iOS 11, the latest operating system for Apple devices, has brought significant changes for email marketers. With the release of new iPhones, understanding how iOS 11 impacts email marketing is essential for creating effective email campaigns. This article will discuss the key changes and features introduced in iOS 11 and its impact on email marketing strategies.

1. Intelligent Tracking Prevention

iOS 11 has enhanced its privacy features, including the implementation of Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP). ITP restricts cross-site tracking by limiting the use of third-party cookies. As a result, email marketers will experience limitations in tracking user activity and behavior on mobile devices. This makes it more challenging to measure the effectiveness of email campaigns and retarget users based on their interactions.

2. Responsive Design is Crucial

Apple's new iPhones come with larger screens, including the iPhone X with its edge-to-edge display. To ensure that your emails are displayed correctly on these devices, it is essential to use responsive design. Responsive design allows emails to adapt to different screen sizes, ensuring readability and usability across all devices. Testing emails on various iPhone models running iOS 11 is crucial to verify their compatibility.

3. Optimized for Siri

iOS 11 has improved integration with Siri, Apple's voice assistant. Users can now interact with emails through Siri, such as dictating replies or searching for specific messages. Understanding this feature can help email marketers optimize their content for voice-based interactions. Clear and concise subject lines and body content will become even more important to facilitate voice-based actions on emails.

4. Enhanced Notifications

iOS 11 introduces rich notifications, allowing users to interact with emails directly from the notification center. Users can mark emails as read, delete them, or even reply without opening the email app. As an email marketer, leveraging this feature can help increase user engagement and response rates. Creating compelling and actionable email previews will be more crucial than ever.

5. Focus on User Experience

iOS 11 places a significant emphasis on user experience, and this should influence email marketing strategies as well. With features like the Files app and drag-and-drop capabilities, users can easily manage and organize their emails on Apple devices. Marketers should focus on creating email templates that are well-designed, user-friendly, and provide a seamless experience across all touchpoints.

6. Video Autoplay Restrictions

iOS 11 introduces autoplay restrictions for videos. By default, videos on webpages and emails will not autoplay. Instead, users have to tap on the video to play it. This modification affects the experience of incorporating video content into emails. Email marketers should explore alternative ways to engage users with videos, such as using an enticing thumbnail, clear call to action, or GIFs.

7. Font Size Customization

iOS 11 allows users to customize the font size for system-wide text. This has implications for email marketers as the font sizes in emails may appear differently based on users' preferences. Designing emails with legibility in mind and avoiding small font sizes is crucial to ensure that the content is readable and accessible to various users. Testing emails with different font size settings is recommended.

Conclusion

iOS 11 and the new iPhones bring several changes and features that impact email marketers. From the limitations imposed on tracking to the emphasis on responsive design and improved user experience, understanding these changes is crucial to creating effective email campaigns. Adapting to the new landscape of iOS 11 will allow email marketers to engage with their audience more efficiently and deliver better results.