentation and personalization strategies. Customer focus will, however, go beyond messaging in 2024. Giving consumers a choice in the kinds of messages they receive and the channels through which they wish to be contacted is another essential component of delivering an excellent customer experience.

A stronger emphasis on email authentication

Gmail and Yahoo introduced significant changes to the email industry towards the end of 2023. a new set of guidelines for bulk email senders with the goal of transforming and enhancing the user experience in their inbox.

With these changes set to take effect in early 2024, senders will have to start taking email authentication seriously, as well as their web hosting security. Furthermore, since Gmail began requiring authentication in 2022, the adoption of DKIM and SPF has increased, while DMARC authentication has lagged behind. Just about 40% of senders reported having used this protocol, according to Sinch Mailgun’s State of Email Deliverability 2023.

More stringent procedures for data management

Gmail and Yahoo changes are ushering in a new consent-focused era, which requires senders to make unsubscribes simple and monitor spam rates closely. Furthermore, mailbox providers are not the only ones influencing our perceptions of customer data. Globally, governments and state legislatures are strengthening their regulations regarding data protection, particularly in the United States, where sixteen states have filed privacy bills for the 2022–2023 legislative session.

Organizations are also realizing the value of user consent and more stringent data management procedures as 2024 approaches. In the upcoming year, we anticipate that landing pages that emphasize the benefits of a brand’s email program and double-opt-in subscription forms that accurately collect user data will become even more crucial.

Increased safeguards for consumer data to stop phishing scams

Refocusing on customer data security will also be necessary in light of stricter data management procedures. In an environment where cyberattacks and data security risks are present everywhere on the internet, brands must concentrate on establishing inbox trust and strengthening platform security, especially now that AI is enabling phishers to cast a larger net.

It will be more crucial than ever to use authentication techniques like BIMI to lessen the effects of phishing attacks. Additionally, we anticipate that more brands will use multichannel verification—which includes email, SMS, and flash calls—as well as enforce multi-factor authentication on their platforms in 2024. This will allow users to select the most convenient method of identity confirmation.

Enhanced ease of use for email campaigns

Notable developments are also anticipated in the area of email design. Beyond just aesthetics, email simplicity will become more important in 2024 as a calculated move to break through the digital clutter and engage users more genuinely. Brands are beginning to realize that consumers want deeper human connections. Undoubtedly, there is a growing demand for more genuine communication in the inbox, and marketers can effectively achieve this goal by utilizing personalized text-based emails.

The ultimate objective is to imitate the closeness of personal discussions. Finding the ideal balance between emails with a lot of design and those that are simple to read will require careful testing and a sophisticated understanding of user preferences, as email experts Naomi West and Emily Ryan noted during Email Camp 2023.

Increased interactivity in the layout of emails

However, we are not saying that email designers should always use plain-text emails just to be safe. Actually, improving the customer experience should be the main objective of excellent email design, and incorporating interactivity into your campaigns is sometimes the best way to achieve this. Even for the most experienced email developers, creating interactive emails is difficult, which is likely why their adoption has been comparatively slow. However, in the face of the fierce competition in the inbox, it’s accelerating.

Email interaction can be a huge game-changer when it comes to drawing in readers and encouraging them to take action without requiring them to leave your inbox. The user experience will become the primary focus of the email design playbook as we approach 2024. It’s important to prepare for the fact that this year, interactivity will become the most effective means of enhancing the inbox experience, raising engagement levels, and encouraging action from your audience.

Stronger relationship between email and SMS Let’s be honest

In order to cultivate enduring customer relationships, brands must adopt an omnichannel communication strategy. Organizations will need to concentrate more on reaching their audience through a variety of touchpoints by 2024, and email and SMS will probably be the first steps in that process.

Email is still the best option for communicating with brands, but it’s not the only one. Text messaging was confirmed as the runner-up for transactional notifications and promotional messages in our 2023 email engagement survey.

In Conclusion

Brands should expect to keep pushing for more coordinated communication strategies in 2024—ones that respect consumer preferences and sync customer data. Though SMS will strategically intervene to support specific transactional needs and increase engagement during peak periods, email will remain the primary medium for brand communications.