Genuine trend or short-lived hype? How to evaluate email trends before you invest in them

Every year, the internet overflows with “next-year trend” lists. But how do you know which trends to trust? And how do you decide which trend to focus on first and which ones to ignore?

In this article, we’ll look at how you can tell whether something is a real trend or just short-lived hype and how real trends are actually shaped.

How can you tell real trends from short-lived hype?

A real trend is a long-term shift that changes how emails are created or how people experience them. These shifts don’t appear out of nowhere. They grow from bigger changes happening around us.

For example, nearly half of all emails are opened on mobile devices, so brands have had to rethink layouts and readability. More than half of iOS users are covered by Apple’s privacy protection, which forces teams to revisit how they track opens and flows. And about one in six people live with a disability that affects digital use, which, along with the new EU Accessibility Act, continues to push accessibility forward.

When a new idea aligns with changes like these, it has a strong chance of becoming a real trend.

Short-lived hype, read “passing moment,” is different. It’s a short-term visual or stylistic idea that looks exciting for a while but doesn’t change anything on a deeper level. Think 3D images, emoji-only subject lines, or neon gradients. They spread fast, but they fade quickly because they don’t impact how teams build emails or how people use them.

Whereas real trends grow from long-lasting shifts, passing moments don’t, and that’s the simplest way to tell them apart.

What shapes real trends in email?

So how do we know whether something new will fade or grow into a real trend? We can’t predict it with full certainty, but we can make a good guess by looking at what it changes and what shapes it.

Five forces behind the trends that actually matter

1. Regulations: New laws, requirements around accessibility, data privacy, transparency, and localization push brands to rethink how they design and send emails.
2. Inbox ecosystems: Features like dark mode, Apple’s privacy updates, and AI-driven elements in Gmail (like AI summaries and annotations in the promo tab) change how emails render and what information people see first.
3. Innovations: AMP and HTML5 for interactivity and GenAI expand what teams can build and what recipients can now experience.
4. User behavior: People read mostly on mobile devices, expect some level of personalization, and watch more video, so emails need to adjust to these habits.
5. Automation of workflows and email production: Modular design, localization systems, no-code email builders, and full email design systems help teams work faster, stay consistent, and scale across many markets.

Most trends actually align with a few forces. Take accessibility, for example: It simultaneously aligns with regulations and user behavior.

How do you know which trends to adopt first?

If something is a real trend, and is driven by regulation, you should adopt it as soon as possible; there’s no way around it. Everything else gives you room to test and learn.

For example, if you want to start using interactivity in your emails, you don’t need to change your entire program overnight. Start small. Starting small reduces risk, helps you understand your audience, and saves time if the idea doesn’t fit your brand yet. For instance, you can add an NPS or a short in-email survey to one message and see how people respond. If it performs well and feels natural for your audience, you can gradually add it to more emails.

Some ideas aren’t full trends yet, but they are gaining momentum. And not every trend is right for every brand. What matters is choosing intentionally and not reacting to every new announcement in the industry.

How do you know whether a new idea might grow into a real trend?

If two out of five forces are a “yes,” the momentum is real. It’s worth your attention and may grow into a lasting trend.

If it’s just one “yes,” it’s safer to watch from the sidelines for now.

And, of course, there are evergreen trends. I would not even call them “trends.” Workflow automation and optimization fall into this group. They’ll stay with us for a long time because every team needs faster, easier ways to create and manage emails.

Wrapping up

Trends don’t appear out of nowhere, and they don’t grow by accident. They follow bigger shifts in technology, behavior, regulation, and the tools we use every day. When you understand these forces, it becomes much easier to work out what deserves your time and what you can safely ignore.

When you choose trends intentionally, you build an email strategy that grows stronger every year.