Understanding the power of kinetic email: Benefits and best practices

You may already have noticed that sending regular emails containing text and images, even of exceptionally high quality, leads to decreased subscriber engagement and email conversion over time. Subscribers become accustomed to the same visuals, resulting in boredom.

This means it’s time to analyze how relevant and interesting your emails appear and whether they contain anything that can prompt a quick reaction upon receipt. It’s also time to experiment — start using kinetic emails and measure the reaction.

Read on to learn how to create kinetic emails and how they can revitalize your email marketing strategy.

What is kinetic email?

Kinetic email is an email design concept that gives the recipient the sensation of landing on a modern, dynamic, and interactive website when opening an email in their inbox. This impression is created through various interactive and dynamic email elements such as GIF animation, carousel, interactive shopping carts, countdown timers, embedded polls, and many others.

We will discuss what digital elements you can use and how to create them effortlessly.

Why should you use kinetic emails?

Kinetic emails are not just a tech trend that comes with new code capabilities. They have gained popularity because they have proven effective for email marketers and beneficial for subscribers who receive emails from brands.

How can kinetic emails boost email marketing results?

Implementing kinetic emails can boost email engagement rates, in the following ways:

1. They enhance the email experience by making content visually appealing and personalized. A 2022 study by GetResponse revealed that dynamic, personalized content can result in a 30% increase in click-through rates (CTRs) and a 20% increase in conversions.
2. They increase subscriber engagement and CTRs. For example, interactive emails that include embedded surveys, polls, and forms generate 73% higher click-through rates compared to non-interactive emails. In addition, 74% of marketers stated that targeted messages and email personalization improve customer engagement rates.
3. They encourage greater engagement, potentially resulting in higher conversion rates. Emails incorporating interactive forms (e.g., surveys, feedback forms) directly within the content can increase response rates by an impressive 520%.

How are kinetic emails useful for subscribers?

For subscribers, the use of interactive and dynamic elements in email design solves several problems at once:

1. These elements reduce the number of steps the user needs to take to achieve the final goal. For example, if you use interactive shopping carts, your customers can immediately select the desired color and model of the product without leaving the email and proceed to purchase.
2. Thanks to dynamic content, subscribers receive personalized offers and feel the brand's attention to them. A recent survey by McKinsey revealed that 72% of consumers want brands to deliver personally targeted marketing material to them. Furthermore, 54% of survey respondents said it was important that companies address them by name in all the communications they send out.

Subscribers’ responses to content increase their loyalty to the brand as a whole and their willingness to make purchases in the future.

Designing effective kinetic emails

To make this trend easier to understand, there are three types of kinetic email, depending on the elements you want to use. However, no one prevents you from combining them and using them in different email campaigns.

Type No 1. Basic kinetic email

Basic kinetic email is a newsletter that uses CSS transitions and GIF animations to create sliders or carousels to display content. The email elements are popular, easy to use, and often used in promotional mailings and information digests.

Below is an example of how GIF animation is used for promotional mailings in the fashion industry:

(Source: Email from Moda Operandi)

Type No 2. A kinetic email with dynamic elements

In this type of kinetic email, the dynamic content a subscriber receives is based on their preferences and previous interactions. Simply put, these emails display different images, offers, or information to each subscriber. By changing the content based on who is receiving the message, marketers can send a single message tailored to the needs and interests of each recipient, rather than sending multiple emails to each recipient individually.

The most popular examples of dynamic content are personalized imagery and offers, countdown timers, real-time content in AMP emails, and others. These elements are actively used in email campaigns such as promotional emails and event invitations.

Below is an example of a kinetic email with a dynamic countdown timer, which is triggered for each reader after opening the email:

(Source: Stripo template)

Here, you can see the name of the email recipient in the image — this approach is a great way to draw attention to the content.

(Source: Niftyimages)

For more examples, see our article on dynamic content.

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How to use dynamic content in emails to your advantage

Type No 3. Interactive kinetic email

The main feature of interactive emails is the ability to engage readers in action directly within the message, eliminating the need for recipients to leave their inboxes.

The interactive email includes digital elements that respond to a user’s specific actions, such as collapsible menus, navigation buttons, embedded surveys, polls, rollover effects for product cards, gamification, and tabs and accordions that users can interact with within the email.

In the example below, you can see how the content responds to the user’s actions and prompts them to click:

(Source: Email from MacPaw)

Below is an example of using the rollover effect in interactive shopping carts — see how the client can immediately select all the parameters and proceed to the purchase. Such elements are also be used in email campaigns to create the ability to quickly proceed to the purchase.

(Source: Email newsletter by Promodo for Intertop)

Another popular format for interactivity is embedded forms. What’s great about them is that instead of redirecting to an external site where surveys are typically conducted, this kinetic content includes forms that readers fill out and submit directly in the email. This simplifies the user journey and increases the likelihood of conversion.

(Source: Email from Stripo)

For more examples of using email interactivity, check out the article below.

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10 examples of interactive content in emails

Important kinetic design principles

Kinetic emails use advanced HTML5 and CSS3 technologies to incorporate template-level design elements and create dynamic, interactive experiences within the inbox. These design elements include interactive features such as hover effects, rotating banners, carousels, sliders, and even shopping carts or games. Unlike traditional dynamic emails, kinetic designs allow for more interactivity, enabling users to engage with content directly within the email — such as choosing product options (colors, sizes) or interacting with an embedded game.

However, not all email clients support kinetic elements. Fallback techniques are essential to ensure broad accessibility. For instance, if a kinetic carousel or animation doesn’t load for certain email clients, the email can revert to a static layout, ensuring the content is still displayed correctly.

Major email clients that support kinetic design include Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Outlook, iPhone, iPad, and select Android clients. As these clients represent a significant portion of the market, kinetic emails can significantly boost engagement by reducing the effort required from users, leading to higher click-through and click-to-open rates.

Implementing kinetic email campaigns with ease

Here are some ways to create dynamic and interactive elements with Stripo without extra effort and code-related hassle. In our editor, we have already prepared everything you need for this:

• for a timer, carousel, accordion, and forms, there are special blocks in the Stripo editor and ready-made modules in the library, which you can populate with your own content. The entire software part will be preserved and will fully meet the requirements of all email clients.
• in pre-built email templates, special categories are collected by features. For example, here are templates with the rollover effect, and here are templates with the countdown timer.
• use the interactive content generator for easy, no-code creation of interactive surveys, built-in forms, and gamification.

Wrapping up

Kinetic email offers a powerful way to break through the monotony of static email designs and re-engage your audience. By incorporating interactive elements such as sliders, carousels, and hover effects, you can create a more dynamic experience that captures recipients’ attention and boosts engagement. The key is to strike a balance between creativity and functionality, ensuring that fallback designs are in place for email clients whose systems don’t support kinetic elements.

As email marketing continues to evolve, experimenting with kinetic design can be a game-changer, helping you stand out in crowded inboxes and increasing conversions. Now’s the perfect time to explore how kinetic emails can transform your campaigns and elevate your email strategy.