Email click rates saw a modest decline year over year, likely the result of an increase in mobile device usage, this according to our Q3 2014 email trends and benchmarks. The mobile channel continues to challenge marketers. To be successful in the evolving consumer empowered landscape, marketers must be ready to adapt to change and evolve their strategies as consumer behavior changes. Still, mobile represents a great area of opportunity to engage with consumers, our report found that the increase in mobile device usage helped to increase email open rates 6.5% compared to Q3 2013.
How can you overcome the mobile challenge and capitalize on the opportunity?
As consumers rely more heavily on mobile devices and engage frequently with email in this format, marketers need to get smarter with their digital strategy and more targeted with their communications. Mobile devices make it easy for consumers to read their messages on-the-go, yet they’re less likely to click and purchase due the mobile experience. With this in mind, there are strategies and tactics marketers can implement into their email marketing program to help increase click-through rates.
How can triggered email messages help?
Triggered email messages are sent as the result of consumer action such as welcome, thank you, abandon shopping cart or confirmation. From July 2014 to September 2014 Epsilon sent approximately 340 million triggered emails across multiple industries.Triggered open rates were 76.7% higher than business as usual (BAU) messages in Q3 2014. Triggered click rates continued to perform well, reporting 151.9% higher than BAU messages. Because triggered emails are deployed based on a consumer action they tend to have higher open and click rates. The below graphic depicts the strong performance of triggered emails over time:
Many consumers open emails on their mobile devices but don’t follow through on purchases because of factors such as the mobile shopping experience or the fact that they’re on-the-go. Changes in consumer behavior and expectations are having a significant impact on how brands engage and create meaningful customer experiences. This means that marketers need to become savvier and find new ways to engage with their customers based on insights and an understanding of their behavior. One actionable tactic marketers can implement based on these findings includes using triggers and retargeting when they know consumers are most likely to be at their desktop.
For more information and industry-specific benchmarks, download the Q3 2014 email trends and benchmarks report today.