3 Gmail Changes: What Marketers Need to Know

Gmail is going to look very different, very soon. Gmail changes are coming to the web version of the email option, making it look more like the mobile inbox.

Many tech sites are reporting that the Gmail changes are imminent because, in the words of GeekWire on April 11:

“The company sent out notices to a few G Suite administrators, the ones who oversee your work email, alerting them to a new Gmail version coming soon through an opt-in Early Adopter Program.”

So, while The Verge said Google “revealed” the new web design, there’s no official blog post on it yet. And testing is happening before a wider rollout.

This falls in line with what Target Marketing blogger Amanda Watlington said is happening overall with Google — in SEO, mobile rules. It’s not mobile-first, it’s simply mobile now that helps marketers rank well in search, she says.

On Wednesday, here’s what ClearVoice says the redesign will mean for email marketers:

Deliverability Statistics Will Look Strange

The “Snooze” functionality is already part of Google’s Inbox by Gmail app, but it now is also on its way to the web. This feature allows a user to snooze an email, which removes the email from the inbox until a determined time when the recipient is ready to receive it. For marketers, this means that the data you receive about who opens your emails and when they open the emails may be a little more skewed than it used to be, if users choose to snooze your emails and then interact with them at a later date or time.

AI Will Be a Marketing Advantage

“Smart Replies” also have already been a part of the Inbox by Gmail mobile app for some time. With the new update, these smart replies will now become part of the web experience, as well. This introduction of artificial intelligence into Gmail could be advantageous for brands that use AI in marketing efforts. The more users start to use and understand AI on their own, the more comfortable they could become at utilizing AI-powered experiences from marketers in the future.

Calendar Marketing Is Even More Important

Sidebar: Gmail users will soon have a sidebar appear on the screen next to their emails. This sidebar can be customized to include Google’s calendar, a note-taking app or tasks. For marketers, this means that your event-based content, such as sales, conferences, or other time and location-specific items, can easily be added to an individual’s Google calendar and will be immediately visible, as well as upon return visits to Gmail.

What do you think, marketers?

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