Can AI Improve Email Open Rates and Click-Through Rates?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has quickly become one of the biggest talking points in digital marketing. From generating content ideas to predicting customer behaviour, AI is now built into many of the platforms marketers use every day.

AI email marketing is no exception. A lot of email platforms are introducing more AI-powered features designed to help brands create more personalised campaigns, improve segmentation and make smarter decisions about when and how they communicate with customers. This is especially true for email marketing for ecommerce, where customer behaviour data is rich and campaigns can be tightly targeted around purchase activity.

But, does AI actually improve email performance? Can it increase open rates? Can it drive more clicks? Here’s what the data says and how ecommerce brands can use AI effectively.

How AI is changing email marketing?

Traditionally, email marketing often relied on broad campaigns sent to large audiences. This approach can still work, and customers are increasingly expecting brands to understand their interests and deliver relevant content.

AI helps marketers move from sending more emails to sending better emails.

Some of the most valuable uses of AI in email marketing include:

• Subject line optimisation – generating and testing different variations to improve engagement.
• Personalisation – tailoring content, offers and product recommendations based on customer behaviour.
• Segmentation – grouping customers based on preferences, actions and buying patterns.
• Send-time optimisation – identifying when individual subscribers are most likely to engage.

Platforms such as Klaviyo are increasingly using AI to help brands understand customer behaviour and create more targeted communication. However, the value comes from using these tools alongside strong customer data and marketing strategy.

How to improve email open rates with AI?

Open rates have traditionally been one of the main metrics marketers use to measure email success. A higher open rate usually suggests that subject lines, timing and audience targeting are working effectively. But what is a good email open rate? Benchmarks vary by industry, but ecommerce brands generally aim for open rates in the higher percentage, with top performers pushing higher through strong segmentation and relevance. AI can help improve open rates in several ways.

Better subject lines

The subject line is often the first factor influencing whether someone opens an email. AI tools can quickly generate multiple subject line options, analyse patterns from previous campaigns and help marketers test different approaches.

For example, instead of manually creating one subject line, marketers can use AI to produce several variations based on different angles:

• urgency
• curiosity
• personalisation
• product benefits
• customer interests

However, AI-generated subject lines are not automatically better. The strongest results usually come when marketers combine AI suggestions with their understanding of their customers.

More relevant targeting

A major reason people ignore emails is that the content does not feel relevant. AI-powered segmentation can help brands identify groups of customers based on behaviours such as:

• previous purchases
• browsing activity
• email engagement
• product preferences

A customer who frequently purchases skincare products, for example, should receive different messaging from someone who has only purchased homeware products.

More relevant emails are more likely to earn attention.

Smarter send times

The traditional approach of sending every campaign at the same time for every subscriber is becoming outdated.

AI can analyse engagement patterns and help determine when individual customers are most likely to open emails. This means a customer may receive an email in the morning, while another may receive it later in the day when they are more likely to engage.

How to improve email click-through rates with AI?

Click-through rate (CTR) is often a stronger indicator of email performance because it shows that someone actively engaged with the content. AI can help improve CTR by making emails more useful and personalised.

Effective email content

AI can help marketers test different versions of email copy, calls-to-action (CTA) and layouts. A clearer CTA or adjusting the messaging around a product benefit or discount can have an impact on clicks.

The key here is not letting AI create generic content at scale. It is using AI to explore ideas faster and identify what resonates with customers.

Better automated journeys

Automated email flows are one of the areas where AI can have the biggest impact.

According to Klaviyo’s email benchmarks, automated flows typically outperform standard campaigns because they are triggered by customer behaviour and delivered at moments when customers are more likely to engage. Such as Abandoned checkout flows, Welcome flows, Post-purchase flows and Customer win-back flows. These emails are naturally more relevant because they are based on what customers have actually done.

So, what does the data tell us?

The evidence suggests that AI is most effective when it improves relevance rather than simply increasing email volume.

Research from Klaviyo highlights that brands using personalised messaging, segmentation and automated flows can achieve stronger engagement and revenue outcomes compared with broad campaigns.

Similarly, research across the wider email marketing industry consistently shows that personalisation and behavioural targeting are key drivers of engagement. 

However, AI itself is not the reason emails perform better. The improvement comes from better decisions such as understanding customers more deeply, sending messages at the right time, creating more relevant experiences and continuously testing and improving campaigns. AI simply helps marketers do these things faster and at greater scale.

Where AI won’t improve your email results

While AI is powerful, it cannot fix poor email marketing foundations.

AI will not solve:

• An unclear brand message
• Weak offers and promotions
• Irrelevant target audiences
• Ineffective email design
• A lack of A/B testing

A poorly planned email campaign will still underperform, even if AI helps write the subject line.

Successful email marketing still requires human input in creativity, strategy and an understanding of what customers actually want to see.

Final thoughts

AI can improve email open rates and click-through rates, but it is not a shortcut to better marketing.

The brands that benefit most are not those sending more AI-generated emails, they are the ones using AI to understand customers better and create more relevant experiences.

For ecommerce businesses, combining AI tools with platforms like Klaviyo, strong segmentation and thoughtful strategy can help turn email marketing for ecommerce into a more effective revenue channel.

At CRKLR, we help brands make better use of AI email marketing, automation and customer data to create campaigns that drive meaningful results. By combining AI with strategic thinking, businesses can build email experiences that customers actually want to engage with.