Gmail’s Grid View Set to Change Email Marketing

Gmail is currently experimenting with a new grid view, for the promotional emails, that is set to change Email Marketing. The new view will highlight the images attached with the email. Email Marketing Agencies will now require focusing on attractive images also, apart from optimizing the subject lines. The grid view changes the list view of the emails and replaces the mails with thumbnails. Gmail's “promotions” tab will now look more familiar with a folder or a webpage rather than the traditional mailbox.

Though the grid view is still in the experimentation phase, market analysts are speaking with certainty of times when it will be launched completely. The most important change that will be noticed is the immediate change of focus from the subject line to the image of the email. In fact, Email Advertising Agencies, that used long subject lines in attempts of capturing the attention of the users, will need to rework their strategy as the subject lines will be trimmed after 75 characters along with the advertiser’s name that will be shortened to 20 characters. Also, with the presence of a highlighted image, the focus of the user will automatically turn away from the written content. The onus of the getting the user to open the email will now rest on the image more than the subject line.

The tests that were run on the new grid view showed that the techniques that are currently prevalent in Email Marketing will fall short when the grid view is activated for all. A number of thumbnails stared blankly without images while a few others had images that did not have the optimal resolution. Though it is true that the option of viewing the “promotions” folder in the grid view or list view will lie at the user’s discretion, most users will definitely chose the former that will present the folder in a more colorful and attractive manner. The Email Marketing Service Providers would do well to start their preparations with proper images, so that when the story of the promoted brand starts being told by the images, they are not left wanting in quality.