Email, CRM and Marketing Automation Trends 2025: The Experts Speak Out

Once again this year, leading professionals share their views on the key issues that will dominate CRM, Email and Marketing Automation in 2025. Here are their contributions.
Daniel Agudelo
Marketing Operations manager at ContentSquare
KEY MARKETING AUTOMATION TRENDS FOR 2025
Omni-channel segmentation and generational approach
With five generations active, hyper-personalisation will be crucial. Baby Boomers are still on email and TV, while generations Z and Alpha demand...
Daniel Agudelo
Marketing Operations manager at ContentSquare
KEY MARKETING AUTOMATION TRENDS FOR 2025
Omni-channel segmentation and generational approach
With five generations active, hyper-personalisation will be crucial. Baby Boomers are still on email and TV, while Generation Z and Alpha generations demand interactive experiences on short-form video and social media. The key will be to integrate these touchpoints into automated flows and design differentiated journeys by audience.
Privacy and attribution without cookies
The rise of privacy makes targeting based on third-party data difficult. In 2025, strategies will focus on first-party data, predictive modelling and AI-based attribution to understand the impact of automations without relying on cookies. The adoption of strategies such as server-side tracking and the strengthening of owned media data capture will be key.
Proficiency in PDCs and advanced automation
Customer data platforms (CDPs) are emerging as the core of marketing automation strategies. Companies that integrate data from multiple sources (CRM, eCommerce, digital interactions) will be able to build dynamic audiences and trigger triggers in real time to improve conversion and reduce churn.
Artificial Intelligence: Beyond Personalisation
AI already impacts campaign optimisation, but 2025 will see an evolution towards real-time decision automation. Advanced AI models will enable:
- Predict engagement on each channel and automatically adjust message frequency.
- Optimise copy, topics and dynamic content based on interaction history.
- Automate the generation of content (text, images, videos) with a contextualised approach.
Marketing automation with purpose: authenticity and ethics
Consumers demand transparent brands with real impact. Campaign automation will need to balance conversion and social responsibility, avoiding greenwashing and ensuring interactions reflect genuine values. Conversational automation and customer journey mapping will be key to building trust.
Conclusion
Automation in 2025 will be shaped by AI, real-time data integration and adaptation to a cookie-less world. Marketers who prioritise privacy, hyper-personalisation and authenticity will lead the change.
Veronica Perez
CRM Manager at JD Sports Fashion
In 2025, email marketing remains at the heart of any customer-centric strategy. While we saw glimpses of this last year, this year we will see how personalisation, advanced technology, automation and interactive content will continue to be at the heart of any customer-centric...
Veronica Perez
CRM Manager at JD Sports Fashion
In 2025, email marketing remains at the heart of any customer-centric strategy. While we saw glimpses of this last year, this year we will see personalisation, advanced technology, automation and interactive content continue to be the key players that will stand out in an increasingly demanding consumer landscape.
On the one hand, personalisation will stand out, beyond the superficial and understood as the adaptation of the brand to the behaviour and individual preferences of its customers. This is also where artificial intelligence comes into play, which, far from being a threat to professionals, is a great help in segmenting audiences and creating highly relevant content for each subscriber, allowing us to develop more efficient, precise and tailored strategies for our customers.
On the other hand, process automation, thanks to the tools we have today, not only optimises time for professionals, but also improves the user experience by creating a fluid communication and responding to their needs in a much faster and more effective way.
Interactive content will be another major player. By encouraging user interaction with the brand, we achieve a much more attractive communication, which will result in greater interest and participation and, in addition, will create a stronger bond with our customers.
Finally, in an increasingly data security-conscious world, brands need to be transparent and careful with customer information to build trust and foster strong and lasting relationships. Therefore, we must not forget that the future of email marketing is not only about reaching users, but also about offering them valuable content while respecting their preferences and privacy.
In short, email marketing will continue its transformation this year by becoming smarter, more interactive and more respectful. Brands that manage to adapt to these trends and show a consolidated omnichannel consistency will be better positioned and will be a reference for their customers.
Ana Tejeiro
Engagement Communications at ING
In the same way as last year we mentioned AI as a trend for 2024I believe that this year 2025 is really the year when we as companies are at our most competitive. prepared to implement it and squeeze it outbecause we have been able to get to know more tools, we have learnt more about their applications...
Ana Tejeiro
Engagement Communications at ING
In the same way as last year we mentioned AI as a trend for 2024I believe that this year 2025 is really the year when we as companies are at our most competitive. prepared to implement it and squeeze it outbecause we have been able to get to know more tools, we have learnt more about their applications and we have been able to start testing and trying them out. Of course this is going to be the keynote and the very important evolution of the year that has just begun.
At least, I speak from my experience at ING.
From that experience, It is worth mentioning all the work dedicated to Deliverability for the Email channel.which I believe is still top of mind for all marketing automation departments in 2025.
We are no longer just talking about the focus on comply with Gmail or Yahoo rulesWe are also talking about being well certified and taking care of our reputation and shipping domain; we are also talking about doing it very well. to be trusted by our customers in the age of fraud, pishing, vishing, smishing and many others. -shing.
Reaching a user's inbox has never been so important, and even more so if we mention the changes announced by Apple and its new Mail tray where, through AI, it will highlight to users the emails that are most relevant to them. And there is no shortage of users using iOS 😉.
Finally, I would like to highlight something that we at ING are putting a lot of focus on in 2025, which is ensuring the accessibility of our channelsWe need to think about the footprint we leave with our communications and whether we could be more sustainable.
Once again, Orchestrating well the channels through which we impact our users is another of the most important benchmarks in 2025.
Alejandra Lloret
Founder - Ares Marketing Agency
2025, THE BALANCE BETWEEN CUSTOMER ACQUISITION AND RETENTION
The use of first-party data and zero-party data to build deeper, more personalised relationships that prioritise customer retention and long-term value is taking centre stage in 2025. That's why many brands are...
Alejandra Lloret
Founder - Ares Marketing Agency
2025, THE BALANCE BETWEEN CUSTOMER ACQUISITION AND RETENTION
The use of first-party data and zero-party data to build deeper, more personalised relationships that prioritise customer retention and long-term value is taking centre stage in 2025. That's why many brands have put their focus on customer acquisition, collecting vast amounts of data and shifting the focus away from retention.
Then, what challenge do we face? To exploit this data through retention with a focus on LTV (Customer Lifetime Value) as a key metric.
How can we do this? Using this data to deliver personalised experiences.
This means we must stop looking at acquisition as the sole driver of growth and instead use the data we gather to build deeper, longer and more meaningful customer relationships.
Personalisation, as a growing trend in 2025, plays a crucial role in this process. According to a recent study by BCG Global Consumer Radar SurveyIn the UK, 80% of consumers are comfortable with personalised experiences and are willing to share personal data if it enhances their experience. This highlights the importance of putting the customer at the centre of our CRM and email marketing strategies.
Personalisation will continue to grow in 2025: According to a recent study by BCG Global Consumer Radar SurveyIn fact, 80% of consumers are comfortable with personalised experiences and, as a result, are willing to share personal data if they are going to have a better experience. This is undoubtedly a relevant fact on which, as CRM and email marketing professionals, we must focus our efforts to put the customer at the centre.
Some of the factors that make personalisation positive for consumers that we should take note of are:
– Find the best price: Customers appreciate finding offers or prices tailored to their individual needs, thanks to personalisation.
– Make the experience faster: Smooth and seamless processes are the key to personalisation for users.
– Find relevant information about the brand or products: End users value receiving relevant information tailored to their interests.
– Receive reminders of when another purchase or repeat service is required: Personalised reminders ensure that recurring needs or purchases are not forgotten, improving the overall experience.
Not forgetting that, in 2025, it is crucial to continue to focus on personalisation in the creation of loyalty programmes that help build community. Loyalty programmes need to offer different experiences, such as gamification, to attract and retain members in a more dynamic way. Integrating interactive experiences and personalised rewards not only encourages continued engagement, but also strengthens the long-term relationship with the brand.
Yago Corbelle
Marketing Automation at Meliá Hotels International
If last year we started by exploring how to integrate and leverage generative AI in our strategies, and how companies were focusing on capturing higher quality and quantity - in that order - of Zero and First Party Data in a cookieless scenario, this 2025 the trends...
Yago Corbelle
Marketing Automation at Meliá Hotels International
If last year we started by exploring how to integrate and leverage generative AI in our strategies, and how companies were focusing on capturing higher quality and quantity - in that order - of Zero and First Party Data in a cookieless scenario, this 2025 the trends will revolve around:
The sooner I mention AI, the sooner I get it out of my system. . On the one hand, the focus now is on exploring at what point the AI agents can help us create value. These agents not only process information, but also integrate with the different tools we use, allowing us to orchestrate specific actions in Sales, Marketing or Customer Service. In addition, it will be necessary to further evaluate how generative AI can help us to personalise even more the contents of our communications according to the segments into which we have categorised our customers.
It may be a classic in trends, but, with the increasing limitations to measuring online activityWe need to optimise or find new ways to measure our communications, journeys and commercial actions will remain a priority in 2025.
Finally, this year we have seen a tightening, both from Google and other ISPs, of the authentication requirements and bulk mailing policies. If you manage a database with a high volume of records, you will be required to continue to fine-tune your contact strategy, being stricter with the management of activity and interactions within your segmentations (sometimes less is more).
Marta Pi
Head of Global Marketing at Freshly Cosmetics
TRENDS IN MARKETING AUTOMATION 2O25
Marketing automation continues to evolve rapidly, driven by the need to personalisation, data integration and the use of new technologies.
Marta Pi
Head of Global Marketing at Freshly Cosmetics
TRENDS IN MARKETING AUTOMATION 2O25
Marketing automation continues to evolve rapidly, driven by the need to personalisation, data integration and the use of new technologies.
Multichannel and Omnichannel Automation
Multi-channel automation has become an essential tool for reaching users at key touchpoints. This includes channels such as email marketing, SMS, WhatsApp, mobile apps and social media interactions, which not only connect with the customer, but also gather valuable information about their tastes and preferences. In addition, this multi-channel approach is becoming a key pillar in driving social commerce, integrating social shopping seamlessly into digital platforms.
On the other hand, omni-channel is setting the standard by ensuring that customers enjoy a uniform experience, regardless of the channel they use to interact with the brand. This means that the user perceives consistency in messages, offers and services, regardless of whether they use the website, a mobile app, a social network or a physical shop.
To support this strategy, effective data integration presents a key opportunity. The ability to consolidate lead and customer information on a single platform enables efficient relationship management and a centralised view of the customer, which is essential for making more informed decisions and designing more effective strategies.
Personalised Customer Journey using Predictive Marketing and Advanced Analytics
Personalisation of the Customer Journey is reaching new dimensions thanks to predictive marketing and advanced analytics. These tools make it possible to analyse user behaviour in real time, identifying patterns and anticipating future needs.
Predictive marketing, powered by artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, facilitates advanced message automation, sending communications at times when the user is most receptive. This not only improves the effectiveness of campaigns, but also optimises the customer experience by providing relevant and timely information.
In addition, AI can make personalised recommendations based on the data collected, improving the emotional connection with customers and increasing the likelihood of conversion. For example, an e-commerce platform can suggest products based on a user's previous purchases or interests expressed on social media or the web.
In conclusion, these trends demonstrate that marketing automation not only seeks to optimise processes, but also to humanise the customer relationship through personalised, consistent and data-driven experiences. Companies that adopt these strategies will be better positioned to stand out in a highly competitive and constantly changing environment.
Neus Giménez
Head of CRM at AirHelp
In 2025 we will continue to see how the constant technological evolution and the interaction with users to offer the most personalised experience possible will set the trends in terms of eCRM and marketing automation.
Neus Giménez
Head of CRM at AirHelp
In 2025 we will continue to see how the constant technological evolution and the interaction with users to offer the most personalised experience possible will set the trends in terms of eCRM and marketing automation.
AI & Personalisation
Inboxes are becoming increasingly crowded and it is more difficult to stand out. Having a tool that uses AI to personalise the content of communications based on each customer's data, such as their geolocation, interaction and interests, will be key to capturing their attention, improving the experience and in turn increasing campaign conversion.
Dynamic and interactive content
Being able to create visual email campaigns with no-code or low code, including dynamic content that adds value to the customer, based on their behaviour and preferences is important, but what if the customer can also interact with us through surveys, animations and clickable buttons? Without the need to use external pages, it will allow us to obtain relevant information, and will help us to improve engagement.
Improving automation and omni-channeling
Intelligent automation remains a priority in any business that wants to
improve your ROI while providing an individualised and exclusive experience. Thanks to AI and machine learning, flows can be improved, and based on data prediction we will be able to anticipate and offer users what they need. In addition, it will allow a multichannel approach, integrating other communication channels (WhatsApp, SMS, social networks, websites...) and defining a more advanced segmentation.
BIMI
Although the implementation of BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) is an email marketing technique that has been talked about for a few years, it is not yet widespread. Adding the logo as a profile image next to the "from" in emails is a safe bet to improve recognition and strengthen customer confidence in your brand. This will result in an increase in openings and thus indirectly also in the possibility of converting.
Barbara Perotti
Global CRM & Marketing Automation at UNICEF
If 2024 set the stage for some of the trends in the world of CRM and Marketing Automation, 2025 is the year when these trends become reality. Having moved from the private sector to the third sector, I have seen first-hand how these innovations...
Barbara Perotti
Global CRM & Marketing Automation at UNICEF
If 2024 set the stage for some trends in the world of CRM and Marketing Automation, 2025 is the year when these trends become reality. Having moved from the private sector to the third sector, I have seen first-hand how these innovations are adapted to various fields. Here, in my opinion, are the key trends that will define this year:
Ultra-Personalisation
2024 taught us the value of personalising messages by audience segment. In 2025, the trend moves towards one-to-one interaction, allowing content to be tailored not only to demographics, but also to specific preferences and behaviours. This level of personalisation optimises automated mailings, such as thank you notes or personalised invitations, ensuring a more relevant and effective connection. Personalisation at this level is no longer optional.
AI in the Inbox
The email landscape is changing. Apple's latest version of iOS includes AI-generated summaries that condense long emails into key points. For email marketers, this poses a challenge: they must not only design irresistible CTAs, but also write clear, concise messages and subject lines that are compelling enough to motivate recipients to read the entire email. Even with AI eliminating excess, clarity and relevance will always win out.
Interactive Emails and Gamification
Interactivity is the new standard. In 2025, emails are no longer static; they are spaces for participation. Animated buttons, rollover effects and accordion functions are just the beginning. Embedded surveys and questionnaires are key tools for collecting voluntary data, while star rating blocks allow for immediate feedback. In addition, offering digital thank you gifts, such as exclusive downloads, increases engagement.
Omnichannel Conference
We can no longer afford to have email-only days. WhatsApp is emerging as a powerful tool, especially in regions where SMS and email have less impact. An omnichannel strategy ensures that customers receive messages where they are most active. Instant messaging creates a more personal and immediate connection, forming the basis for meaningful relationships that build loyalty and trust.
All of these strategies are only as effective if they are aligned with the needs of your audience. Keep messages clear and use AI and interactivity to enhance, not replace, the human connection. Whether you're looking to increase revenue or generate impact, the tools are available to you, the question is how to use them.
Andrea Pontesilli
Digital Marketing & E-commerce Manager at Lyreco
Balance between Automation and Craftsmanship
Without a doubt, this will be the year of consolidation of the hyperpersonalisation and the automation powered by AI in many marketing plans. These aspects will not be exclusive to large companies with large resources. Technology is becoming more and more...
Andrea Pontseilli
Digital Marketing & E-commerce Manager at Lyreco
Balance between Automation and Craftsmanship
Without a doubt, this will be the year of consolidation of the hyperpersonalisation and the automation powered by AI in many marketing plans. These aspects will no longer be exclusive to large companies with large resources. Technology is increasingly available to everyone and, with modest budgets, even smaller organisations can benefit from it in the area of relationship marketing.
Platforms such as Mailchimp, SendinBlue or ActiveCampaign allow SMEs to implement advanced marketing strategies. For those looking for more complete solutions, HubSpot o Zoho are excellent options.
While technology allows us to automate data-driven processes, we must not lose sight of our focus as digital marketers: creating high-value customer messages that translate into sales. AI allows us to speed up and save time, but it is not yet capable of creating disruptive concepts in the way only humans can, at least for now. This is where our creativity and intuition play a crucial role.
One of the challenges will be to find a balance between automation and the 'craft' of creating disruptive campaigns.
Hyper-personalisation
Personalisation goes far beyond sending a customer a message with their name on it, recommending products that might interest them or reminding them of the products they have left in their shopping cart. A customer already expects these types of communication from a brand. We are entering a phase where we need to know anticipating customer needs. We have behavioural data on our customers: we know what they see, how they act and what they buy. All this behavioural data, together with the predictive capabilities of AI, allows us to anticipate their actions.
We can send you a message when you are about to run out of printer paper, coffee or when it is time to renew a service. This allows consumers to receive impacts that are increasingly relevant to them and therefore more effective. We stop sending advertising messages and start to become product and service recommenders.
Interactive Emails: AMP for Emails
An emerging trend is the integration of AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) into emails. AMP allows you to create interactive and dynamic emails, where users can interact directly from their inbox. This includes features such as interactive forms, image carousels and real-time updates.
Currently, AMP for email is supported by a few providers such as Google and Yahoo, but it is expected to be extended to other providers soon. This technology not only improves the user experience, but also increases engagement and conversion rates.
Conclusion
2025 will be a year of breakthroughs in digital marketing, where hyper-personalisation and AI-driven automation will play a crucial role. However, it is essential to maintain a balance between technology and the human touch, ensuring that our campaigns are not only efficient, but also creative and disruptive.
Irene Bito
Loyalty Program Strategy Manager at Zooplus
TRENDS IN eCRM, EMAIL MARKETING AND MARKETING AUTOMATION FOR 2025
The digital ecosystem continues to evolve, and with it, eCRM, email marketing and marketing automation strategies. By 2025, the Our success lies in our ability to leverage these trends with a strategic approach. These three trends...
Irene Bito
Loyalty Program Strategy Manager at Zooplus
TRENDS IN eCRM, EMAIL MARKETING AND MARKETING AUTOMATION FOR 2025
The digital ecosystem continues to evolve, and with it, eCRM, email marketing and marketing automation strategies. By 2025, the Our success lies in our ability to leverage these trends with a strategic approach. These three trends will play an important role in our strategies to maximise the efficiency and relevance.
AI as a driver of efficiency, personalisation and accessibility
In 2025, artificial intelligence will be consolidated by its ability to optimise processes and improve effectiveness. This frees up time to develop strategies with the greatest impact.
Two key areas where we will apply AI:
Hyper-personalisation of content, delivery (automated journeys that respond to user behaviour in real time) and designs, with more and more of them being relevant but above all more accessible for all users.
Evolution towards multivariate tests more complex and complete, to optimise different variables simultaneously.
The integration and protection of user data
By 2025, data integration will be on a pathway for predict behaviours and personalise the experience across all channels (optimised omni-channel experience). Traditional segmentation is giving way to predictive and intelligent segmentation, achieving redefining the relationship with customers and making it closer and more relevant.
At the same time, compliance with regulations to protect customer information will be crucial in our CRM strategies.
More beyond Open Rate: strategic measurement
We leave behind superficial indicators such as Open Rate and Click Through Rate to focus on data that reflect tangible results, aligning eCRM and email marketing with business objectivesActive on site users (what they do after receiving the email); conversion of contacts and sales impact.
Sao Knul
Customer Strategy Expert
Marketing Automation, multichannel Journey Orchestration and Growth are the trends that will experience a significant boost in 2025 thanks to artificial intelligence.
AI's ability to streamline the testing of actions, content and audiences will provide a competitive advantage that will allow the company to...
Sao Knul
Customer Strategy Expert
Marketing Automation, multichannel Journey Orchestration and Growth are the trends that will experience a significant boost in 2025 thanks to artificial intelligence.
The ability of AI to streamline the testing of actions, content and audiences will offer a competitive advantage that allows more accurate conclusions to be drawn in real time. This will translate into more efficient and relevant communication with users, improving the personalisation and effectiveness of our campaigns.
The integration of predictive, contact frequency, engagement, customer scoring and product recommendation models will be crucial to power our campaigns and journeys. These solutions improve customer interaction and the overall brand experience.
From a MarTech perspective, CDPs, CRMs and marketing automation tools already have artificial intelligence in their applications, allowing marketers to put more focus on communication strategy and tactics versus complex processes.
Technological advances will undoubtedly continue to facilitate the work of marketers. However, my main bet for 2025 is to look at the values and origins of the brand. Brands that are committed to a strong and coherent identity in each touchpoint from customer journey are the ones that really succeed in establishing a meaningful dialogue with their audience.
In a world saturated with impacts, it is those brands with a genuine storytelling that manage to create lasting relationships with their customers. Giving technology a soul is the real challenge, where we integrate its intelligence and speed with the human and emotional character of organisations.
Jordi Puig
Co-founder and General Manager, Digital Response
CONSOLIDATION OF AGILE MANAGEMENT AND THE EMERGENCE OF NEW PLAYERS IN THE MARTECH INDUSTRY
In 2025, the trends in CRM project management and campaign execution that have emerged in recent years...
Jordi Puig
Co-founder and General Manager, Digital Response
CONSOLIDATION OF AGILE MANAGEMENT AND THE EMERGENCE OF NEW PLAYERS IN THE MARTECH INDUSTRY
By 2025, the trends in CRM project management and campaign execution that have emerged in recent years will be firmly established. From marketing operations, CRM teams will continue to rely on process automation to optimise time, reduce errors and improve content personalisation.
One of the main challenges in running CRM campaigns lies in the complexity of the operations.. Brands must manage multiple variables, such as creating text in different languages, configuring various URLs, last-minute design changes, and testing links prior to launch.
And with the increasing demand for personalised experiences, CRM specialists will have to turn to automation if they want to achieve their goals efficiently..
The main tasks that are being automated include the generation of HTML parts from "design systems", the configuration of campaigns with dynamic contentthe assembly of campaigns on marketing platforms and the realisation of testing to ensure correct functionality of each part. Implementing these automated processes not only improves operational efficiency, but also allows teams to focus on more value-added strategies such as data analytics and optimising the user experience.
Another key aspect in the evolution of CRM is the the emergence of new players on the market which, unlike the more established solutions, have been developed natively in the cloud and are based on API-first. This enables faster and more flexible integrations, facilitating the orchestration of real-time experiences in a more agile and intuitive way.
The arrival of these platforms is marking a transformation in the way brands interact with their customers.. With their advanced personalisation capabilities and focus on real-time data analytics, brands can deliver more relevant and contextual experiences. While these solutions have so far been primarily adopted by enterprises DTC (Direct to Consumer), retail y mobile applicationsBy 2025, more brands are expected to start harnessing its potential to improve the user experience in different sectors.
In conclusion, process automation and the adoption of new cloud-based technologies will be key to the evolution of CRM in 2025. Marketing teams will need to adapt to this new reality if they are to remain competitive in an environment where personalisation and operational efficiency are paramount. The combination of automation and innovative tools will enable brands to not only optimise their campaign management, but also deliver richer, more tailored experiences.