• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, November 21, 2024

Email marketers have set two main priorities for the next 12 months: automation and personalization, according to The State Of Email In Lifecycle Marketing, a study by Litmus.  

Of companies polled, 35% hope to create more automated/triggered email. And 29% are expanding their personalization use. 

Another 21% hope to improve their data management, 19% to streamline their email workflow and 18% to monitor email deliverability.  

One more clue to their needs may be found in the biggest obstacles in the email production cycle:  

• Securing appropriate data for segmentation and personalization—20%
• Lack of appropriate email team resources—19% 
• Content creation—19%
• Creating dynamic or personalized content—18%
• Getting buy-in from all stakeholders—17%
• Collecting feedback—16% 
• Concepting and ideating—12% 
• QA testing—12%
• Project management—10%
• Designing emails—10%
• Lack of appropriate technology—8% 
• Building email—7%

• Marketing or promotional emails—55%
• Newsletters—46%
• Lifecycle or onboarding/nurture emails—44% 
• Action triggered emails (transactional)—39% 
• Inaction triggered emails (re-engagement)—24% 
• Date triggered emails (appointment, birthday)—19% 
• Operations triggered emails shipping (back in stock)—17% 
• Machine triggered emails (sensor activation, low battery)—3% 

One caveat: this survey of 1,000 marketers was conducted earlier this year, and there may be some changes in the planning. 

However, the desire for improved personalization will doubtless persist. Companies personalize email in these ways:

- Personalization in the subject line or preview text—36% 

- Personalization using dynamic content—32%

- Personalization using merge tags—23%

- We don’t personalize emails—5% 

- AI-powered product or content recommendations—4% 

- Live or real-time content—3%

Apparently they are succeeding: 69% feel their ESP handles personalization well or very well.