Who said email was on its way out? If we look at marketing agencies' budgets for 2016, this prediction couldn't have been more wrong. Far from stagnating or decreasing, investment in email marketing is set to see the highest growth this year, surpassing heavyweights like social media, mobile marketing, and online ads.
Against all odds, email marketing is experiencing a second golden age. This is according to a study recently published by StrongView and Selligent. According to this survey, nearly 60% of marketers plan to increase their budget for email campaigns. Only 3% of respondents said they intended to cut investment in this area.
This report isn't the only one to highlight the benefits of email: according to HubSpot, a company specialising in inbound marketing software solutions, email marketing is the most effective channel for customer loyalty.
What was an emerging trend in 2016 is now a consolidated reality in 2026. Email marketing has evolved, adapting to new technologies and user expectations, remaining a fundamental tool in any digital strategy. In fact, according to a 2024 Statista report, global email marketing spending is expected to reach $17.9 billion by 2027, demonstrating its continued relevance and growth.
The reason for its success
What lies behind this second youth of email marketing? While there isn't one single reason for its resurgence, several factors explain its current appeal:
1) Automation possibilities. From the aforementioned HubSpot to Oracle Eloqua, via Marketo, Act-On, or Pardot, the market offers a wide range of platforms for Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Furthermore, the number of companies adopting automation is growing. These solutions streamline sending, regardless of the volume of leads. Also, if company resources are limited, simpler tools are available and free when the contact database is small (e.g., MailChimp).
By 2026, automation has reached levels of sophistication unthinkable a decade ago. Tools like Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Braze, or Klaviyo not only manage sending but also integrate AI to optimise personalisation, predict user behaviour, and automate complex workflows. CRM integration is now more seamless than ever, allowing for a 360-degree customer view and multi-channel campaign orchestration.
2) Helps segment and personalise communications. A large part of any marketing strategy's success lies in responding to each user's specific needs. Thanks to email marketing and the aforementioned automation tools, companies can send more individualised content, tailored to each contact's requirements and specificities, thus reducing the volume of unwanted mail.
Personalisation has evolved from simply inserting the recipient's name to creating dynamic content experiences. Today, with the help of artificial intelligence, emails can adapt their content blocks, images, and calls to action in real-time, based on browsing history, previous purchases, declared preferences, and even the user's local weather. This not only improves open and click-through rates but also reinforces the customer's perception of value, aligning with the E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) principles that Google promotes for quality content.
3) Improves the one-to-one experience. More personalised communication through email fosters engagement and helps build user loyalty, while creating a closer relationship between the company and its current and potential customers.
The one-to-one experience has been enriched with interactivity within email. Elements like directly embedded surveys, product image carousels, or the ability to add events to the calendar with a single click, transform email from a mere message into an interactive micro-experience. In our experience working with retail clients at ZDS Digital, we have observed that emails with interactive elements have conversion rates 30% higher than static emails.
4) Enables the lead nurturing process. This strategy, based on the automatic sending of a series of emails as a result of an action taken by an internet user (e.g., downloading an e-book), allows the company to progressively educate the user about the benefits of one of its products or services.
Lead nurturing is now smarter. Email flows adapt dynamically based on user behaviour on the website, their interactions with previous emails, or even their social media activity. For example, if a user downloads an e-book on SEO, the next email might offer a webinar on SEO audits, and a third, a relevant case study. The key is not only to educate but to naturally guide the lead through the sales funnel, offering relevant content at each stage. Current automation platforms, such as ActiveCampaign or HubSpot, allow these complex customer journeys to be configured with great ease.
5) Allows selection of the most appropriate sending time. Beyond its quality, another factor impacts email performance (reflected in the open rate or CTR): the sending time. This can be controlled with automation tools, and even adapted to the time zone of each user. According to a GetResponse study, the best email open rates are recorded between 08:00 and 09:00 and between 15:00 and 16:00.
Email marketing tools in 2026 go beyond general time slots. They use AI algorithms to determine the “optimal sending time” for each individual subscriber, based on their open and click history. This can vary drastically from one user to another. Furthermore, geolocation allows not only for time zone adjustment but also for personalising offers based on the user's location, such as promotions in nearby stores. A common mistake is sending all emails at the same time; a quick win is to experiment with segmented sends by time slots and analyse the results with GA4.
6) Creates synergies with mobile telephony. According to an Oracle Eloqua study, each user checks their mobile an average of 150 times a day, and reads or responds to messages 23 times. The chances of them seeing emails sent are very high. Furthermore, email opens from mobile devices have increased by 73% in the last five years, according to an internal Splio report.
Mobile optimisation is not an option; it's a necessity. With over 60% of email opens occurring on mobile devices (according to a 2025 Litmus study), responsive design is the standard. But it goes further: it's about thinking "mobile-first." This includes short and engaging subject lines, concise previews, large and easy-to-tap buttons, and content that adapts perfectly to small screens. Core Web Vitals, and specifically the INP (Interaction to Next Paint) metric replacing FID, are also crucial for the experience on landing pages linked from emails, ensuring fluid and fast interaction for the mobile user.
The Impact of Artificial Intelligence and Conversational Search on Email Marketing
The emergence of Generative Artificial Intelligence and conversational search (like ChatGPT or Perplexity) has introduced new dynamics in digital marketing that email marketing must embrace. Users are becoming accustomed to getting quick, contextualised answers.
AI-Generated Content and Extreme Personalisation
- Content Creation: AI can generate subject lines, email bodies, and even suggest images and CTAs optimised for each audience segment. Tools like Jasper or Copy.ai, integrated with email marketing platforms, can produce email drafts in seconds, freeing up time for strategy.
- Predictive Analytics: AI algorithms analyse large volumes of data to predict which products or services are most relevant to each subscriber, what type of content will resonate best, and what the optimal sending time is. This allows for personalisation at a scale previously unattainable.
- Subject Line Optimisation: AI can test thousands of subject line variations to find those that generate the highest open rates, learning from each interaction.
Privacy and Consent: The 2026 Challenge
With a growing focus on data privacy (GDPR, CCPA, and future regulations), email marketing must be more transparent than ever. Trust is the cornerstone. Ensuring users give clear and specific consent to receive communications is fundamental. Email marketing platforms now offer advanced functionalities to manage user consent and preferences in a granular way. A common mistake is not offering clear preference management options, which leads to high unsubscribe rates and complaints.
Key Metrics in GA4 for Email Marketing
With the complete transition to Google Analytics 4 (GA4), the metrics for evaluating email marketing performance have evolved. We no longer focus solely on opens and clicks, but on the real business impact.
- Engagement Rate: GA4 measures engagement more holistically, including time on site and interactions. A successful email not only generates a click but leads to a quality session.
- Conversions (Purchases, Leads): GA4 attribution allows a better understanding of how emails contribute to final conversions, even if they are not the last touchpoint. We can see complex conversion paths where email plays a crucial role.
- Lifetime Value (LTV): Email marketing is an excellent channel for fostering loyalty and long-term customer value. GA4 helps track how email subscribers contribute to overall LTV.
- Return on Investment (ROI): By integrating cost data from email marketing platforms with revenue generated in GA4, a precise ROI can be calculated for each campaign.
It is crucial to correctly configure UTM tracking on all email links so that GA4 can accurately attribute traffic and conversions to the email marketing channel.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in Email Marketing in 2026
Despite its maturity, mistakes are still made that can diminish campaign effectiveness:
- Ignoring segmentation: Sending the same message to the entire database is a recipe for failure. Hyper-personalisation is key.
- Not optimising for mobile: If your emails don't look good on any device, you're losing half your audience.
- Lack of a clear Call to Action (CTA): Every email should have a purpose and a CTA that guides the user.
- Buying databases: This is not only ineffective but can seriously damage your domain's reputation and lead to your emails ending up in the spam folder.
- Not measuring and analysing: Without constant tracking with tools like GA4 and the email platforms themselves, it's impossible to optimise and improve.
- Neglecting sender reputation: High bounce rates, spam complaints, or mass unsubscribes negatively affect your deliverability. Keep your list clean and your content relevant.
- Not adapting to Helpful Content Updates: Google not only values helpful content on the web, but users expect the same from their emails. Email content must provide real value.
Other booming channels
Email marketing isn't the only channel showing strong growth prospects in terms of investment. The StrongView and Selligent report states that the budget allocated to social media will increase by 56.2% this year.
Email marketing and social media actions are not mutually exclusive strategies but complementary ones: while email is an ideal medium for delivering information tailored to user needs, social media is the perfect medium for viralising quality and general interest content, capable of sparking user interest in a brand or organisation.
The other distribution channels expected to see the most budget growth are online display advertising, which will increase by 55.9%, and SEO tactics, which will rise by 42.4%. The flip side of the coin is traditional media (television, radio, and print), where marketers will barely increase their investment.
In 2026, synergy between channels is more important than ever. Email marketing integrates with SEO strategies, not only by sending newsletters with optimised content but also by using email behaviour data to inform web content strategy. Programmatic advertising and influencer marketing have also seen exponential growth, but email remains the channel with the highest ROI, according to 2025 DMA (Data & Marketing Association) studies, with an average of $38 for every dollar invested.
Are you considering adopting email marketing?
Despite its many advantages, it's understandable to have doubts about how an email marketing strategy would work for your company. If you need guidance on this or are looking for a specialised agency to help you design and implement your acquisition and loyalty actions, contact us or call us without obligation on 93 532 93 78. We'll be happy to assist you.
At ZDS Digital, we have developed successful email marketing strategies for various companies, from startups to large corporations. Our experience tells us that a well-planned and executed strategy, integrating the latest technologies and adapting to changing user needs and privacy regulations, is key. Feel free to explore our services or read more about our insights to see how we can help you boost your digital presence.
