Google has announced the launch of its new ‘dynamic email’ feature in Gmail, which uses AMP to make emails “more useful and interactive.”
The web has changed a lot in the last few years, and while static and flat content is on the way out, one of the things that haven’t changed much is email. Email messages are as static as they were back in the day – pretty much the only interactive action you’re able to take in an email is to click on a link that will take you somewhere else.
Now, Google is on a mission to make emails “more useful and interactive,” with a little help from AMP, its open-source initiative that enables developers to create content that is both beautiful and high-performing on all devices and all platforms. With AMP integration in Gmail, emails are becoming dynamic, allowing users to always stay up to date and get to see the most recent information reflected within them.
This can include the latest comment threads, recommended jobs, and more. As Google explains in its recent announcement of the feature, this also lets users “easily take action directly from within the message itself, like RSVP to an event, fill out a questionnaire, browse a catalog or respond to a comment.”
For example, instead of receiving email notifications when someone is mentioned in a Google Docs comment, they can just see an up-to-date comment thread right within Gmail. They can then simply reply or resolve a comment without ever leaving Gmail or the email itself.
Many companies like Booking.com, Despegar, Doodle, Ecwid, Freshworks, Nexxt, OYO Rooms, Pinterest and redBus, have already started to use dynamic email “to make their emails more actionable and relevant.”
Pinterest makes it easier for users to discover ideas and save them to their boards, while OYO Rooms lets users browse recommended hotels and view their details easily right within an email.
Doodle lets users respond to meetings, also without having to leave the open email.
Google says that its dynamic emails are private and secure, and anyone wanting to send dynamic emails will have to be reviewed by Gmail first before they can do so. Dynamic emails are rolling out to Gmail users on the web and but they don’t have mobile support yet. G Suite customers will be able to enable dynamic emails for their organisation in the Admin console within the next few days.
If you use a different mail app than Gmail, you will still receive an email, but you will see the static version in your client. Developers who would like to find out more about how to build and send dynamic emails can refer to this blog post.
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