With the rise of social media, chatbots, and artificial intelligence, some marketers think email is a thing of the past. The reality is the opposite: in 2025, email marketing is still a must-have channel, capable of delivering exceptional ROI. Far from obsolete, it has evolved thanks to new technologies: AI, smart automation, interactive content, and stronger data protection1.
Why Does Email Marketing Still Matter?
Email offers a direct relationship between a brand and its subscribers—without relying on third-party algorithms like Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. This independence lets companies maintain full control over their audience and message2.
The numbers back it up: email remains one of the most profitable digital marketing levers, with ROI well above paid ads or social media.
Build a Solid and Ethical Database
Success starts with list quality. In 2025, buying email lists is a no-go: it harms deliverability, damages domain reputation, and yields low engagement.
The trend is toward ethical, transparent collection aligned with regulations such as GDPR. Brands focus on first-party data—collected directly with user consent—to build trust and improve message relevance3.
Personalization and Segmentation: The Keys to Success
Generic emails no longer cut it. In 2025, personalization is the standard—and it goes far beyond adding a first name. It’s based on:
- Behavioral segmentation (active customers, prospects, cart abandoners)
- Interaction history (opens, clicks, purchases)
- Collecting subscriber preferences
- Predictive personalization via AI, automatically recommending content or products4
Understanding User Intent
Before creating content, understand why the user is searching and what answer they expect. Align with the formulations that generative engines prefer by:
- Identifying the precise questions your target users ask
- Structuring content to answer directly (informational, commercial, transactional)
- Using natural, conversational language suitable for a generative response
AI and Automation: Non-Negotiable
AI and automation are transforming email programs. Today’s tools can:
- Generate optimized subject lines
- Draft on-brand copy
- Choose the ideal send time for each subscriber
- Run intelligent A/B tests
- Automate segmentation and targeting
Automated workflows (welcome series, cart-abandon reminders, re-engagement of inactive users) keep relationships warm without manual effort5.
A concrete example: Yum Brands (parent of Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut) uses AI to tailor email campaigns to each customer’s behavior and context—yielding more purchases and fewer unsubscribes6.
Finding the Right Frequency
Send frequency directly impacts performance. Too many emails create fatigue and unsubscribes; too few reduce visibility. A weekly or biweekly newsletter is a good balance to maintain engagement.
Measure and Optimize Continuously
One major advantage of email marketing is its measurability. Every campaign produces data you can track in real time—a dashboard to spot what works and what needs work. Key KPIs include:
- Open rate
- Click-through rate
- Conversion rate
- Unsubscribe rate
Treat analysis as a continuous process, not just post-mortem.
Example: a high open rate but low clicks suggests your promise is attractive, but content or CTAs may fall short. Conversely, a low open rate but good clicks among openers points to weak subject lines but strong content.
Omnichannel: Email at the Heart of a Broader Ecosystem
In 2025, email doesn’t work in isolation. It integrates with social, SMS, push notifications, and CRM to deliver a seamless, consistent experience.
Example: a user discovers an offer on Instagram, receives a personalized email, then a follow-up SMS. This coordinated path maximizes conversions and strengthens brand perception.
Conclusion
In 2025, email marketing is still a core lever of digital strategy. With AI, automation, and omnichannel integration, it combines profitability, personalization, and proximity. When executed well, it builds lasting relationships and delivers measurable results, while adapting to modern customer expectations.
- https://www.gocustomer.ai/blog/email-marketing-trends-2025 ↩︎
- https://hurrdatmarketing.com/digital-marketing-news/why-email-marketing-still-matters/ ↩︎
- https://comarketing-news.fr/les-chiffres-et-tendances-de-lemail-marketing-en-2025/ ↩︎
- https://www.gocustomer.ai/blog/email-marketing-trends-2025 ↩︎
- https://www.happy-beez.net/tendances-2025-email-marketing/ ↩︎
- https://www.wsj.com/articles/taco-bell-and-kfcs-owner-says-ai-driven-marketing-is-boosting-purchases-ab3a5f36 ↩︎