iOS 18 impact on email marketers: How to safeguard engagement & demand

With the expected release of iOS 18.2 in early December of 2024, Apple Mail’s inbox experience is about to undergo sizable changes that will impact email marketing strategies. With Apple’s iPhone dominating 60% of the market share, the introduction of AI-powered inbox summarization, automatic categorization of emails, and reduced reliance on preheaders presents both challenges as well as opportunities for marketers. To stay ahead, email marketers need to adapt their strategies to maintain engagement and protect demand. Here’s what you need to know—and do—to navigate this new landscape effectively.

1. Preheaders: Adapting to a diminished role

The traditional preheader—once a valuable tool for enticing email opens—will lose prominence as AI-generated summaries replace it.

Cordial recommendations:

• Reallocate key messaging: Move critical information traditionally in preheaders to preferably the subject line as well as the email body copy.
• Shorten and optimize subject lines: Make subject lines punchier and more informative, focusing on key benefits or offers. The character limit visible in an Apple iPhone inbox depends on the device model, screen size, and settings like font size. However, 37 characters is a common average for many iPhone models.
• Test creative approaches: Experiment with dynamic content in subject lines, such as emojis or personalization, to maintain contextual appeal.
• Leverage preview text wisely: While it may no longer dominate the inbox view, continue optimizing preheader text for legacy systems and non-Apple users.

2. Inbox summarization: Optimizing for AI interpretation

AI summarization will display in the inbox preview with a summary of each email’s content as the default. As a result, marketers must ensure their messages are effectively parsed and summarized by the algorithm.

Cordial recommendations:

• Craft clear and concise email content: Use structured formatting like bullet points, subheadings, and plain language to help AI extract accurate and compelling summaries.

• Highlight key information early: Place critical content—such as promotions, deadlines, or calls-to-action—at the top of the email.

• Monitor summaries: Test and preview AI-generated summaries to understand how the system interprets your content, then adjust your design and copy accordingly.

3. Inbox categorization: Standing out in the right tab

Emails will now be automatically categorized into tabs such as Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions, altering visibility and engagement potential.

Cordial recommendations:

• Emphasize authenticity: Use credibility to reduce the likelihood of your email being miscategorized. A smart way to boost brand recognition is by leveraging Business Connect, a free tool Apple introduced in 2023. It lets companies register with Apple to control how their brand and details appear to Apple mobile users. Now, Apple is taking it a step further—adding the ability to display your brand’s sender logo in Apple Mail, along with other Apple mobile apps. This enhancement is a great opportunity to reinforce your brand identity directly in your customers’ inboxes.

• Target behavior-based segments: Create campaigns aligned with each category, such as transactional campaigns for the Transactions tab or valuable updates for the Updates tab.

• Monitor performance by category: Cordial reporting dashboards will help you track engagement rates and adjust messaging strategies based on which tab your emails land in.

• Encourage interaction: Prompt users to mark your emails as “important” or move them to the Primary tab to signal their relevance.

4. Segmentation and personalization: Deepening audience relevance

The more personalized an email feels, the higher its likelihood of engaging the recipient regardless of these changes.

Cordial recommendations:

• Use advanced segmentation: Leverage behavioral, demographic, and purchase history data to send hyper-targeted campaigns.

• Incorporate dynamic content: Personalize at scale with tailored recommendations, product highlights, or location-specific messaging.

• Test frequency preferences: Respect recipient preferences on email cadence to ensure engagement without over mailing.

• Cordial’s STO feature: Enable STO on promotional emails to ensure each send is delivered at a personalized time, increasing the engagement and demand.

• Cordial’s product recommendation zones: Feature personalized, relevant product recommendations in the sizes and even colors a customer has the highest likelihood to purchase.

5. Testing and analytics: Preparing for the unknown

The release of iOS 18.2 will bring untested variables. Marketers should adopt a data-driven approach to respond to emerging trends.

Cordial recommendations:

• A/B test for insights: Experiment with subject lines, content placement, and CTAs to determine what resonates in the new environment.

• Monitor category placement: Use email analytics to understand where your emails are landing and why.

• Adapt quickly: Stay agile, leveraging real-time data to refine strategies and optimize performance.

Final thoughts:

Cordial’s Client Success, Strategy and Deliverability teams will be monitoring client performance changes as this rollout of iOS 18.2 takes place to ensure clients are not only aware of the update, but equipped for success with optimized strategies to drive even more impactful results.