{"id":48150,"date":"2025-12-17T16:29:56","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T21:29:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/?p=48150"},"modified":"2025-12-17T16:29:57","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T21:29:57","slug":"trends-in-email-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/trends-in-email-marketing","title":{"rendered":"Email Marketing Trends for 2026: Insights to Boost Every Send"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t<div id=\"simple-text-block-block_a10f301d395be1790566707a5306fe8a\" class=\"block-simple-text-block alignfull \" style=\"background-color:\">\n  <div class=\"container\">\n  \t<div class=\"row\">\n  \t\t<div class=\"col\">\n  \t\t\t<div class=\"copy\">\n  \t\t\t\t<table style=\"background-color: #f2f3f6;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"block-1\" style=\"padding: 20px;\">\n<h3>Key takeaways \u2728<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Email marketers are shifting away<\/strong> from unreliable metrics like open rates and instead are prioritizing privacy-proofing and long-term consent strategies.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Generative AI and automation are now central<\/strong> to email workflows, helping teams save time on content creation, segmentation, and personalization.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Newsletters still drive high levels<\/strong> of subscriber engagement and retention\u2014when done correctly.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Email is the trusty workhorse of marketing, always showing up when you need it with an average <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/infographic-the-roi-of-email-marketing\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">36:1 ROI<\/span><\/a> or more<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. With email still playing such a critical role in business success, marketers need to stay on top of the latest trends and shifts in the industry.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019re already setting your priorities and goals for the year ahead\u2014but what should you focus on? Here\u2019s a closer look at our predictions based on our State of Email survey finds and the latest email marketing trends.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Table of contents<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#privacy-proof\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Privacy-proofing for the long term<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#genAI\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AI for every part of the email workflow<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#lifecycle\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lifecycle email automation<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#analytics-and-data\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rethinking analytics and data management<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#newsletters\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Newsletters as a powerful retention tool<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#interactivity\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Interactivity in email marketing<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"#segmentation-and-collaboration\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Enhanced segmentation and cross-functional collaboration<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"cta\">\n<h2 id=\"privacy-proof\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trend 1: Privacy-proofing for the long term<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over the past decade, regulations like <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/5-things-you-must-know-about-email-consent-under-gdpr\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Europe and <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/oag.ca.gov\/privacy\/ccpa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have reshaped data privacy standards. As <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/the-4-types-of-ai\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">artificial intelligence (AI)<\/span><\/a> continues to advance, we\u2019ve already seen a wave of similar legislation emerging across the globe, like the <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/legal-content\/EN\/TXT\/HTML\/?uri=OJ:L_202401689\">European AI Act<\/a> and the <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.caidp.org\/resources\/coe-ai-treaty\/\">Council of Europe AI treaty<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It&#8217;s no longer just about compliance with existing regulations or adapting to privacy-focused features like <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/apple-mail-privacy-protection-for-marketers\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Apple\u2019s Mail Privacy Protection (MPP)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Instead, as privacy concerns continue to evolve, we anticipate seeing marketers shift their focus towards the long-term health of their email programs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is where <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/privacy-proof-your-email-program\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">privacy-proofing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> comes in: ensuring that your email program is resilient in the face of future privacy challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What does privacy-proofing look like in practice?<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Proactive collection of <\/b><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/collect-zero-party-data-through-email\"><b>zero-party data<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This is explicit consent from customers, which can be collected from <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/email-preferences-center-best-practices\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">preference centers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/how-litmus-uses-live-polls\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">live polls<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. In contrast to open rates (more on this later), it\u2019s reliable data to glean insights from.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Running confirmation campaigns<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014like re-permission campaigns and <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/single-opt-in-vs-double-opt-in-case-for-soi\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">double opt-in (DOI)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Steering away from Personally Identifiable Information (PII)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Consider removing PII when possible to protect your subscribers\u2019 sensitive information in case of a security breach. (Instead, use subscriber ID!)<br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Adopt Brand Indicators for Message Identification (<\/b><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.validity.com\/blog\/the-bimi-battle-an-analysis-on-bimi-adoption-and-implementation\/\"><b>BIMI<\/b><\/a><b>).<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Make it easy for subscribers to visually verify that the email in their inbox is indeed coming from your brand.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n  \t\t\t<\/div>\n  \t\t<\/div>\n  \t<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t<div id=\"simple-text-block-block_0b97e605c9dc94a5eaf622b600b20374\" class=\"block-simple-text-block alignfull \" style=\"background-color:\">\n  <div class=\"container\">\n  \t<div class=\"row\">\n  \t\t<div class=\"col\">\n  \t\t\t<div class=\"copy\">\n  \t\t\t\t<div class=\"cta\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re using AI tools with your email program, consider the following to align your email program use with evolving legal standards:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Know your AI risk level.<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Identify your <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.forvismazars.com\/ie\/en\/insights\/news-opinions\/eu-ai-act-different-risk-levels-of-ai-systems#:~:text=Examples%20of%20unacceptable%20risk%20AI%20systems&amp;text=Systems%20that%20are%20biometric%20categorisation,religious%20race%2C%20or%20sexual%20orientation.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AI tools\u2019 risk classification<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> under the EU AI Act and avoid high-risk applications that could harm user behavior.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Be transparent.<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clearly disclose AI use in your Privacy Policy or <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/email-footer-best-practices\">email footers<\/a>, e.g., <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;We use AI to personalize your email experience for more relevant content.&#8221;<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li><strong>Offer opt-out options.<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Allow subscribers to manage their preferences, including opting out of AI-driven features if they wish.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Stay informed.<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep up with evolving AI regulations globally and proactively update your strategies to stay compliant.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<div class=\"container pt-3 pb-5\">\n\t<div class=\"row blog-cta-blue rounded-5 p-4\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col-12 mx-auto\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row d-flex align-items-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-lg-6 col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t<p class=\"bold fs-4\">Flawless financial emails without the risk<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<p>From compliance to collaboration, Litmus simplifies email workflows for financial services teams without compromising security.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"button-blue arrow\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/customers?industry_category=financial-services\" class=\"text-white text-decoration-none\">Explore Case Studies<\/a><\/button>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!--col-6-->\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-6 d-none d-lg-block\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/blog-cta-12172024.svg\" width=\"208\" height=\"171\" alt=\"\">\n\t\t\t<\/div><!--col-6-->\n\t\t\t<\/div> <!--row-->\n\t\t<\/div><!--col-12-->\n\t<\/div><!--row-->\n<\/div><!--container-->\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n<h2 id=\"genAI\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trend 2: Generative AI (GenAI) for every part of the email workflow<\/span><\/h2>\n<a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/guide-to-ai-in-email-marketing\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Generative AI<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has made waves in email marketing, especially in content creation. In fact, <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/resources\/state-of-email-trends\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">34% of email marketers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> already use AI for copywriting at least occasionally, making it the most common AI-assisted task.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Time-savings is the standout benefit of GenAI. A majority of marketing teams spend less than one week to produce an email, down from <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/resources\/state-of-email-workflows\">two weeks or more<\/a> in 2023. This includes everything from copywriting and email design to <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/combining-segmentation-and-personalization\">email segmentation<\/a> and testing. GenAI can reduce product cycles and improve email workflows by:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brainstorming ideas<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Generating subject line and preview text ideas<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/resources\/email-copywriting-kit\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Copywriting<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and proofreading<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Generating images<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creating video clips<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/how-to-use-chatgpt-to-create-an-email-sequence\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creating an email sequence<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"lifecycle\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trend 3: Lifecycle email automation<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Automation is the backbone of effective lifecycle marketing strategies, enabling marketers to boost engagement while maintaining focus on other key initiatives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creating more email marketing automations has consistently been a top email marketing priority\u2014a trend reinforced year after year by <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/state-of-email-reports\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The State of Email<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> survey. For event-triggered campaigns, don\u2019t forget to include an <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/how-to-create-an-add-to-calendar-link-for-your-emails\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">add to calendar link<\/a> to boost attendance and timely engagement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2023, <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/resources\/state-of-email-workflows\"><b>51% of marketers<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> needed two weeks or more to create a single email, and lack of appropriate email team resources was the second largest bottleneck in production. Now, only 6% of teams take over two weeks to create an email. Team are becoming more efficient and are using innovative technology to help them get there.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"row p-5 my-5 background-light-gray rounded-5\">\n<blockquote class=\"blockquote\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt\u2019s funny that this is number one in the survey, because it\u2019s our top priority at Appcues. To me, it\u2019s a function of becoming more productive so we\u2019re not doing one-on-one but one-to-many. With the macroeconomics and becoming more sustainable and making sure that we\u2019re all as productive as possible because AI is here.\u201d<\/span><\/blockquote><figcaption class=\"blockquote-footer\"><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/ramlijohn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ramli John<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Appcues<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Automation isn\u2019t just a time-saver\u2014it\u2019s a way to close gaps in your lifecycle email marketing strategy. By investing upfront to building strategic marketing automations, you free up resources to focus on creativity, strategy, and other high-impact activities down the road.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, it\u2019s just as important to ensure your automations run smoothly. After all, errors like broken links or missing images can undermine their effectiveness, with <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.businesswire.com\/news\/home\/20220202005525\/en\/86-Percent-of-Consumers-Will-Leave-a-Brand-They-Trusted-After-Only-Two-Poor-Customer-Experiences\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">86% of customers abandoning a trusted brand after just two poor experiences<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An email monitoring software like <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-guardian\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Litmus Email Guardian<\/a> helps by monitoring your emails 24\/7, alerting you to any issues so you can address them before they reach your audience.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<div class=\"container pt-3 pb-5 px-1\">\n\t<div class=\"row blog-cta-blue rounded-5 p-4\">\n\t\t<div class=\"mx-auto col-12\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row d-flex align-items-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-lg-6 col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t<p class=\"bold fs-4\">Harness the power of email personalization<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<p>Discover how to better connect with your audience, deliver tailored content, and drive engagement with email personalization. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"button-blue download\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/personalized-email\" class=\"text-white text-decoration-none\">Personalize better<\/a><\/button>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!--col-6-->\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-6 d-none d-lg-block\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/download-blog-cta-09232024.svg\" width=\"221\" height=\"175\" alt=\"\">\n\t\t\t<\/div><!--col-6-->\n\t\t\t<\/div> <!--row-->\n\t\t<\/div><!--col-12-->\n\t<\/div><!--row-->\n<\/div><!--container-->\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n<h2 id=\"analytics-and-data\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trend 4: Rethinking analytics and data management<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The way email marketers measure performance changed forever with the introduction of <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/apple-mail-privacy-protection-resources\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Apple Mail Privacy Protection (MPP)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in September 2021. Long-standing metrics\u2014specifically the open rate\u2014became less reliable, as <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/apple-mail-privacy-protection-for-marketers\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Apple MPP <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">prevents senders from knowing whether a subscriber opened an email. This led to inflated email opens, unknown open times, and missing geolocation data for Apple users\u2014who make up <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-client-market-share\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">over half of email client market share<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Faced with these challenges, marketers have had to rethink their approach to <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-analytics\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email analytics<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and data management.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/poll-on-Litmus-LinkedIn-1.png\" alt=\"Poll hosted on Litmus' LinkedIn\" width=\"1200\" height=\"807\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/feed\/update\/urn:li:activity:6924735981224927232\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Poll hosted on Litmus\u2019 LinkedIn<\/span><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shifting focus from traditional metrics like open rates is no small task. Yet, accord<\/span>ing to the <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/state-of-email-reports\">State of Email Report 2025<\/a>, 15% of email marketers still rely on open rates as a primary measure of success.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_119294\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-119294\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-119294 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/KPI-2-1024x808.png\" alt=\"Chart of the top KPIs for marketing emails\" width=\"1024\" height=\"808\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/KPI-2-1024x808.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/KPI-2-300x237.png 300w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/KPI-2-768x606.png 768w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/KPI-2.png 1338w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-119294\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/state-of-email-reports\">State of Email Report 2025<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"mceTemp\"><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why does this reliance persist? Open rates have a long history associated as an <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/kpis-you-should-be-tracking\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email key performance indicator (KPI)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for success. Our hunch is that even when marketers understand the limitations of this metric, the perception often remains\u2014across teams, managers, and decision-makers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But for a more targeted approach, you need to go beyond the basics to thrive in an ever-evolving landscape. Unique click-through rate (<\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/increase-email-ctr\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CTR<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) is the second most popular way marketers measure email success, and we expect a shift in the coming months, especially as engagement becomes <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/why-email-deliverability-matters\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a key factor in email deliverability<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Strong sender credibility, built on engagement, boosts inbox placement for future email campaigns\u2014leading to higher traffic, engagement, and conversions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This shift requires not only rethinking analytics but also adopting better data management practices. Metrics like CTR, conversion rate, <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/the-ultimate-guide-to-list-unsubscribe\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">unsubscribe rate<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, revenue per email (RPE), and <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/infographic-the-roi-of-email-marketing\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email marketing ROI<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, provide a more holistic view of performance, over open rate. To harness these insights effectively, marketers must organize, analyze, and act on their data strategically.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some key areas of focus:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Defining reliable KPIs<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>.<\/strong> Shift away from open rates to metrics that are more reliable and align with business goals.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Centralizing data<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>.<\/strong> Use tools that consolidate performance metrics for easier analysis\u2014like <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-analytics\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Litmus Email Analytics<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Acting on insights<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Use data to refine segmentation, optimize engagement, and drive conversions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure class=\"row p-5 my-5 background-light-gray rounded-5\">\n<blockquote class=\"blockquote\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI think the data barriers are really intense. There\u2019s nothing sexy about most of the data structure stuff. But it\u2019s absolutely essential.\u201d<\/span><\/blockquote><figcaption class=\"blockquote-footer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/chadswhite\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chad S. White<\/a>, Oracle Digital Experience Agency<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"newsletters\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trend 5: Email newsletters as a powerful retention tool<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Newsletters are one of the most popular tools for keeping subscribers engaged, ranking as the second most-used email type. <\/span>In fact, <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/state-of-email-reports\">58% of marketers<\/a> include them as part of their email strategy, up from <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/resources\/state-of-email-innovations\">46% in 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_121679\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-121679\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-121679 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SoE-marketing-emails-1024x728.png\" alt=\"Most common marketing emails that companies send to subscribers\" width=\"1024\" height=\"728\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SoE-marketing-emails-1024x728.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SoE-marketing-emails-300x213.png 300w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SoE-marketing-emails-768x546.png 768w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SoE-marketing-emails.png 1404w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-121679\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/state-of-email-reports\">State of Email Report 2025<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With retention being <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/resources\/state-of-email-innovations\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a top priority for marketers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, newsletters are a powerful way to deliver valuable email content and keep your target audience coming back. Here\u2019s why they work so well:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>They help build relationships.<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Email<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">newsletters are a great way to show off your brand\u2019s personality, share helpful content, and consistently stay in touch.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>They keep customers coming back.<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s easy for competitors to copy a product feature, but it\u2019s difficult to replicate how a brand makes a person feel. Content that resonates or provides value help create connection and trust with subscribers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>They <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/are-you-investing-in-or-spending-your-email-subscribers-trust\">build trust<\/a> over time.<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most people on your email list aren\u2019t ready to buy right away\u2014based on <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/marketingscience.info\/the-955-rule-is-the-new-6040-rule\/#:~:text=Such%20is%20the%20conclusion%20of,for%20months%20or%20even%20years.\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Ehrenberg-Bass Institute\u2019s<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, only about 5% are at any given time. Newsletters allow you to connect with the other 95%, providing value and staying top of mind until they\u2019re ready to take the next step.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As brands focus more on keeping customers engaged for the long haul, newsletters stand out as an easy and effective way to stay connected. With a little creativity, they can become the heart of your email marketing strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<div class=\"container pt-3 pb-5 px-1\">\n\t<div class=\"row blog-cta-green rounded-5 p-4\">\n\t\t<div class=\"mx-auto col-12\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row d-flex align-items-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-lg-6 col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t<p class=\"bold fs-4\">Go beyond opens and clicks<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<p>Brands that use Litmus Email Analytics see a 43% higher ROI than those that don\u2019t. See what you\u2019re missing. \n<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"button-blue arrow\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-analytics\" class=\"text-white text-decoration-none\">Book a demo<\/a><\/button>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!--col-6-->\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-6 d-none d-lg-block\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/blog-cta-email-guardian-07292024.svg\" width=\"210\" height=\"180\" alt=\"\">\n\t\t\t<\/div><!--col-6-->\n\t\t\t<\/div> <!--row-->\n\t\t<\/div><!--col-12-->\n\t<\/div><!--row-->\n<\/div><!--container-->\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n<h2 id=\"interactivity\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trend 6: Interactivity in email marketing<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Interactive elements and personalization were all the rage in 2025, and that will continue in 2026. As technology\u2014with the help of AI\u2014continues to make personalization more accessible to email marketers, we\u2019ll see nearly 100% adoption. After all, <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/state-of-email-reports\">97% of marketers<\/a> in 2025 already used at least one interactive element in their marketing emails.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-118372\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Most-effective-interactive-elements-to-use-in-emails-1-1024x657.png\" alt=\"Most popular interactive elements in email marketing: buttons (35%), forms (14%), surveys, polls and quizzes (13%), countdown timers (12%), embedded videos or gifs (12%), dynamic product recommendations (11%), none (3%)\" width=\"1024\" height=\"657\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Most-effective-interactive-elements-to-use-in-emails-1-1024x657.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Most-effective-interactive-elements-to-use-in-emails-1-300x192.png 300w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Most-effective-interactive-elements-to-use-in-emails-1-768x492.png 768w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Most-effective-interactive-elements-to-use-in-emails-1.png 1254w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"cta\">\n<p>For B2C brands, the case for interactivity is even stronger. Survey results from our <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/resources\/state-of-email-trends\">State of Email Trends 2024 report<\/a> found that B2C brands are more than twice as likely as B2B brands to incorporate CSS-based interactivity into their emails, making it an effective tool for engaging your target audience and driving results.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"row p-5 my-5 background-light-gray rounded-5\">\n<blockquote class=\"blockquote\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAI-powered personalization, thoughtful lifecycle approaches, and dynamic content are helping marketers cut through the noise and deliver meaningful experiences that resonate with each individual subscriber\u201d<\/span><\/blockquote><figcaption class=\"blockquote-footer\"><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/cynthiahprice\/\">Cynthia Price<\/a>, SVP of Marketing at Validity<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Interactive elements can transform emails into engaging two-way conversations, allowing subscribers to actively participate in their experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tools like <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-personalization\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Litmus Personalize<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> make it easy to add these engaging features. Compatible with most major ESPs, it offers a range of low-effort, high-impact personalization tools, including:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/how-litmus-uses-live-polls\">Live Polls<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>.<\/strong> Encourage engagement and boost click rates, while allowing subscribers to share their voice. Results update with every open, providing real-time feedback.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/how-litmus-uses-litmus-personalize\/\">Sentiment Trackers<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>.<\/strong> Make it easy to gather feedback on what your subscribers like (or don\u2019t), with real-time results with each open.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/how-to-use-email-scratch-offs\/?utm_medium=offline&amp;utm_source=marketing&amp;utm_campaign=wc-2024-09-the_state_of_email_lifecycle\">Scratch-Offs<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>.<\/strong> Build anticipation and spark curiosity with a touch of gamification, turning deal reveals and exciting announcements into engaging user experiences that make every email subscriber feel like a winner.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/help.litmus.com\/article\/760-animated-image-carousels-guide\">Image Carousels.<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> In <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-personalization\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Litmus Personalize<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, these are <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/litmus.com\/blog\/a-guide-to-animated-gifs-in-email\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">animated GIFs<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that cycle through static images. Showcase new products or features, build a step-by-step guide for your audience, and more.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"cta\">\n\n<div class=\"container pt-3 pb-5 px-1\">\n\t<div class=\"row blog-cta-green rounded-5 p-4\">\n\t\t<div class=\"mx-auto col-12\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row d-flex align-items-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-lg-6 col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t<p class=\"bold fs-4\">Drive engagement with dynamic content<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<p>Personalize emails with live polls, personalized images, scratch-offs, and more. No coding experience required. <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-personalization\" class=\"bold\">Learn more.<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"button-blue arrow\"><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/pricing-litmus\" class=\"text-white text-decoration-none\">Book a demo<\/a><\/button>\n\t\t\t<\/div><!--col-6-->\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-6 d-none d-lg-block\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/hero_example_email.png\" width=\"210\" height=\"151\" alt=\"\">\n\t\t\t<\/div><!--col-6-->\n\t\t\t<\/div> <!--row-->\n\t\t<\/div><!--col-12-->\n\t<\/div><!--row-->\n<\/div><!--container-->\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n<h2 id=\"segmentation-and-collaboration\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trend 7: Enhanced segmentation and cross-functional collaboration<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Segmentation is one of the simplest and most effective ways to personalize your email marketing campaigns\u2014and its impact is undeniable. In fact, more than <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/resources\/state-of-email-trends\"><b>90% of marketers<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> who responded to our <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/state-of-email-reports\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">State of Email<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> survey reported that segmentation boosts email performance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plus, segmentation is within reach for teams of all sizes; even if you don\u2019t have access to <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/email-personalization\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a personalization tool<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, you can always lean on segmentation as an out-of-the-box way to personalize and drive results. After all, the most effective personalization is based on your audience and the unique segments within it.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"row p-5 my-5 background-light-gray rounded-5\">\n<blockquote class=\"blockquote\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cEmail segmentation is the simplest way to ensure you\u2019re sending the right message to the right person at the right time. You don\u2019t need any technical skills to create segments of your audience, either. Most\u2014if not all\u2014 ESPs will give you that feature out-of-the-box. The only thing you need to decide is what segments you want to create.\u201d<\/span><\/blockquote><figcaption class=\"blockquote-footer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jainamistry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jaina Mistry<\/a>, Director of Brand and Content Marketing at Knak<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s no surprise that email s<\/span>egmentation is the most effective tactic for email marketing.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_117919\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-117919\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-117919 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/03_PersonalizationStrategie-1024x599.jpeg\" alt=\"Pie chart from Litmus' State of Email report showing which personalization strategies marketers find most effective: segmentation (most), dynamic content, personalized subject lines, location-based personalization, and behavior-based triggers (least).\" width=\"1024\" height=\"599\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/03_PersonalizationStrategie-1024x599.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/03_PersonalizationStrategie-300x176.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/03_PersonalizationStrategie-768x450.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/03_PersonalizationStrategie.jpeg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-117919\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/state-of-email-reports\">State of Email Report 2025<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With almost all email service providers (ESPs), segmenting by engagement level\u2014such as targeting users who have opened an email in the past 90 days or clicked a link in the past 7 days\u2014is an easy, foundational tactic that\u2019s widely accessible.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, as basic segmentation becomes more common, brands are taking a more refined approach by moving toward <\/span><b>enhanced segmentation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This goes beyond the basics by tying more granular strategies to specific lifecycle stages, helping marketers deliver even more relevant messages at every point in the customer lifecycle or <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/9-tips-to-optimize-your-subscriber-journey\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">subscriber journey<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Segmentation can be based on:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Behavioral data<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: target segments based on actions like website visits, past purchases, or email interactions (like opens, clicks, and <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/email-read-rates\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email read rates<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Engagement level<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: tailor messaging for highly engaged email subscribers while creating re-engagement strategies for those who have become less active.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Demographics<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: optimize email campaigns based on location, age, interests, or preferences.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can take it up a notch by adding another layer with personalization. For example, Kate Spade combines behavioral data with real-time personalization to create more targeted eCommerce email campaigns.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-scroll mb-3\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/4u.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Source: <\/span><\/i><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/page.litmus.com\/live-polls-and-social-proof.html\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Guide to Live Polls and Social Proof<\/span><\/i><\/a>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each click in the <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/how-litmus-uses-live-polls\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">live poll<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> counted as vote, providing real-time data. 24 hours later, a follow-up email was sent, segmented by vote category. Email subscribers who voted received personalized emails with <\/span><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/how-to-use-personalized-product-recommendations-in-email\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">product recommendations<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> based on their vote, while non-voters received emails featuring best-sellers\u2014an example of thoughtful, enhanced segmentation that covers all bases.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Segmentation shines when there\u2019s alignment across cross-functional teams. That\u2019s because customer retention doesn\u2019t happen in a vacuum. This might look like:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Getting aligned on KPIs<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Setting up time to talk to other departments\u2014like customer success, sales, or social media\u2014about their goals and challenges<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plotting out the entire customer experience and multi-channel touch points with other departments to identify gaps<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regularly sharing email insights and listen to other teams about what they learn<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\"><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make this the year you elevate your email program to new heights<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is 2026 the year you give your email marketing the tools it needs to shine? <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/litmus-news\">Subscribe to Litmus News<\/a> for strategies, resources, and the latest know-how from the world of email.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n  \t\t\t<\/div>\n  \t\t<\/div>\n  \t<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"post-cta-buttonblock_b072e14dd222446170fdebf400ef7a30\" class=\"block-post-cta-button mt-5\">\n  <div class=\"container px-0\">\n    <div class=\"row\">\n      <div class=\"blog-post-cta-button-wrapper col-12 col-lg-10 mx-auto p-4 d-block d-lg-flex align-items-lg-center align-items-start\">\n\t\t  \t\t  \t\t  \t\t  \t\t  \t\t  \t\t  \t\t \t\t\t  \t\t  \t\t  <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-9 ps-lg-4 ps-0 text-center text-lg-start mt-3 mt-lg-0\">\t\t\t  \t\t\t  <h2 class=\"h-sm\"><strong> Stay in the email loop with Litmus News<\/strong><\/h2>\n\t\t\t   \n\t\t\t  \t\t\t\t\t<p>We\u2019re email marketers, designers, and developers\u2014just like you. And yeah, we don\u2019t like spam either. So, Litmus News? Totally worth your time.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t  \t\t  <\/div><!--col-12 col-lg-9 ps-lg-4 ps-0 text-center text-lg-start mt-3 mt-lg-0-->\t\t\t  \t\t  <div class=\"text-center text-lg-end col-12 col-lg-1 ms-lg-2 ms-0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"btn btn-primary\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/litmus-news\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe today\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t  \t\t  <\/div><!--text-center text-lg-end col-12 col-lg-1 ms-lg-2 ms-0-->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t        <\/div><!--blog-post-cta-button-wrapper-->\n    <\/div><!--row-->\n  <\/div><!--container-->\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Discover the top email marketing trends for 2026 to boost engagement, drive ROI, and stay ahead of the competition in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":106409,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[664,110,555,86,10284,381,535],"blog_category":[10306],"class_list":["post-48150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-ai","tag-apple","tag-bimi","tag-engagement","tag-open-rate","tag-personalization","tag-privacy","blog_category-email-marketing-strategy"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.5 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Top Email Marketing Trends for 2026 - Litmus<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover the top email marketing trends for 2026 to boost engagement, drive ROI, and stay ahead of the competition.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/trends-in-email-marketing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Top Email Marketing Trends for 2026\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover the top email marketing trends for 2026 to boost engagement, drive ROI, and stay ahead of the competition.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/trends-in-email-marketing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Litmus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/litmusapp\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-17T21:29:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-17T21:29:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2025-Trends.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1380\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"725\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Email Marketing Trends for 2026: Insights to Boost Every Send\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@litmusapp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@litmusapp\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Top Email Marketing Trends for 2026 - Litmus","description":"Discover the top email marketing trends for 2026 to boost engagement, drive ROI, and stay ahead of the competition.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/trends-in-email-marketing","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Top Email Marketing Trends for 2026","og_description":"Discover the top email marketing trends for 2026 to boost engagement, drive ROI, and stay ahead of the competition.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/trends-in-email-marketing","og_site_name":"Litmus","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/litmusapp","article_published_time":"2025-12-17T21:29:56+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-12-17T21:29:57+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1380,"height":725,"url":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2025-Trends.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Email Marketing Trends for 2026: Insights to Boost Every Send","twitter_creator":"@litmusapp","twitter_site":"@litmusapp","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/trends-in-email-marketing#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/trends-in-email-marketing"},"author":{"name":"","@id":""},"headline":"Email Marketing Trends for 2026: Insights to Boost Every Send","datePublished":"2025-12-17T21:29:56+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-17T21:29:57+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/trends-in-email-marketing"},"wordCount":9,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/trends-in-email-marketing#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2025-Trends.png","keywords":["AI","Apple","BIMI","Engagement","Open Rate","Personalization","Privacy"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/trends-in-email-marketing","url":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/trends-in-email-marketing","name":"The Top Email Marketing Trends for 2026 - Litmus","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/trends-in-email-marketing#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/trends-in-email-marketing#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2025-Trends.png","datePublished":"2025-12-17T21:29:56+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-17T21:29:57+00:00","description":"Discover the top email marketing trends for 2026 to boost engagement, drive ROI, and stay ahead of the competition.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/trends-in-email-marketing#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/trends-in-email-marketing"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/trends-in-email-marketing#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2025-Trends.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/2025-Trends.png","width":1380,"height":725},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/trends-in-email-marketing#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Email Marketing Trends for 2026: Insights to Boost Every Send"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/","name":"Litmus","description":"Are you getting the most out of your email marketing?","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/#organization","name":"Litmus Software","url":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/featured-image.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/featured-image.png","width":600,"height":314,"caption":"Litmus Software"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/litmusapp","https:\/\/x.com\/litmusapp"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":""}]}},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48150"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48150\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":121691,"href":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48150\/revisions\/121691"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/106409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48150"},{"taxonomy":"blog_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog_category?post=48150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}