"Today, it seems like sales may no longer be necessary, since AI is stepping in to handle much of the marketing work. With AI, we can generate fully qualified leads for sales calls, and all that's left is to close the deal."

At the PODIM start-up conference in Maribor this year, I overheard a fascinating debate backstage between a speaker and a business owner about the future of marketing and sales. The speaker made this bold statement, which really got me thinking: Will AI truly do all the work?

In this blog, I'll dive into the bigger picture of personalization in email marketing. Is it already on its way out? Is it too late for eCommerce brands to start innovating with AI today? Let's explore how email marketing personalization has evolved over time, and what's next in the AI-driven future.

TL;DR

AI is transforming email marketing, making it more personalized than ever before. Personalization has evolved from basic tactics like adding names to emails to using predictive and generative AI for smarter recommendations and real-time content.

Amazon has set the standard with hyper-personalized emails, but niche brands like AG1 are also using segmentation and automation to create tailored experiences for their customers.

For eCommerce businesses, the key to success is understanding your audience first. From there, adopting AI tools to improve personalization can boost engagement and conversions.

The future of email marketing is all about blending AI with genuine customer insights, step by step.

Definitions

Before we continue, let's take a quick look at the key terms we'll be discussing:

Personalization in Email Marketing
Personalization in email marketing means tailoring email content to individual recipients based on their behaviours, preferences, demographics, or past interactions with a brand. This could be anything from inserting the recipient's name to more advanced strategies like dynamic content or personalized product recommendations.

Predictive AI
Predictive AI uses machine learning algorithms to analyze past data and predict future behaviours. In email marketing, it helps forecast the best times to send emails, anticipate customer actions, and personalize content to improve engagement or conversion.

Generative AI
Generative AI creates new content, such as text, images, or videos, by learning patterns from existing data. In email marketing, it enables the real-time creation of personalized content, ensuring that each message feels uniquely tailored to the recipient.

History of Personalization in Email Marketing

Personalization in email marketing started in the 1990s, with basic tactics like adding a customer's name to the subject line or greeting. While this was a step forward, the rest of the email content was still generic and one-size-fits-all.

By the early 2000s, things started to improve. Marketers began sorting customers into groups, or "segments," based on demographics, location, or purchase history. This allowed for more targeted campaigns, like personalized welcome emails or order confirmations, that felt more relevant to each person.

By the mid-2000s, dynamic content took things even further. Marketers could now show different offers or images to different groups of people. For example, someone who bought running shoes might receive an email featuring new running shoes or fitness gear. In the 2010s, behavioral targeting became the norm. Marketers began tracking what people were browsing or purchasing online, allowing them to send highly personalized emails—like abandoned cart reminders or product recommendations based on what the customer had shown interest in.

With the rise of AI in the 2010s and 2020s, predictive AI was able to predict customer behaviors, such as the best time to send an email or what content would likely engage a customer. Generative AI started creating real-time personalized content, making sure that no two emails were the same. These advancements helped brands create highly targeted campaigns that felt incredibly personal to the recipients.

However, with all these advances in personalization, we must also be mindful of privacy regulations like GDPR (in Europe) and CCPA (in California). These laws now require businesses to ask for explicit permission before using your personal data for marketing purposes, ensuring transparency and control for customers.

Looking at this evolution, it's clear that personalization has come a long way. Yet, many companies are still stuck in the 1990s with basic email insertions. We're lucky to live in a time with so many tools to improve our email marketing. The key is to start with a solid understanding of your audience and slowly adopt smarter, data-driven strategies. Each step forward unlocks more potential to make your emails truly impactful.

What Great eCommerce Stores Do?

To improve your email marketing, it's helpful to look at what top brands like Amazon do with personalization.

How Amazon Personalization Evolved Through Time

Amazon's email marketing started in the early 2000s with basic personalization—like adding a customer's name and suggesting related products. It was simple, but it wasn't very advanced.

By the 2010s, Amazon began using behavioural data to make emails more relevant. If a customer left something in their cart or browsed an item, they would get an email reminding them to complete the purchase. Amazon also started using AI to predict what customers might want next, making product recommendations smarter and more personalized.

In the 2020s, Amazon's email marketing became even more personalized, using data from all their services like Primeand Alexa. They started sending real-time, context-aware offers based on what you've recently viewed, where you live, and even the time of day. The goal was to make each email feel unique to the customer, helping them find exactly what they need.

But Amazon is a massive, all-encompassing platform. What if you have a smaller store selling niche products? Let's look at AG1 (Athletic Greens) for an example.

How AG1 Handles Personalization in Email Marketing

Athletic Greens (AG1) personalizes its email marketing by segmenting customers based on interests and demographics, such as athletes or health-conscious individuals. They use tailored messaging to highlight benefits like increased energy or immune support, catering to each segment's specific needs. AG1 also uses automation tools to send timely, personalized emails at key moments, like welcome emails, cart abandonment reminders, and post-purchase follow-ups.

Additionally, AG1 enhances its personalization with influencer endorsements and social proof. They feature testimonials from health experts and athletes like Dr. Andrew Huberman, which helps build trust and credibility. This strategy encourages conversions and creates a more personalized experience for customers throughout their journey.

How I Would Approach Personalization

If I had an eCommerce store today, I'd feel incredibly fortunate. There's never been a better time to create memorable experiences for your customers. The options available now are endless, and while that can feel overwhelming, I'd always return to the basics: What can I do to deliver a better email marketing experience for my leads?

The journey starts with truly understanding your customers. Even if you've conducted surveys or had phone calls with them, there's always more to learn. I'd focus on the top 20% of my customers—the most engaged and loyal ones. I'd ask: Why do they love my brand? and What's stopping them from having an even better experience? Understanding these insights helps you serve them better and turn them into brand advocates who bring in people just like them.

All the advanced AI tools in the world won't work unless you have a solid understanding of your customers. So, the first step is gathering data—both quantitative (numbers) and qualitative (stories).

Once you have that data, it's time to innovate. Create customer segments and focus on engaging the most active ones. Thanks to generative AI, you can now create more personalized emails in less time, allowing you to focus on creating educational content that your customers will love—while still maintaining a steady pace for promotional emails.

When starting out with personalization, I would immediately use AI to streamline both template and copy creation. I'd use AI to generate HTML email templates based on my brand guidelines to ensure consistent design and layout from the start. This saves time and effort while maintaining a professional look.

Even though AI handles template creation, I'd still review and refine the copy myself to ensure it resonates with my audience and stays true to my brand's voice. Over time, I'd use AI to generate more personalized copy for each segment, tailoring the message to make each email feel relevant and unique. By combining AI's efficiency with my personal touch, I'd create effective and highly personalized emails from day one.

Conclusion

The opportunities for innovation in eCommerce email marketing are vast in 2025 and beyond. Many brands are still underutilizing the full potential of email marketing, and there's significant room for improving ROI.

In my view, the key to success is mastering the basics—understanding your customers better and tailoring your approach to meet their needs. Once you understand your audience, the next step is to innovate with AI-powered email creation.

Some businesses are already taking advantage of advanced AI features, like hyper-personalization, while others still need to master basic predictive AI. The key is to take it one step at a time—building a solid foundation and then growing from there. AI is a powerful tool, but it works best when combined with genuine insights into your customers.