Context impacts how you perceive information. For example, think back to being a kid and seeing a teacher in the classroom versus in the grocery store. One scenario made perfect sense, and the other was enough to stop you in your tracks.
Context is exactly why the Gmail Promotions tab is the perfect place for your promotional emails to land. Some people may try to work around the folder to land in the primary inbox, but repeat after me—the promotions tab is not the spam folder. It’s a valuable tool for email marketers that’s about to get even more useful.
“When people visit the Gmail Promo Tab, they’re signaling right then that they’re in a deal-finding and shopping mood. It’s quite valuable to brands to have an important deal or great product shown with rich images, in the right place (the Promo Tab), at that moment.” —Hank Leukart, Product Manager, Google
2 Gmail Promotions Tab updates we’re excited about for 2023
Seeing a promotional email in the promotions tab sets your subscribers up to take in the information rather than jarring them with a sales message in the primary inbox. With a few updates coming to Gmail’s Promotions Tab this year, you’ll also have more opportunities to catch your subscriber’s attention.
Here are three Gmail Promotions Tab updates coming soon.
1 – Show off multiple items with a Product Carousel
Your subject line and preview text have traditionally been your only tools for enticing readers into your email. Gmail’s Product Carousel gives you more real estate to catch someone’s eye. You’ll be able to add product images, descriptions, and prices to the email preview in the Promotions Tab. The Product Carousel isn’t just for show, though. Each product card links directly to the listing on your website.
“Wait, isn’t that already a feature?” For some senders. While the Product Carousel has had a sizeable rollout, any sender can use it now—as long as they’re on Google’s Allowlist.
Google is currently using an Allowlist of known brands that can use this feature. If you’re not already on the list, you can reach out to Google’s Promo Tab Outreach Team (p-gmail-outreach@google.com) to be added.
As for users: this has launched to all Gmail users, except for those in Europe, for now.
Why we’re excited:
- Since clicking on a carousel image takes subscribers directly to the corresponding web page, you can track customer journeys. For example, you can use insights about the most popular items in the Product Carousel to invest in PPC ads strategically.
- Catch subscriber attention with product images without relying on an open
- Subscribers can quickly and easily go directly to the product page they’re interested in
2 – Bring promo details front and center with Deal Annotation
No images? No problem. You can still add extra interest to your Promotions Tab email preview with Deal Annotations. Deal Annotation lists the details of a promotion, a coupon code, or start and end dates in the email preview.
Similar to Product Carousels, Deal Annotations used to only appear for emails in the ‘Top Picks’ section. Now, they’ll appear on any email in the Promotions Tab. Note: this feature has had a small rollout, but will be visible to all users in the coming weeks.
Why we’re excited:
- Send a new subscriber discount immediately and surface the coupon code to the welcome email preview for fast and easy access (and sales!)
- Make promotional information easy to scan so subscribers learn about your sale or discount without even having to open the message
- A/B test which promotional details lead to higher open and conversion rates
How to use new Gmail Promotions Tab features
The above-mentioned new Gmail Promotions Tab features are currently rolling out and will be available for all later this year.
Product Carousels has launched to all Gmail users except to those in Europe, which will come later this year. Deal Annotations is currently available to a small amount of users, but will be fully launched in the coming weeks.
After launch, you’ll have two ways to take advantage of them.
Gmail automatically extracts details
You don’t have to lift a finger to enjoy the new, richer Promotions Tab email previews. Gmail will automatically extract details like product images or sale dates if you don’t provide structured data.
Use structured data to control what appears
If you want to pick the images or details in your email preview, you can use structured data. Here’s the code for each new feature:
Product Carousel manual annotation code
// The message of your email
Full instructions can be found on Google Workspace.
Deal Annotation manual annotation code
// The message of your email
More details can be found on Google Workspace.
Will you try these features?
We’re constantly impressed with the email community, and the new Gmail Promotions Tab features unlock a new space for creativity, engagement, and innovation. Will you try these features for your own email campaigns?
Ensure your designs come across right
Broken emails lead to less conversions. Preview your emails across 100+ email clients, apps, and devices to ensure an on-brand, error-free subscriber experience. Every time.
The post The Gmail Promotions Tab is Getting More Interesting appeared first on Litmus.
