My email inbox is a very scary place. There, I said it. Long gone are the days of Inbox Zero. Now, it’s just a mess: my contact lens prescription confirmation, abandoned cart emails for the dress I can’t decide on for my daughter’s graduation, replies from leads I’ve been meaning to follow up with, and that blog post I swear I’ll get to ‘someday.’ It’s a mess. We listen, we don’t judge. 

But recently, I found an app called Fyxer. It goes through my emails and sorts them out super smartly. Fyxer creates a separate folder for notifications or FYIs - hopefully, I tricked this email into landing there. 😉 It also organizes a folder with only the emails I need to reply to and prepares drafts with possible answers, ready to edit or send right from my draft folder. It’s like having a personal assistant for my inbox. Instead of dealing with 500 emails daily, I now only have 10 to reply to. It’s been a game-changer. And no, it’s not a paid ad. I wish.

Whether it’s Fyxer, Gmail’s native AI solution, or any other tool, AI is radically changing how people interact with their inboxes. These tools make it easier to filter out unnecessary noise, focusing on the emails that truly matter, like those you need to respond to. People will engage with fewer emails as inboxes become more organized and efficient.

As email marketing experts, we must be very cautious about approaching this new reality. When researching email and AI, you get a lot of content on how platforms like Klaviyo are capitalizing on AI to make better segmentation and implementation. But merchants are missing the point from the user's perspective. How will email be consumed once AI-powered inboxes are the norm?

📬 Loosen Up on Email Frequency
I’ve always been cautious with email marketing frequency. But if we assume that AI tools filter and sort emails, maybe customers won’t mind getting daily emails from brands as much. Inboxes aren’t as sacred anymore, so we can loosen up the frequency. There, I said it, send more emails.

📝 Play with plain text
Plain-text marketing emails have always been a good idea. But now, they’ll become even more relevant as a way to slip past the AI assistants guarding your inbox. The challenge is to keep them fresh, authentic, and personal. Maybe adding action items could help, so tools like Fyxer can easily slip them into the "respond to" folder. It's about keeping your emails human, relevant, and ready to be engaged with.

🤝 Keep it very personal
Personalization isn’t just for the email recipients (using their name, or other dynamic variables); it’s time to personalize the sender too. Test out different sending profiles and don’t just rely on [email protected]. People connect better with a real person behind the email. Whether it’s a specific department or a brand ambassador, making your sender feel more personal can increase trust and engagement.

🧑‍🚀 Explore alternative retention channels
Email isn’t the only player anymore. SMS, WhatsApp, and even direct mail are becoming more important for staying connected with customers who might be missing your emails. These channels can complement your email strategy,

📊 Use Your Email Data for Ad Audiences
Don’t underestimate your unengaged email audiences. Maybe these profiles aren’t engaging because of their email setup, but that doesn’t mean they don’t love your brand. Make sure to retarget your customer base with ads across different channels. By leveraging your email data, you can create more personalized ad audiences and expand your reach with lookalike audiences.

Tools we are loving

• Cosmos (Pinterest AI Version).

• Gorgias Convert (an upgrade from Gorgias that makes support chat more proactive).

• Klaviyo Advanced KDP (Yes, the data is worth it).

• TikTok One for advertisers. Reply to learn more.