10 Email marketing trends to watch out for in 2025

In 2025, email marketing remains one of the most cost-effective and ROI-driven digital strategies – but not without change. With AI integration, increasing privacy regulations, and evolving user expectations, email is being reshaped at its core. According to Statista, over 4.6 billion people globally use email, and this number is expected to reach 4.9 billion by 2027. In Australia alone, more than 90% of adults regularly use email, underscoring its critical role in communication.

So, how do you keep your email campaigns ahead of the curve?

Here are 10 essential trends to watch, backed by data and global insight.

By 2025, consumers expect more than just a “Hi John” greeting. They demand contextual, behavioural, and timely messaging.

  • According to Salesforce’s 2024 Marketing Intelligence Report, 74% of marketers say AI helps them better personalise content.
  • Campaigns using advanced personalisation see 20% higher open rates and 3x the click-through rates compared to generic emails.

In practice, this means using AI tools to tailor product suggestions, send time-optimised emails, and dynamically adapt email content based on real-time user behaviour.

Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) changed how open rates are measured, but the metric remains useful in combination with others like clicks and conversions.

  • Average open rates across all industries in 2024 were 34.4%, according to Campaign Monitor – a rise due in part to improved targeting and cleaner lists.
  • However, marketers are now leaning into engagement time and active opens, using heatmaps and scroll tracking to understand attention.

To stay relevant, marketers must shift focus from just “opens” to meaningful engagement metrics.

Despite the buzz around social media, email marketing remains the top revenue channel for many businesses.

  • Litmus reports that for every $1 spent on email marketing, the average ROI is $42.
  • According to HubSpot, 64% of small businesses still rely on email marketing as their primary customer acquisition tool.
  • A 2024 McKinsey study found that email is 40x more effective at acquiring new customers than Facebook or Twitter.

With such performance, it’s no wonder businesses are doubling down on optimised, automated campaigns.

With over 70% of emails opened on mobile devices, design is everything.

  • Emails that aren’t mobile-responsive are deleted within 3 seconds by 80% of users (Google, 2024).
  • Click-through rates are 15% higher for mobile-optimised templates.

Expect more brands in 2025 to adopt minimalist layouts, larger buttons, dark mode compatibility, and mobile-friendly interactivity to ensure seamless experiences across devices.

Automated workflows based on user behaviour (like browsing or cart abandonment) are outperforming traditional campaigns.

  • According to Omnisend, triggered emails drive 38% of all email revenue, despite accounting for less than 5% of total sends.
  • Lifecycle emails – welcome series, product onboarding, and re-engagement flows – achieve 70.5% higher open rates on average.

Businesses that implement these smart workflows are gaining major advantages in both conversions and retention.

Interactive emails – think polls, sliders, carousels, and in-email surveys – are becoming increasingly popular.

  • AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) emails can increase engagement by up to 300%, according to Google.
  • Interactive elements reduce bounce rates by 17% and increase conversions significantly, especially in B2C sectors.

By turning email into a two-way conversation, brands create richer, more engaging experiences.

With regulations like GDPR, CCPA, and Australia’s own Privacy Act reform, consent and transparency are more important than ever.

  • A 2024 study by Deloitte found that 82% of consumers are more likely to engage with brands that are upfront about data usage.
  • Clean email lists (with proper consent) see 25% higher engagement rates than lists bought or scraped.

In 2025, expect a rise in zero-party data strategies – gathering information users willingly provide in exchange for personalised content.

Newsletters are making a comeback, especially as people tire of noisy feeds and algorithm-driven platforms.

  • Substack and similar platforms saw a 49% increase in newsletter subscriptions in 2024, largely driven by niche, value-rich content.
  • Newsletters with a clear niche or audience focus show average click-through rates of 12.5%, nearly 3x the industry average.

Expect more brands – and individuals – to treat newsletters as central to their content strategy.

According to SimilarWeb and HubSpot:

  • Email marketing drives 13% of all B2B website traffic, making it a key pillar alongside SEO and paid ads.
  • In eCommerce, 20-25% of revenue is directly attributable to email campaigns during peak periods like EOFY and Christmas.

Tracking tools like UTM parameters, post-click behaviour, and CRM integrations are giving marketers a clearer picture of email’s direct impact.

From subject line testing to full copy generation, AI is moving beyond novelty.

  • Jasper, Copy.ai, and ChatGPT plugins are now used by over 65% of large marketing teams for email content.
  • Litmus reports that emails created with AI tools had a 14% higher open rate and were produced 47% faster than manually written campaigns.

However, human oversight remains key. The best results combine AI efficiency with human creativity and brand voice alignment.

Final Thoughts: The Email Inbox Is Still Prime Real Estate

Despite the rise of new platforms, email remains the digital home base for most customers. It’s intimate, permission-based, and cost-effective.

In 2025, winning in email marketing means prioritising relevance, consent, and experience. With the right strategies, your email campaigns won’t just survive the future – they’ll thrive in it.

2025 has seen advanced technologies being used by small companies which were previously limited to huge brands. It is high time for every company to take advantage of accessible and upgraded email marketing tools.

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