Gmail action buttons: making email more interactive

Gmail action buttons are here! The post on the official Gmail blog notes that people use email to get things done a lot. The new Gmail action buttons will help in planning events and handling other to-do’s more easily.
An example below of an event, where the receiver has the option to select Yes, Maybe or No right from the inbox, without having to open the email. This makes using email a lot more efficient!

Another example is having a flight confirmation email in the inbox. The important information will be displayed on top of the email. You get the ability to check-in, again without opening the email:

This gives marketers a huge opportunity for email marketing. Gmail action buttons now mean that marketers don’t have to worry too much about the design of a CTA button, or if people will know what action to take on an email. For Gmail subscribers, life will get easier. But for marketers communication with those Gmail subscribers it will open up possibilities yet unseen in the world of email marketing.
To see the how and what of the Gmail action buttons, head over to the Google Developers page here: Schemas in Gmail.
The announcement of the new feature was made at the Google I/O event recently. Here’s a video of the announcement:

If implemented correctly, marketers should be able to see a lift in engagement from Gmail subscribers. The reason for this is that they don’t need to open the email anymore to understand what action is expected from them. This means they will spend less time handling email, which in turn makes it more fun for the subscribers to go through their email. Open rates may drop because of this new feauture, but then again: open rates are just a small factor in the success of an email campaign, right?
As a marketer you’re expecting your subscribers to take action, regardless of what that action is. I can’t wait to see real life examples from marketers implementing the new Gmail action buttons: I’m curious as to what they’ll do with it.
Source:
Official Gmail blog
[relatedPosts]