1. 42.7%
Consumers are likely to open
emails that reference products they
like or item they recently viewed
33%
Consumers decide whether to
open an email based on subject
lines alone
UNDERSTANDING
EMAIL
The Landscape, the Recipients Rules and the Path to Success
The World Of Email Isn’t Flat
Marketers are doubling down on email. According to recent research, 61% of marketers
identify email as an important or extremely important channel for customer engagement.
They’re investing more resources, upping their send rates and integrating messages across
multiple channels, all in the hopes of growing their lists and increasing conversions.
Marketers send a lot of emails, but whether that email gets opened, how it gets opened, and who
engages with it depends on a variety of factors.
But they’ve run into a problem.
Only 41% of marketers consider their emails to be personalized to the
consumer. And this is at a time when consumers are exerting more control
than ever when it comes to their email marketing relationships. 41%
Opportunities for Marketers
91% of consumers check their email daily.
Immediately
after waking
Before going
to bed
While
commuting
When traveling
for business
On weekends On vacations/
holidays
A Gateway to Sales
49% 54% 33% 40% 63% 58%
The Recipient’s Five Rules
Consumers say email is the top channel when it comes to pre-purchase influence
37%
66%
Consumers have made a purchase online as a result of a marketing email
67%
Consumers interested in receiving real-time email offers
Email success depends on the industry
A Spotlight on Mobile
Total email market share
B2B Consumer
Services
Financial
Services
Hospitality
& Travel
Insurance Publishing Retail Technology
100.5 BILLION
BUSINESS EMAILS
82.4 BILLION
CONSUMER EMAILS
DAILY
EMAILS
17.6%
11.1%
31%
7%
11.5%
2%
22.6%
9.4%
30.7% 30.8%
48.3%
16.3%16.3%
20.4%
10.8%10.7%10.7%
3.4%3.4%
More than half of all emails are now opened on mobile devices.
29%
webmail
51%
desktop
20%
Emails opened on
an Android device
12%
Emails opened on
an iOS device
38%
Average order
value by device
93.94 48.10
Click-to-open rate for desktop and mobile
Consumers prefer email for commercial
communications over any other channel74%
Sealing the Deal
Products of Interest Subject Lines
No matter your business, an overwhelming majority of email marketing recipients agree on
five basic tenets that a marketer should follow:
1. Ask for permission
75% of consumers say a purchase alone does not give brands the OK to send
marketing emails.
2. Make it look good
80% of consumers will immediately delete an email that doesn’t display well on
their mobile device. 30% will unsubscribe.
4. Keep it valuable
80% of consumers initially opt-in to marketing email to receive discounts.
5. Be personal
82% of shoppers say they would buy more items from a brand if the emails they
sent were more personalized.
3. Stop blasting
35% of consumers said their primary reason for unsubscribing is frequency of
messages. 25% said the emails they were receiving weren’t relevant enough.
66% of consumers say poorly personalized emails are annoying because the
attempts are “superficial.”
Three Strategies for Success
Tailor Your Messaging
It’s no secret that segmenting your lists delivers improved metrics. But those
results are usually only positive outcomes for open rates and click throughs.
Segmentation alone doesn’t necessarily translate to improved ROI.
Trade in your “broadcast email” strategy for a “relevant email” strategy.
Sources: Direct Marketing Association |
Harris Interactive | IBM | Litmus | Merkle
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Act In Real Time
Only 13% of marketers use a consumer’s real-time location to drive interactions, so
take the time to differentiate your email marketing from your competitors by planning
your strategy around your recipients’ actions, like when they actually open a message.
Dynamically adjusting your message at the time a recipient opens an email
guarantees you’re sending content that is highly personalized and the most relevant
to the customer at that time.
Think Inside—and Outside—the Inbox
Divergent technology and a lack of design standards means the same email
renders differently across devices and email clients. You don’t necessarily need
responsive design to solve this problem, but you do need a solution (think fluid
design). And studies show that most marketers don’t have a solid one.
Still, email design isn’t just about ensuring your messages render appropriately
across all devices and channels. You also need to ensure your landing page
is optimized for consumption no matter the device and that you present a
consistent experience from one window and screen to the next.