In the eCommerce landscape, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping the game. This blog series explores how AI’s intelligent algorithms are revolutionizing online businesses, from personalized product recommendations to efficient inventory management. Join us for insights on leveraging AI to enhance the digital shopping experience and overall success in eCommerce.
Optimizing delivery times was my first experience applying artificial intelligence to email marketing. The concept is to send an email when a recipient is likely to engage based on her historical opens and clicks — a form of machine learning.
Apple’s iOS privacy changes have made open rates less reliable, but it used to be a solid strategy. Many email platforms offered send-time optimization, including Mailchimp, Iterable, and IBM Watson Campaign (now Acoustic).
AI continues to disrupt email marketing. Platforms such as Grammarly, ChatSonic, ChatGPT, Jasper, and more can generate quality, personalized content quickly.
For example, I prompted ChatGPT to “write a paragraph of email marketing copy promoting my retail brand’s new 20% discount and include a mention of the socially responsible program we’re introducing to donate some of our proceeds to the community.”
Here’s the response:
Exciting news! Get ready to save big on all your favorite products at our retail brand. For a limited time, enjoy a 20% discount on all items in-store and online. Plus, with every purchase you make, you’re not only treating yourself, but also giving back to the community. We’re proud to announce our new socially responsible program where a portion of our proceeds will be donated to local non-profit organizations. Shop now and feel good knowing you’re making a positive impact while saving on top-quality products.
Impressive! The response took less than 3 seconds. It needs a bit of rewriting but it’s a decent foundation.
ChatGPT responded to a prompt for marketing copy in less than 3 seconds. Click image to enlarge.
ChatSonic’s response to the identical prompt is even better, with added details such as a discount code and informal phrasing.
Welcome to [Retail Brand], the place to find all the best products to make your life easier. We’re excited to announce that for a limited time, you can enjoy a 20% discount on our entire selection — just use code DISCOUNT20 at checkout. Plus, to make the deal even sweeter, we’ve launched a new socially responsible program. For every purchase you make, a percentage of the proceeds will be donated directly to local charities. So, do your part and shop with us today!
ChatSonic’s response added details such as a discount code and informal phrasing. Click image to enlarge.
AI is a powerful tool, but it’s not perfect. The best results combine AI output with human input. Here are my pros and cons for using AI for email marketing.
Pros
Cons
Neil Patel, the author and influential marketer, believes Google will “crush” ChatGPT. In a LinkedIn post, Patel wrote, “Once Google begins to take their gathered data and develop/train AI tools of their own, chatGPT won’t be able to compete.”
Perhaps Patel is alluding to DeepMind, a subsidiary of Google’s parent Alphabet and a top global artificial intelligence lab. (DeepMind’s CEO recently addressed the platform’s ambitions.)
Regardless, AI-generated content in 2023 is only as good as the data it’s trained on. AI is a boon to marketers, but human review is critical to avoid errors and differentiate a brand. It’s the human element that makes email marketing successful.
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