Email has evolved from a messaging service to a multi-purpose tool. Its most common use today is marketing using mass email services.
The original purpose of email was to allow for the instant sending and receiving of messages. Pretty similar to SMS, except it was (and still remains) free. However, this was by no means its only purpose. Email was also used to transfer files and receive newsletters and announcements. As for the latter, an evolved form is still going strong. Added to that are electronic bills and documents, which keep the planet greener, not to dive deeper.
Another original purpose of email that remains evergreen is identity verification. A great many web services require email notification and also use emails to notify the user about novelties and updates to their accounts.
Finally, business communication still relies heavily on the email technology for message service, albeit there are alternative web services serving the same purpose.
Email Marketing
Email campaigns have proven to be the most effective marketing approach. Targeted campaigns offering personalized product/service recommendations coupled with a unique welcome message are a winning combination. To fully understand the scope of opportunities, look at the bigger picture (stats collected by Campaign Monitor):
- Employees spend 13 hours per week addressing emails.
- 57 percent of email subscribers spend 10 to 60 minutes per week browsing email offers.
- 90 percent of emails reach recipients’ inboxes (as opposed to 2 percent of Facebook followers seeing the offer in the newsfeed).
- 83 percent of B2B marketers make use of email newsletters.
- 92 percent of online adults use email.
- 61 percent of online adults use email daily.
Trivia: Did you know that 26 percent of people check email before getting out of bed?
Email Automation Saves Time and Boosts ROI
Email campaigns are easily automated. This allows for additional time for marketing research, notably targeting. As a matter of fact, 95 percent of companies relying on marketing automation (82% of which are B2B and B2C businesses) dedicate themselves to email marketing. Businesses developing automated email campaigns have a 133 percent higher chance of sending relevant messages.
Statistics collected by Campaign Monitor shows that:
- Transactional emails generate six times more revenue than other email types.
- Transactional emails have eight times more clicks than other email types.
- Targeted email campaigns generate over 75 percent of overall email revenue.
- Automated email campaigns have 50 percent conversion rates (B2C).
- 44.9 percent of U.S. retailers use personalized product recommendations.
- 27.6 percent of customers add shopping cart reminders.
Trivia: Marketing studies show that the best day to send important emails is Tuesday.
Going Mobile Changes the Rules of the Game
Times have indeed changed. While email, the service actually predating the Internet, was a breakthrough computer innovation only decades ago, today it is mainly being used on mobile devices. This is another reason why email remains a formidable marketing tool, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Take a look at some stunning facts (stats collected by Campaign Monitor):
- Approximately 53 percent of emails are accessed on mobile devices.
- The number of new mobile device users is growing at a 20 percent annual rate.
- Most subscriptions take place through mobile devices.
- 23 percent of people who open emails on a mobile device read them at least one more time.
- Re-reading emails on mobile devices occurs in 70 percent of cases.
- One-third of all clicks occurs on mobile devices.
- Emails read on a mobile device and re-read on a computer have a 65 percent higher chance of resulting in a click.
Trivia: The use of emojis in email marketing campaigns has increased by 775 percent in 2018.
Into the Future
Research shows that a total of 3 billion people will have used email by the end of 2020, with ca. 246 billion emails expected to have been sent by the end of 2019. This fact only goes to show that email remains the most widely used form of online communication, despite rapid web service developments. With Google reporting that mobile users check their emails up to three times more often than computer users, marketers may rejoice.
Trivia: Personalized emails deliver 6 times higher transaction rates. Interestingly, 70 percent of brands do not use them.
2019 Statistics
These are but a few traits of email’s evolution. We’ll leave you with some 2019 (collected by Campaign Monitor) stats:
- 64 percent of marketers use mobile-optimized designs for email campaigns.
- 66 percent of marketers personalize their email campaigns.
- 67 percent of marketers use big data for personalization.
- 65 percent of marketers claim dynamic email content is the key to personalization.
- 30 percent of marketers worldwide argue that email marketing generates the highest ROI.
- 77 percent of marketers use email to send personalized content to subscribers.
- 61 percent of consumers prefer brands contacting them via email.
Statistics don’t lie. With skyrocketing ROIs and a rapidly increasing number of mobile device users, email remains vital. Full stop!
Trivia: 18 percent of the people check their emails while driving, 42 percent when using the toilet and 50 percent while on vacation.
Instead of a Conclusion
Everything considered, it is safe to conclude that, albeit the purpose of email has changed over the years (the original one, at least), the service is still far from being obsolete. With email marketing campaigns driving success in the long run, it is likely that emails will be around for a while. It will be interesting to observe the evolution of virtual communication, too!
