The Death of the Open Rate: Marketing in the Age of AI Email Summaries
The Myth: Clicks Equal Engagement
For decades, we have lived and died by the open rate. We obsessed over subject lines that teased just enough to get the click. We assumed that if a user didn't open the email, our message was lost. In 2026, with billions of emails sent daily and the average professional managing over 120 messages a day, that assumption is officially obsolete.
The Misunderstanding
Many marketers believe that AI summaries in Outlook and Gmail are a barrier. They worry that if Gemini or Copilot summarizes the email, the recipient has no reason to "open" it. This leads to a panic-driven attempt to "AI-proof" emails by hiding text in images or using clickbait tactics. This is a mistake. The AI is not your enemy; it is your new gatekeeper. If the AI cannot read your email, it cannot recommend it.
The Shift: Designing for the Mediated Inbox
In my testing of AI summaries, I found news and critical updates that I would have missed while scrolling. The AI surfaced the value because the email was structured to be parsed. When the AI reads for the user, your "open rate" might stay flat, but your brand influence can actually increase. We are moving from "Click to Read" to "Summarize to Act."
- Front-Load the Value: Place your primary takeaway in the first 150 characters. AI models prioritize the beginning of the document for summaries.
- Use Semantic Headers: Use H1 and H2 tags that state facts. Instead of "A New Way to Save," use "20% Discount Code for Annual Subscriptions."
- Text-First Design: Image-heavy emails are invisible to AI. If your "offer" is a flattened JPEG, the summary will simply say, "This email contains an image."
- Bullet Logic: Use standard HTML bullets. AI loves lists; they are the most likely elements to be pulled into a summary card.
The Takeaway
Your URL attributes and UTM parameters may not always carry over into a generated summary. This means your traditional "last-click" attribution will look broken. However, if your content provides genuine business value, the user will still convert. They may type your URL directly or search for your brand after reading the summary. Trust the quality of your insight over the perfection of your tracking pixel.
- DemandSage: Global Email Volume Projections 2026
- Email Industry Data Report: 2026 Benchmarks
- MarTech: AI and the Remodeled Inbox