Email Marketing Trends 2025: What's Working Now

Email marketing in 2025 looks different than it did just two years ago. AI has moved from buzzword to essential tool. Privacy regulations have reshaped tracking. And subscriber expectations have evolved.

This guide covers the trends that matter—not speculation, but what's actually working now.

The Big Shifts

1. AI-Powered Email Creation

The biggest change: AI now handles most of the heavy lifting in email creation.

What's happening:

• AI tools generate complete emails from prompts
• Subject lines, body copy, and designs created in seconds
• Personalization at scale becomes feasible
• A/B test variants generated automatically

Impact on marketers:

• Less time creating, more time strategizing
• Higher volume of campaigns possible
• Consistent quality without design skills
• Focus shifts to strategy and optimization

Brew leads this trend—describe your email in plain English and get a complete, on-brand result.

2. Privacy-First Measurement

Apple's Mail Privacy Protection and similar changes have fundamentally altered tracking:

What's changed:

• Open tracking is unreliable (MPP pre-loads images)
• Click tracking remains useful
• Third-party cookies are disappearing
• First-party data is critical

How marketers are adapting:

• Focus on clicks, not just opens
• Measure conversions, not vanity metrics
• Build first-party data strategies
• Use engagement scoring beyond opens

3. Hyper-Personalization

Basic personalization (first name) is table stakes. The bar has risen:

What works now:

• Behavioral triggers (browsed, clicked, purchased)
• Predictive content (what they're likely to want)
• Dynamic blocks based on attributes
• Real-time inventory/availability
• Individual send-time optimization

Requirements:

• Strong segmentation foundation
• Data integration (CRM, product, behavior)
• Automation capabilities

4. Interactive Emails

Emails are becoming more app-like:

Growing adoption:

• AMP for Email (in-email actions)
• Interactive carousels
• In-email surveys/polls
• Real-time content (live countdown timers)
• Add-to-cart without leaving email

Limitations:

• Not all email clients support interactivity
• Fallback needed for unsupported clients
• Development complexity

5. Sustainability and Ethics

Subscribers care about how you market:

Emerging expectations:

• Sustainable sending practices
• Clear data usage policies
• Easy unsubscribe (and it working)
• Honest subject lines
• Respectful frequency

Tactical Trends

Welcome Sequences Get Longer

Traditional 3-email welcomes are being replaced by 7-14 email sequences.

The logic: First 21 days are when subscribers are most engaged. Capture the value window.

See our welcome sequence guide.

Segmentation Gets Smarter

Moving beyond basic demographics:

Old Approach	New Approach
Location	Purchase stage + behavior
Demographics	Engagement patterns
One-time tags	Dynamic segments
Batch sends	Behavioral triggers

See our segmentation strategy guide.

Plain Text Makes a Comeback

Highly-designed emails have a place, but plain text is gaining ground:

Why it works:

• Feels personal (like a real email)
• Great deliverability
• Mobile-friendly by default
• Forces focus on copy quality
• Works for B2B particularly well

Micro-Segmentation

Instead of broad segments, targeting smaller, more specific groups:

• Past purchasers of X + browsed Y
• High engagement + never purchased
• Clicked last 3 emails + in region Z

Smaller segments + highly relevant content = better results.

Automation-First Strategy

The balance is shifting from campaigns to automations:

Traditional	Automation-First
80% campaigns, 20% automated	60% automated, 40% campaigns
Manual sending	Trigger-based
Time-based calendar	Behavior-based timing

Automation guide →

Technology Trends

AI Integration Levels

Where AI is being used:

Use Case	Adoption Level
Subject line generation	High
Send time optimization	High
Full email creation	Growing fast
Audience prediction	Medium
Autonomous campaigns	Early

CDPs and Data Platforms

More teams are investing in:

• Customer Data Platforms
• Data warehouses
• Unified customer profiles
• Real-time data sync

Enables the personalization and segmentation mentioned above.

Integration Complexity

Email doesn't live alone—it connects to:

• CRM systems
• E-commerce platforms
• Analytics tools
• Advertising platforms
• Customer service software

What's Not Changing

Some fundamentals remain constant:

1. Permission matters — Consent is the foundation
2. Value comes first — Subscribers expect useful content
3. Deliverability is foundational — Inbox placement before optimization
4. List hygiene — Clean lists outperform large lists
5. Testing wins — Data beats opinions

How to Adapt in 2025

If You're Behind

Quick wins to catch up:

1. Implement at least a 5-email welcome sequence
2. Set up abandoned cart if e-commerce
3. Create 3-5 segments based on behavior
4. Test AI tools like Brew for faster creation

If You're Average

Next level improvements:

1. Expand automation coverage
2. Build deeper personalization
3. Invest in data integration
4. Focus on clicks, not opens
5. Test interactive elements

If You're Advanced

Leading edge opportunities:

1. Predictive content
2. Full AI-powered creation
3. Advanced attribution modeling
4. Privacy-first measurement frameworks
5. Omnichannel orchestration

Key Takeaways for 2025

1. AI is table stakes — Teams not using AI for creation will fall behind
2. Privacy changes are permanent — Adapt measurement to the new reality
3. Automation beats campaigns — Invest in triggered, behavioral flows
4. Personalization bar is higher — Basic personalization isn't enough
5. Fundamentals still win — List quality, deliverability, and value trump tactics

Stay Ahead With AI

The biggest trend in 2025 is clear: AI-powered email creation saves time while maintaining quality.

Brew helps you stay current—create on-brand emails in seconds, not hours.

Pricing:

• Free: 200 credits
• Starter: $49/month (1,000 contacts, 500 credits)
• Pro: $199/month (10,000 contacts, 10,000 credits)

Try AI-powered email marketing →