Google expands AMP to email with developer preview
Interacting with email could be noticeably different within a few months.
Google's Gmail team on Tuesday launched a Developer Preview of Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) for email to enable senders to better engage with their audience.
With AMP, recipients will be able to respond to an email interactively through a form without having to click a link and redirect to another webpage outside of the email.
Further, AMP for email will provide real-time info for flights, events, news, purchases, and more inside emails, alongside ability for recipients to browse and interact with up to date content.
Google provided an example of AMP for email in a blog post:
For example, say an external contractor wants to schedule a meeting with you but can't see your calendar, so they send an email to get information on which dates and times you're available. Within the email is a form to coordinate details. Thanks to AMP for Email, you can respond interactively through the form without having to click a link and redirect to another webpage. AMP for Email could also help you get more done in less time by allowing you to quickly RSVP to events, browse and interact with listings and campaigns, or fill out a questionnaire without ever leaving email.
Google has made AMP for email specifications available to developers, who can now signup for preview access through Google. User support will be available in Gmail on mobile and desktop later this year, the company said.
Google launched its open-source framework AMP in February 2016 to enable developers build a faster mobile browsing experience for customers. Based on a diverse architecture using Javascript, HTML and open source technologies, AMP is designed to serve up mobile-optimized content (and ads) with minimal data requirements on mobile networks.
In a GIF, Google showed AMP in a Pinterest email that allowed the reader to interact with it like a webpage. Now AMP isn't only focused on mobile webpage speed, but also getting users to interact with content in an email, when they otherwise wouldn't have been inclined to click an outbound link.
Google said companies including Pinterest, Booking.com and Doodle are developing new experiences using AMP for email. Google also wrote in blog post: "We look forward to seeing how other email clients will adopt it, too."