A lot has been said already about the recent Gmail changes which were announced end of May. From now on a default Gmail mailbox has 3 tabs:
1. Primary
2. Social
3. Promotions
Users have the option to add 2 additional tabs “Updates” and “Forums”, or deselect one or all, and even go back to old inbox style.
The fact that promotional emails are filtered into a separate tab, is really a game changer for email marketing. From a user perspective I can definitely see the advantages, and to be honest I like it already (please don’t shoot me). As a manager of online channels for brands I’m of course also aware of the risks for newsletters, email campaigns, … .
However instead of complaining brands should see this as a challenge. Here’s a clever example of a brand that decided to act: iBood – Europe’s biggest “one-day deal” offer platform – warns Gmail users about the recent changes to avoid their clients of missing out on great deals. My hubby Christopher and my best friend Bart, are both iBood users and they received an email (in the “Promotions” tab) with the following subject line (translated by myself into English): “Important information for all Gmail users!“, and the following message:
The email explains that because of the recent Gmail changes it is possible to miss iBood deals, and to avoid that they clarify all Gmail users how to make sure iBood’s emails arrive in the “Primary” tab. Smart & clear communication!
Of course even with their alerting subject line there is no guarantee that all Gmail users discover this message in their “Promotions” tab. I checked iBood’s Facebook Page, and didn’t find the same message there. If I where in charge at iBood I would check the amount of Gmail users, and if high enough I would spread the message also on my social media channels. But already kuddos to them for taking action! Curious to see how other brands will handle this change…