Email marketing continues to deliver the highest ROI of any digital channel — roughly 36 dollars for every dollar spent. But the landscape has shifted dramatically. Inbox providers are smarter, subscribers are more selective, and AI is changing both how emails are created and how they are consumed.

Deliverability Is the New Battleground

Getting into the inbox is harder than ever. Google and Microsoft have raised their authentication requirements. SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are now table stakes. But authentication is just the beginning. Engagement metrics — open rates, click rates, reply rates — directly influence whether your next email lands in the primary tab or gets buried in promotions.

The implication is clear: sending more email to disengaged subscribers actively hurts your ability to reach your best customers. Quality over quantity is not a platitude in email marketing. It is a deliverability strategy.

Segmentation Beyond Demographics

Basic demographic segmentation — age, location, job title — is a starting point, not a strategy. The email programs that outperform use behavioral segmentation: what pages did they visit, what content did they engage with, where are they in the buying process, and what triggered them to join your list?

The AI Content Question

Yes, AI can write email subject lines and body copy. And yes, AI-generated emails often outperform human-written ones in A/B tests. But there is a catch: as more companies use AI for email, the sameness problem accelerates. Every email starts sounding like every other email.

The winning move is not to avoid AI — it is to use AI for efficiency while maintaining a distinctive brand voice that AI alone cannot replicate.

Automation Sequences That Convert

The highest-performing email programs run on smart automation. Welcome sequences, abandoned cart flows, re-engagement campaigns, and post-purchase nurture streams do the heavy lifting while your team focuses on strategy. The key is treating automation as living systems that need regular testing and optimization, not set-it-and-forget-it workflows.