Why Email Marketing Strategies 2025 Still Work
Emails keeps pulling jaw-dropping ROI even as Gen Z scrolls past Reels at 2× speed. Global studies peg average returns around $36–$42 for every $1 spent, roughly ₹3,000 for every ₹83 in India. Here is a refreshed playbook packed with email marketing strategies 2025, the latest email automation 2025 tactics, and personalised email marketing tips you can deploy right now.
Hyper-Personalisation and AI in Email Marketing 2025
“Hi [First Name]” is ancient history. Real email personalisation now comes from AI that rewrites subject-lines, swaps product blocks and times each send down to the minute your reader usually taps “open.” Fenty Beauty is the poster child: browse deeper shades and you’ll see a subject like “New shade made just for you,” backed by its AI shade-match engine and virtual try-on tools.
For email marketing strategies 2025 India, a D2C brand such as Dot & Key can push monsoon-friendly routines only to subscribers in humid cities like Mumbai or Guwahati, pairing content with local humidity tips. That single geo-smart tweak lifts CTR, trims unsubscribes and shows you “get” the customer’s climate.
How to do it
- Pipe live browse and purchase data into your ESP, then let AI in email marketing build dynamic product blocks.
- Layer AI send-time optimisation and tone-of-voice shifts (formal vs playful) per segment.
- Test city-wise weather hooks before the next downpour; watch engagement pop.
Master this flow and you check off: email automation 2025, higher ROI, plus a locally tuned experience that feels hand-picked rather than robotic.
Interactive Email Campaigns = Inbox Magic
Why it slaps (still):
In 2025, static emails are background noise. Interactive email campaigns- think polls, carousel GIF sliders, emoji ratings, even scratch-to-reveal deals don’t just get opened. They get played with.
IKEA nailed this with a holiday campaign featuring click-to-change tree lights: no redirects, just serotonin. According to EyeMail Inc., interactive elements can increase dwell time by over 200%.
What Indian brands can do:
With festive email campaigns India, you can go beyond fireworks emojis. Imagine a Diwali email where users click to “light” virtual diyas. Or for Holi, subscribers mix colours in-mail.
No extra load times. No bounce. Just inbox delight and peak shareability, yes, even on that auntie WhatsApp group.
Why it works:
- Higher engagement = higher CTR
- Lower bounce = better deliverability
- Fun = forwardability (and that’s free reach)
Email Automation, But Make It Human
What matters:
Email automation in 2025 isn’t about throwing people into a lifeless drip campaign and hoping for the best. It’s about human-centric email automation – flows that read like real people talking, not a CRM spamming through your database.
Fenty gets this. Abandon a cart? You’ll get a nudge that says “Still thinking it over?” IKEA sends a follow-up that feels like it’s from someone who actually noticed your browsing pattern.
India-specific email automation tools 2025 flow example:
- Cart-abandonment email India: Gentle nudge an hour later → follow-up SMS saying “Only a few left!”
- Post-purchase delight: Send a “thank you” email with a customer spotlight or mini video showcasing how to use the product
- Loyalty reward trigger: After 3 purchases, unlock a surprise gift coupon
Use the best email automation tools in India: ActiveCampaign, Brevo, Mailchimp, to set up modular, behaviour-based flows that feel personal, not robotic.
Why it works:
- Lower unsubscribe rate, because you’re not just yelling offers into the void
- Higher retention, because it feels like a relationship
- Better conversion, because it hits at the right time, with the right tone
Mobile-First Design Rules Trump Everything
The stat:
60–70% of emails in India and the US are opened on mobile. If your CTA is tiny or your images load like they’re in 2009, you’ve already lost the sale.
What works:
Subject lines under 40 characters. One-tap buttons. Alt-text that still sells the product when the image fails to load.
Real story: A D2C brand in Delhi shortened its subject lines and saw open rates jump 20% overnight.
Email + SMS Campaign Strategy = Digital Power Couple
Why it’s unbeatable:
Email builds the story. SMS delivers the punch. Together, they’re like peanut butter and jelly; comforting and thrilling in equal measure. It’s not multichannel marketing anymore, it’s a duet. One sings, the other drops the beat.
- Email: “Sale begins tomorrow. Here’s a sneak peek of what’s in your cart.”
- SMS: “Hey! You’re on the VIP list. 30 mins till the drop : early access link inside.”
- Follow-up Email: “Last chance. It ends tonight. Don’t let your wishlist haunt you.”
Real examples:
- Myntra sends a teaser email about their Big Fashion Festival, followed by SMS reminders during golden hours. Result: 2x higher conversion on personalised deals.
- Nykaa triggers SMS nudges during checkout lags, boosting cart completions by 18%.
- D2C playbook in India: Launch teasers via email, follow-up SMS with a time-limited offer + WhatsApp support for queries = full-funnel finesse.
Why it works:
- SMS has 98% open rates -it’s instant urgency.
- Email allows room for visuals, storytelling, and details.
- Together, they guide users from intrigue to action with minimal drop-offs.
Video Email = 300 % More Clicks
Why try video email strategies:
Adding videos inside your emails can boost click-through by 300%. That’s not hype, it’s EyeMail data.
PepsiCo has used mini product drops via animated clips in mail. The user doesn’t even need to leave Gmail to feel something.
Clean Your Data Like You Clean Your Space
Why this matters:
Old, inactive or bounced email addresses drag your sender reputation through the mud. Your inbox placement dies. Your emails hit Promotions or, worse, Spam.
Pro tip:
Run quarterly hygiene checks. Remove subscribers who haven’t opened anything in 6 months. Segment, re-engage or say goodbye.
Compliance alert:
Follow CAN-SPAM rules in the US. For Indian brands, TRAI’s commercial messaging norms apply-even for email. Opt-outs must be easy and visible.
Test, Then Test Again
Why:
You may love a subject line. Doesn’t mean your customer will. A/B testing helps you learn what actually converts.
Example:
“Hey Gorgeous” vs “New Drop for You” gave Fenty a 15% bump in opens based on region.
Indian version:
Test Hinglish vs English. Morning vs evening send times. “Free Shipping” vs “Freebie Inside.” The answers are in the data.
Storytelling > Selling
This is the future:
The brands that win are the ones that can tell a story. A founder note. A customer’s story. A day-in-the-life of your packaging team.
IKEA has a series called “First Home with IKEA” that turns user homes into inspiration. It’s selling furniture without selling it.
Privacy = Loyalty
Why it’s everything:
With data protection norms in India ramping up (mirroring GDPR), your subscribers will stay loyal only if you don’t creep them out.
Do this now:
- Have a clear unsubscribe link.
- Simplify your privacy policy.
- Never pre-tick “Subscribe to marketing” boxes.
The result:
People will trust you more. They’ll open your emails because they want to—not because you’re lurking in their promotions tab like a sad ex.
TL;DR Cheat Sheet: Email Marketing Strategies 2025
| Strategy | Why It Works | Example |
| Hyper-Personalisation | Relevance converts | Fenty’s skin-tone drops |
| Interactive Emails | In-inbox engagement | IKEA’s ornament toggles |
| Humanised Automation | Builds loyalty | Festival flows, Nykaa-style |
| Mobile Design | Optimised for scroll | Thumb-first layouts |
| Email + SMS | Doubles impact | Teasers + nudges |
| Video in Email | Boosts CTR 300% | PepsiCo EyeMail |
| Clean Lists | Avoids spam traps | Quarterly hygiene checks |
| A/B Testing | Data-backed insight | Hinglish vs English |
| Brand Storytelling | Deepens emotional ties | IKEA’s user stories |
| Privacy-First | Builds long-term trust | Opt-outs that work |
Final Thoughts: Stop Emailing, Start Connecting
Here’s the truth-email marketing strategies 2025 aren’t about sending more. They’re about sending better. It’s about making someone feel like this brand gets me.
Whether you’re based in Andheri or Austin, here’s what you can start doing today:
- Run a small A/B test.
- Personalise one email beyond “Hi [Name]”.
- Clean your list.
- Try embedding a GIF or short video.
- Tell a story. Not just offer a 10% discount.
Treat your subscriber like a human being and not a funnel stat. The brands that win will be the ones who write for people, not for clicks.
Want help crafting interactive, unforgettable emails?
Drop me a note. I live for campaigns that are clever, classy, and click-worthy.
For more marketing insights read about my thoughts on franchising restaurants here, to read my fiction writing you can get my poetry book or to connect professionally here’s my linkedin
This blog post is part of ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.
I used to run a newsletter for my brand some time back. Honestly, we were convinced we had it all figured out—personalization, timing, you name it. But guess what? It still went unread and didn’t really get any responses. Eventually, we had to pull the plug on it. Then I came across your post, and it really got me thinking. Maybe we just didn’t do it better more when it came to delivering content that actually clicked. Time to try it again.
This food for thought and a very stimulating topic.I can see as a consumer how getting personalised Emails can change the way I connect with a brand and shop.Email is quite a powerful tool when backed with AI.
The email.matketing strategies that you have mentioned are incredible! I may be seeing this emails but now knowing the intention an dthe thought process behind it actually makes them awe-inspiring. Thank you for this new piece of information today!
This post is such a helpful guide! As someone building a mindful digital business, I appreciate how you breaks down email marketing into clear, practical steps. It’s a great reminder that authentic connection still drives the best results. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for sharing this detailed information with us. With the digital world getting stronger each day, we need to update ourselves with what works and what works better.
Very relevant for businesses today. Videos certainly get more eyeballs and crafting a good newsletter is an art. That cheat sheet is certainly cool. More power to your work.
AI has mind-boggling ideas for everything. Gmail has an embedded AI which can reply for you. I liked the idea of Diwali and Holi emails. As it is the internet follows all our shopping data, and now we get even WhatsApp messages tracking what we converse. It may be a great way of marketing, but it’s turning into a nightmare, isn’t it?
At this moment, AI is something that can make the unthinkable happen. These email marketing strategies will definitely help anyone seeking tools to enhance their business. Personally, I love how L’Oreal (not in India) offers to send trial packs with their emails whenever a new product launches.
This was such an insightful and practical read! Loved how each strategy was broken down with real examples, made it super easy to understand. Definitely bookmarking this to upgrade my email game. Thanks for sharing!
This was very informative as well as comprehensive! However personally I don’t have the bandwidth for creating such High efficiency emails.
Nice, actionable advice, Meetali. I really liked how you emphasized personalization and mobile‑friendly design—so many folks still forget that.
My reminder letters for workshops are send through this method only and it gives fabulous results and response.
I loved how you highlighted the human touch, warm welcome sequences and personalized check‑ins still outperform flashy gimmicks. Your reminder to treat email as a conversation, not a billboard, was spot on!
I have often thought of starting a newsletter but could not make up my mind to research about it and start doing it. This blog about email markleting strategies is very useful
This post boggled me. Not because of your writing but the very scope of emails and technology aided by AI. I had to read it twice to comprehend some of the aspects and I am still not sure that I understood in entirety.
Food for thought, really. At a time when AI rules the roost, we need to try newer methods to gab the attention that is needed. I found this post quite useful.
Businesses update their strategies regularly for relevance and tapping new customers. Email marketing with these few features definitely have an edge over generic ones.
A sharp, current take on 2025 email strategies—packed with AI-led personalisation, D2C examples, and actionable insights. Smart, localised, and ROI-driven. This piece nails relevance and practical depth
I don’t have a newsletter yet but the strategies you’ve mentioned here sound very promising
I still haven’t figured out how to use Email as a marketing tool for my creative writing blog!
I didn’t know that email marketing was still popular. I don’t even open emails unless they are important ones. Your tips would be very useful for those who want to improve email marketing.
Your strategies are amazing. The detailed information and techniques are on point. Thank you for sharing this.
What a comprehensive post!