Standard emails, generic campaigns, and uniform content are no longer a recipe for success. Today’s customers expect more—relevance, speed, and personalized experiences across all channels. Artificial intelligence (AI) makes this possible: AI-powered personalization is making email marketing the most effective channel ever. In this article, we show why AI is worth using for personalization, what specific benefits companies can expect, and what they need to keep in mind to operate successfully and trustworthily.
Why personalization is essential today
The better content is tailored to interests, behavior, and needs, the higher the interaction. According to Twilio Segment (2023), 62% of customers turn away from brands that do not address them individually. In contrast, 73% prefer companies that deliver relevant offers. The BCG Global Consumer Radar study also confirms that 80% of customers worldwide expect personalized experiences – but too often experience the opposite. 66% of respondents recently had a negative experience and responded by unsubscribing or losing interest.
According to BCG, there are three main reasons why personalization is relevant:
- Personalized discounts and offers help customers find the best price and achieve a threefold higher ROI compared to mass promotions.
- Surprising, tailored experiences increase emotional engagement.
- Intelligent processes such as one-click shopping or personalized recommendations increase conversion and cross-selling rates by 30–40%.
Personalization is no longer expected as a bonus, but as standard. Companies that fail to exploit this potential risk losing valuable customer relationships.
AI as the key to true relevance
AI is changing the way email marketing is done – and taking personalization to a whole new level:
- Data-driven content: AI analyzes historical purchase data, click behavior, and demographic characteristics to deliver personalized offers, product recommendations, or content variations in real time.
- Automated optimization: Subject lines, send times, and CTAs are dynamically adjusted to continuously improve open and click rates.
- Real-time decisions: Based on current interactions, AI immediately adapts email communication, for example through trigger emails after shopping cart abandonment or behavior-based follow-ups.
This results in highly relevant email sequences that feel like personal experiences rather than campaigns.
Transparent database as a foundation
Successful AI personalization respects the privacy of recipients. According to BCG, transparency and targeted data collection are crucial:
- Zero-party data (provided directly by the customer) offers the highest quality. For example, preferences can be requested during the customer onboarding process to optimize later recommendations.
- First-party data (based on direct customer interaction) forms the basis for a sustainable personalization strategy.
- Third-party data can supplement this, but should be critically checked for accuracy.
Trust is built through transparent data use, clear opt-ins, and consistent compliance with data protection guidelines.
Technological foundations create competitive advantages
AI-powered personalization can only reach its full potential on a stable technological foundation:
- Integration of all channels: CRM, CDP, and CEP must interact seamlessly to ensure consistent profiles and real-time updates.
- Model training and adaptability: AI models must be continuously developed to respond to changing user expectations.
- Flexible martech stack: Scalability, automation capability, and AI compatibility are key requirements for modern marketing infrastructures.
Companies that invest in such technologies early on gain significant advantages in the competition for attention and loyalty.
Conclusion: AI personalization – the new standard in email marketing
AI-based personalization is no longer a topic for the future – it is the new standard in email marketing. Not only does it deliver better results in terms of opens, clicks, and conversions, but it also creates emotional connections that ensure long-term business success. Those who use the possibilities of AI responsibly, consistently optimize processes, and offer recipients real added value will be at the forefront of email marketing in the future.
Whitepaper: Elaine AIDO
In our Whitepaper: Elaine Aido we show you, among other things:
- how you can use the AIDO AI Creator to create and optimise AI-based message content such as subject lines and articles quickly and directly in the Elaine Message Editor.
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