Year after year, email marketing grows from strength to strength, despite many predicting its demise. The good news is that email marketing isn’t going anywhere. It is a preferred marketing channel by consumers, and when executed well, marketers can see an ROI of £38:1.

Importantly, the onus is on executing well. Email marketing, over the years, has evolved into a sophisticated channel, which needs layers of expertise including strategic, creative, technical, operational, and analytical. 

For ambitious businesses, trends are an important way to understand the key priorities across the different disciplines for the coming year. This is why we’re very excited to bring you this extensive deep dive into the priority email marketing trends for 2023 gathered from 20 global leaders in the email industry. 

Here are a few snippets of some of the 30+ trends, across seven email marketing disciplines, you’ll find inside this report.

Strategy

Ryan Phelan, RPE Origin says “ We have to look at how email can live up to its recession-proof reputation. Our twin challenges will be the evolving state of the global economy and how we can adapt email to survive.”

Komal Helyer, Fractional CMO says “From providing additional value to reducing friction in the buying process, brands that plan their strategy around this will be more successful in what will be a difficult year for most”.

“2023 is going to be the year of going back to basics for many. Only when the fundamentals are in place, can you start working on improving your baseline and leverage the advanced technologies.” Jakub Olexa, Mailkit.

Andrew Bonar, Emailexpert predicts that during a downturn the C-Suite will want to squeeze every last drop out of the email channel, because it is low-cost and offers great returns. “Marketers will need to find the courage to present the risks this increased pressure will have on the subscriber base.”

Data 

“Brands need to provide an equitable exchange for data.” Emma Egerton, The Lumery.

Jennifer Nespola Lantz, Kickbox unpicks why data transparency is crucial in 2023. “This isn’t a ‘we will deal with it when it comes’ scenario, but one that needs planning and to be a top priority for 2023”.

“Customer intent will help you maximise previously untapped opportunities to engage and convert shoppers.” says Frank Brooks, Dotdigital.

Beata Linz, Beata Linz Consultancy | Albirds, explains how email marketing will come to the rescue when Google wipes out third party cookies.

Chad S. White explores why Customer Data Platforms will solve the growing disparate data problem for marketers. 

Design

Kath Pay, Holistic Email Marketing says “Working smarter, not harder is the aim, and using Master Templates is a fantastic way to work smarter.”

Adeola Sole, Holistic Email Marketing explains how in 2023 interactivity in emails “can help with branding exercises, customer satisfaction, engagement and driving incremental revenue.” 

Personalisation & Content

Jaina Mistry, Litmus believes that in 2023 hyper-personalization will be the norm. She explains why marketing operations are crucial in delivering this.

“In 2023 brands need to be conscious of their customer segments and customer needs, ensuring they are not just serving the masses.” Rebecca Godwin, The Lumery.

AI

Matthew Dunn, Campaign Genius identifies that AI in design is going to fundamentally change design professions, and it must be embraced by everyone from C-Suite to designers. 

Yanna-Torry Aspraki, Email Consul explains how AI and Machine learning will come to the rescue of unreliable and ever more complex data and email metrics.

Automation

“Email marketers need to become even more responsive to business needs than usual. Brands that fail to take advantage of automation are likely to suffer.” Dela Quist, Alchemy Worx.

Deliverability & Security

Fredrik Poller, Halon says “The email landscape in 2023 is expected to be focused on security and privacy, particularly on technologies to protect against cyber threats and maintain trust in digital communications.”

Matthew Stith, Spamhaus explains that in 2022 informational listings were up significantly, and as a result it is why businesses must have a keen eye on improving the basics of their sending practices. “Email needs nurturing or your deliverability will suffer, and your emails may get blocked.”

“Deliverability has always been part science, part dark art…and it won’t get any easier in 2023” Guy Hanson, Validity, explores the reasons why. 

Steve Freegard, Abusix explains why DMARC policies and BIMI are a priority in a security and trust focused world. 

These are just a few snippets and insights taken from over 30+ email trends for 2023, where our 20 email expert contributors go much deeper into each of the trends. Packed full of great statistics, advice, and actionable tips this report is not to be missed.