"Email marketing has been declared dead every time a new digital technology appears in all its shiny newness. Yet, it remains one of the most effective, profitable and controllable digital channels available to marketers. But so much of the promotional email that I see in my inboxes feels a little tired. Many messages look as if they were designed for the inboxes and email users of 2001. Yes, that's 25 years ago, nearly as long as email's commercial lifespan."
"Fast-forward to 2026. The people reading our emails have been retrained by attention competitors like TikTok, Instagram Stories and Facebook Reels, YouTube Shorts and a constant stream of digital interruptions. The environment has changed, and human behavior has evolved with it. But email marketing has remained largely unchanged. One reason for this stalemate may be the long-running competition between email and social media for attention and budget."
Email marketing remains one of the most effective, profitable and controllable digital channels available to marketers. Many promotional email messages still rely on dated, linear designs originating around 2001, even though visible improvements like mobile optimization have increased. By 2026, audience attention has been reshaped by short-form, interruptive platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Stories, Facebook Reels and YouTube Shorts, along with constant notifications and apps. Human reading behavior has evolved away from long, linear scrolling toward faster, fragmented consumption. Email strategies must adapt to contemporary attention patterns and borrow effective techniques from social media to stay relevant and persuasive.
Read at MarTech
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