Smart Fallback – Works in every inbox
Introduction
The power of interactive emails
Interactive emails significantly increase engagement, improve key performance indicators and ultimately drive higher conversions. They enable real-time data aggregation, better customer segmentation and personalised experiences. Gamification elements increase interaction and loyalty, while process automation within emails reduces costs – minimising dependence on landing pages and making email a more attractive, first-party marketing channel.
How mailix Builds Interactive Email
At mailix we aim to provide the best email user experience for every user. Having this in mind, we approach it as a progressive enhancement. Each email client, being it a desktop programm, a mobile app or a webmail interface, should automatically offer the best possible variant to the user.
HTML & CSS for Most Interactive Enabled Clients
The majority of email clients in a typical B2C environment supports modern HTML and CSS code, allowing us to use advanced techniques to build interacitve user experiences right in the inbox. These clients, covering the whole Apple ecosystem and some vendor specific Android Apps and Windows Programs, let the user enjoy the full interactive experience mailix can offer and you can explore in our use case gallery. No Javascript is used in this variant.
AMP for Email for GMail and Yahoo
GMail and Yahoo offer their very own approach to enable interactive features in emails. AMP4Email is a Javascript based, open source framework initially developed by Google to enhance mobile web and email experience. By adding an AMP4Email variant, the client coverage of the interactive features can reach more 80% of your recipient list.
Smart fallback: Seamless Interactive Experience for All
Some email clients, especially Outlook, do not support any advanced html and css code. Thus, they are not able to provide the interactive experience to the user. Even though the market share of Outlook has sharply dropped to less than 10% in the past years, we do not want to leave anyone behind. That’s why mailix adds a Smart Fallback solution to the interactive email elements. Recipients using a static email client that is not able to support interactive content will see the exact same visual in the email. When the user clicks on one of the interactive elements, the Smart Fallback technology kicks in and redirects the user to the browser version of the email where the interactive element gets triggered automatically. The only difference in the user experience is a short loading sequence in the web browser.
Why smart fallback matters
Consistent & frustration-free experience
- All content is always visible – No missing information, even in non-interactive clients.
- Clear navigation – elements automatically adjust to fit each other, ensuring a consistent experience.
- Seamless access to all features – users are seamlessly redirected to the interactive web version when needed.
Key Benefits of the smart fallback
- Adaptive static version – Ensures readability and usability in Outlook & other non-interactive clients.
- Invisible online view link – Automatically triggers when interactivity is not supported, providing a smooth transition.
- Full tracking integration – Captures user interactions, even when switching to the web version.
How the fallback scenario works
Step 1: Detecting email client
When an email is opened, mailix detects whether the client supports interactive elements.
Step 2: Client based adaption
Supported clients display the fully interactive version. If the client does not support interactivity, a static version is shown. Where interactive elements are missing, an online view Link is added to redirect the user to the interactive web version.
Step 3: Tracking remains intact
Clicks on the nline view link are fully tracked, ensuring no data is lost and allowing user interactions to be monitored.
Step 1: Detecting email client
When an email is opened, mailix detects whether the client supports interactive elements.
Step 2: Client based adaption
Supported clients display the fully interactive version. If the client does not support interactivity, a static version is shown. Where interactive elements are missing, an online view Link is added to redirect the user to the interactive web version.
Step 3: Tracking remains intact
Clicks on the Online View Link are fully tracked, ensuring no data is lost and allowing user interactions to be monitored.
See the difference – Interactive vs. smart fallback email
Unlocking the full potential of interactive emails
In supported email clients, recipients can complete actions directly in their inbox – whether it’s selecting preferences, submitting forms, booking appointments, answering surveys or making product choices. By reducing friction and eliminating unnecessary steps, interactive emails increase engagement, improve the user experience and drive higher conversions.
Smart fallback for a consistent experience
For clients like Outlook that block interactive elements, mailix offers an intelligent fallback version. All content remains visible and functional, ensuring a seamless experience.
Where interactivity isn’t supported, an invisible online view link seamlessly takes users to the web version, where they can perform the same actions as in email clients that natively support interactivity.