Google Deal Cards Post-Open

Google Deal Cards Post-Open – What Marketers Need to Know
Google is reshaping the email marketing landscape with Deal Cards Post-Open, a feature that highlights promotional offers directly inside opened emails. Unlike inbox-level previews, this feature lives inside the email itself and gives brands a new opportunity to capture attention once a user decides to open.

What Are Deal Cards Post-Open?
When a recipient opens a promotional email in Gmail, a deal card may appear at the top of the message. These cards summarize the offer in a visually distinct way, often highlighting discounts, limited-time promotions, or seasonal sales.
This is not an AI-generated preview. It is a marketing-driven enhancement that allows brands to surface their key offers immediately after the email is opened.

When Do Deal Cards Appear?
Deal Cards are shown only in specific situations. Gmail may display them when:
The email is categorized under the Promotions tab
A user opens the email and Gmail detects a clear promotional offer
The offer is well-structured and easy for Gmail to parse, such as a percentage discount, coupon code, or sale event
The sender has a good reputation and meets Gmail’s technical requirements
They are not guaranteed to appear for every email. Gmail decides when to display them based on the content, structure, and trustworthiness of the sender.

Requirements for Deal Cards

Marketers must follow certain requirements to increase the likelihood that Gmail will generate Deal Cards for their promotions.

1. Use Promotional Schema Markup
   Implement Gmail’s supported email markup, either JSON-LD or microdata, with the PromotionCard schema. Key fields include discount amount, discount code, valid dates, and a short description of the offer.
   

2. Present Clear Offer Content
   Ensure the offer is visible and explicit in the email body. For example, “20% off until August 15” is more effective than vague wording like “great deals inside.”

3. Maintain Strong Sender Reputation
   Only senders with a good reputation are likely to see enhanced features. If a domain has frequent spam complaints, Gmail may avoid showing Deal Cards.

4. Authenticate Emails
   Gmail requires proper authentication through SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. These signals confirm sender legitimacy and are essential for schema-based features.

5. Target the Promotions Tab
   Deal Cards appear inside the Promotions tab, not in the Primary or Social tabs.

Why Deal Cards Matter for Marketers
Enhanced Visibility.
Important deals no longer risk being buried in long templates. The card ensures the most attractive offer is seen first.
Improved Engagement.
Highlighting key promotions can increase click-through rates and conversions, especially during competitive retail periods.

Design Adjustments
Since Gmail is surfacing structured offers directly, marketers must ensure their markup and promotional details are properly implemented.

Greater Competition
Because Gmail controls what is displayed, brands must compete on clarity, value, and compliance with Google’s promotional requirements.

How Marketers Should Prepare

• Add promotional schema markup correctly so Google can identify and display deals

• Keep offers simple, specific, and compelling to improve visibility

• Test and optimize wording for clarity, since short and precise descriptions work best

• Track engagement metrics to understand how Deal Cards influence click behavior

Final Thoughts

Deal Cards Post-Open create an additional layer of marketing visibility inside the Gmail experience. They reward marketers who provide clear, valuable, and well-structured offers while penalizing vague or poorly formatted promotions. By implementing schema markup, maintaining good sender reputation, and focusing on transparent promotions, brands can take advantage of this feature to strengthen engagement and drive conversions