video
Video in email Can be an effective way to show how your product or service works and add personality to your brand.
The following example from Wistia uses embedded videos in emails.
One warning about the video: it’s not supported everywhere. If you add a video to your next email, be sure to include a good backup. The example above from Wistia uses thumbnail fallback for unsupported clients.
(Want to know more? We’ll cover Video in email here).
poll
Polls are a great way to quickly understand what your subscribers are doing real think. This is a low-risk opportunity to learn more about your audience and a fun way to add interactivity to your emails.
The following example comes from most Use instant polls to collect instant interest indicators. Polls are updated when subscribers open and click. Recipients can revisit the email to view instant voting results. Additionally, click profiles captured from live polls can be used as additional data points for more personalization. Win-win!
add to the cart
The Add to Cart feature allows subscribers to browse their options before clicking to pay. This eliminates the need to click through to a landing page, creating a more seamless checkout process.
Below is an example of an add to cart email from Google. Subscribers can switch between color choices before adding products to their cart.
source: very good email
Opportunities and Challenges of Interactive Email
With the examples above, we’ve only scratched the surface of the interactive possibilities of email. Other types of interactive email elements include:
- Tab content
- hamburger menu
- Hotspot
- test
- anchor tag
- sheet or radio button selection
- accordion
- Discount announced
- Review and rate submissions
- search bar entry
With such a wide range of elements, the future of interactive email looks bright. When we asked our audience on LinkedIn if they use it in email, 38% said “Yes, and we’ll continue to do so.” The most common answer to whether email marketers have used interactivity was “No, but we plan to try” at 39%.
Let’s look at what holds so many marketers back.
Interactivity may seem intimidating (or boring)
Writing interactive email designs can be intimidating. Over the past few years, email service providers (ESPs) have provided varying support for different interactive elements, which may have led designers to shy away from implementing interactivity.
We suspect email marketers may also view engagement as a tactic reserved for the biggest companies and the “best” email developers. It doesn’t help that most of the current examples are from well-known companies. If Email Marketers Go to “Really Good Emails” Interactive email examplethey’ll see Xfinity, Taco Bell, Adidas, BBC, and more. If you look closely at household name examples, e.g. From the BBC belowyou may notice that not all interactions are overly complex. This email doesn’t have a bunch of different effects or elements operating.
Some email marketers may also think interactivity is a bit boring. In email games and quizzes, e.g. Taco Bell’s Holiday Mazethere’s undeniable fun in it.
In the grand scheme of all the tasks that email marketing teams need to tackle, learning a new skill for one email per year doesn’t seem like it’s worth it. When companies start using a variety of elements in the emails they send regularly, perhaps email interactivity will become more common.
What’s the bottom line? Interactive emails don’t have to be scary—and they don’t have to be used only by big companies.
Where should a curious email developer start?
Beginner interactive email developers can start with hover effect. Adding hover effects to email elements such as links or images can make your emails more engaging and indicate clickability. You can add hover effects to almost every aspect of your email, from text to images to buttons.
Another place to start is Email accessibility. With an estimated 1.3 billion people living with visual impairment, interactive elements such as high-contrast switchers ensure every Customers can enjoy your emails. In our past newsletters (you can Interact here), our email team Adapted Paul Airy’s Assisted Use Switcher to create fully interactive emails, with switcher and hover effects. If you want to try these effects on your own emails, Alice Li teaches you how This Litmus Community Post.
Interactivity is common in websites and apps, but this popular design trend hasn’t spread widely in email marketing. Some teams have experience with this, but there are still many who have yet to commit. If you’ve been putting off trying interactivity, you’re not alone. Here are some great resources to help you get started using interactive elements in your emails:
