Application of Email Marketing in Agricultural Marketing: Opportunities for Agro-Industrial Enterprises

The digital transformation of the agro-industrial complex is increasing the importance of direct communications between producers, intermediaries, and end consumers. Against this backdrop, email marketing is particularly valuable as a tool that combines low marginal cost per contact, content personalization, repeat sales opportunities, and the accumulation of audience behavior data. The aim of this study is to identify the economic and organizational potential of email marketing for promoting farm and food products, as well as to determine the conditions for its effective and legitimate application in agricultural marketing. The methodological basis consists of comparative and dynamic analysis, a review of industry literature, the interpretation of open benchmark metrics, and a comparison of the digital readiness of agricultural organizations with the requirements of modern communication channels. The scientific novelty of this study lies in the combination of three levels of analysis: the industry-specific context of the agro-industrial complex, the digital readiness of agricultural organizations, and a model-based assessment of the impact of various email marketing scenarios for corporate and consumer segments. Email marketing has been found to be most effective in those segments of the agro-industrial complex that feature repeat purchases, significant seasonality of demand, the ability to segment the customer base, and the economic feasibility of accumulating contact histories. Automated and event-driven email chains have been shown to significantly outperform mass campaigns in terms of open rates, click-through rates, and the expected number of targeted actions. It has been proven that for agro-industrial companies, this channel should not be viewed as an additional newsletter, but rather as a managed tool for increasing repeat sales, customer retention, closing deals, and promoting local brands, all while adhering to legal and technical requirements.