Email marketing is getting a high-tech makeover. Once known for generic blast campaigns, the inbox is now being reshaped by artificial intelligence and Indian brands are at the forefront of this shift. Email remains one of the most profitable marketing channels, often delivering returns as high as ₹30 for every ₹1 spent, but consumers today are bombarded with messages. To stand out, marketers are increasingly turning to AI-driven personalization and automation.
Recent industry analysis shows that more than 60 percent of marketers in India are now actively using AI tools to streamline campaigns, tailor content to individual users, and improve conversions. At the same time, contextual and personalized marketing has seen a sharp rise in effectiveness. Brands adopting AI-led engagement strategies have reported significant increases in revenue and customer lifetime value, signalling that the inbox is no longer a static channel but a dynamic one.
Personalization has become the central pillar of modern email marketing. Consumers have learned to ignore one-size-fits-all emails, and generic subject lines are increasingly ineffective. Today, relevance determines whether an email is opened or deleted. Marketers are using AI to analyze browsing history, transaction data, location, language preferences, and engagement patterns to craft messages that feel timely and personal.
Raviteja Dodda, CEO and co-founder of customer engagement platform MoEngage, says broadcast emails are losing relevance. According to him, customers now respond to emails that reflect their specific journey, context, and intent. This shift is visible in performance data. Retail brands using AI-driven personalization have recorded click-through rates many times higher than static campaigns, especially when emails include dynamic elements such as product recommendations or replenishment reminders.
Indian e-commerce brands have been quick to adopt these techniques. Nykaa, for example, improved its email engagement after integrating AI-led recommendation engines into its campaigns. Personalized product suggestions, based on browsing behaviour and past purchases, resulted in a substantial rise in open rates and repeat visits. Similarly, The Body Shop India tested AI-powered personalization across its digital touchpoints and recorded a measurable uplift in e-commerce revenue within a short testing period.
Atul Shivnani, Head of E-commerce and Digital Marketing at The Body Shop India, has said that relevance is critical to customer experience. According to him, AI-based personalization helped the brand surface the right products at the right time, translating directly into higher conversions.
Personalization is not limited to what is shown but also how it is communicated. AI is enabling brands to adapt tone, language, and format at scale. In a multilingual market like India, this includes generating content in regional languages or modifying creative based on cultural context. Behaviour-based triggers further strengthen relevance. Emails are now sent based on actions such as cart abandonment, product views, subscription lapses, or payment milestones, rather than fixed schedules.
Automation is the second major shift reshaping email marketing. AI has changed not just the content of emails, but the mechanics of how and when they are sent. Machine learning models are increasingly used to determine optimal send times for individual users, learning from past engagement behaviour. This ensures emails arrive when recipients are most likely to engage, reducing inbox fatigue.
Triggered workflows have become a core use case. Instead of relying on scheduled newsletters alone, brands now use AI-enabled automation to respond in real time to customer actions. Welcome sequences, transaction updates, reminders, upsell prompts, and win-back emails are increasingly automated and optimized.
Indian fintech and banking brands have been particularly active in this space. Several private banks now use AI to analyze spending patterns and trigger personalized offers via email. These could include credit card upgrades, loan offers, or reward reminders timed around salary credits or major purchases. Such contextual nudges have delivered significantly higher conversion rates than generic financial promotions.
Travel and hospitality brands have also embraced automation. MakeMyTrip, for instance, introduced interactive email formats that allow users to explore offers or provide inputs directly within the inbox. According to Abhinav Narula, Vice President of Marketing at MakeMyTrip, AI-driven personalization and interactivity led to a sharp increase in unique opens and user responses, while also expanding the brand’s engaged user base.
AI is also being used upstream in email creation. Generative AI tools assist marketers in drafting subject lines, preview text, and content variations, enabling rapid experimentation. Marketers can now test dozens of creative permutations simultaneously and let algorithms identify which versions perform best for different audience segments.
This approach has improved efficiency and reduced turnaround times. Campaigns that once took days to conceptualize and deploy can now be launched in hours. More importantly, performance improves over time as AI systems learn from outcomes and continuously optimize messaging.
Avlesh Singh, co-founder and CEO of WebEngage, says the integration of AI and automation is enhancing efficiency while deepening engagement. According to him, brands using AI-driven lifecycle messaging are seeing meaningful improvements in retention and repeat engagement because communication becomes more consistent and relevant.
Data supports this view. Brands that use AI-powered segmentation and automation report higher session frequency, increased purchase rates per user, and longer customer lifetimes. Retention gains are especially pronounced when automated journeys replace isolated campaigns, ensuring users receive timely nudges throughout their lifecycle.
Despite these advantages, marketers are cautious about overuse. Frequency and relevance remain critical. Excessive or poorly timed emails can lead to unsubscribes and brand fatigue. Experts emphasize that AI should be used to reduce noise, not increase it.
Keyur Dhami, Vice President of Customer Success at WebEngage, notes that brands must pay close attention to timing and intent. According to him, pushing messages without understanding user behaviour leads to opt-outs. Successful email strategies are built on listening as much as sending.
Mitesh Kothari, Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at White Rivers Media, echoes this sentiment. He believes that the goal of AI-driven email marketing should be value creation, not volume. A well-timed and relevant message can build trust, while an ill-timed one can erode it quickly.
Analytics plays a central role in ensuring balance. Beyond open and click rates, marketers are increasingly tracking metrics such as conversion rates, revenue per email, repeat engagement, and unsubscribe trends. AI tools now surface these insights automatically, helping teams refine strategy in near real time.
Traditional media and email are also converging. Brands often combine mass awareness pushes such as television or outdoor advertising with AI-powered email follow-ups targeted at known customers. This ensures consistency across channels while maintaining personalization where it matters most.
In today’s digital environment, email marketing remains powerful because it provides direct access to consumers. AI enhances this power by ensuring communication is timely, relevant, and scalable. When executed responsibly, AI-driven email marketing delivers both immediate action and long-term engagement.
The consensus among marketers is clear. AI should not replace human judgment, but augment it. Strategy, empathy, and creativity still matter. AI handles complexity and scale, allowing marketers to focus on storytelling and relationship building.
Email marketing has evolved from batch messaging to intelligent conversation. In an era of attention scarcity, AI-enabled personalization and automation are helping brands cut through clutter and build meaningful connections. For Indian brands navigating scale, diversity, and competition, the inbox has become a strategic space where technology and trust intersect.'
Disclaimer: All data points and statistics are attributed to published research studies and verified market research. All quotes are either sourced directly or attributed to public statements.