Google has launched its priority inbox, automatically grading emails into four categories: important, important and unread, starred items and everything else, which could be tricky business for emarketers.

According to The BBC, this update to Gmail should save people time when sifting through emails, helping them to become more productive.

It poses a fresh challenge for targeted email marketing campaigns, as marketeers’ relationship with the subscriber as well as the email content will determine how messages are filtered.

Keith Coleman, director of Gmail, explained to The BBC just how the software does this. He said: “Basic indicators include if this message is from someone you write to a lot or reply to a lot. Another category is terms – if the word Viagra is in the message, it is indicative of junk mail. And a third factor is something known as static features. That is if the message has been sent to you directly, or to you and other people, or a list of people.”

However, using specialised email marketing software is one of the ways that emarketers can boost the likelihood of their emails getting into the important section.

According to Tech Crunch, the news will place a bigger significance on email intros, as emarketers try to ensure the message gets flagged as important. “It also has much broader complications,” claims Tech Crunch. “Increasingly, content will be displayed to you based on its importance rather than its time stamp – not just when it comes to browsing email, but for social networks and other content as well.”