Mobile Email Opens and Clicks Peak Around Meal Times

October 22, 2012

This article is included in these additional categories:

Analytics, Automated & MarTech | Data-driven | Digital | Email | Men | Mobile Phone | Women

Mobile email opens are on the rise, and it seems that there are distinct times of the day that are most effective for reaching mobile users by email, finds TailoredMail in an October 2012 study. Based on an analysis of more than 150 million emails sent between August 2011 and September 2012, the study shows that 14% of all opens and clicks on a mobile device occurred from 6AM to 8AM. The second-biggest peak, at 12% share, occurred between 6PM and 8PM. No other period garnered double-digit share of opens and clicks, although there was a smaller peak around lunchtime (12PM-2PM; 9%). This suggests that consumers are actively checking email when they are away from their desktops, whether that be while commuting or at mealtime.

Marketers recognize the importance of email timing, but aren’t yet leveraging its potential, according to [pdf] an October report from StrongMail. About 85% of those surveyed said it’s a least somewhat beneficial to have their promotional emails arrive during a set delivery window. The chief benefits? Increased engagement (64.6%), the ability to run more time-sensitive promotions (52.4%), and increased revenue (33.2%). But despite this overwhelming response, less than 4 in 10 respondents said they currently segment their email campaigns by time of day or are testing for an optimal delivery window.

Mobile Optimization Works

Further data from the TailoredMail study indicates that emails optimized for mobile devices through responsive design have 33% higher click rates. This is especially important given the study’s finding that the share of emails opened on a mobile device has grown from 21% in September 2011 to 39% in September of this year. That latter figure is in line with recent data from Knotice, which reported 36% share of emails opened on a mobile device in the first half of this year (see link above).

5% Open Emails on Desktops and Mobiles

The study also reveals that while mobiles are eating up a greater share of email opens, they’re not keeping up in clicks. Looking solely at data from August and September of this year, the study reveals that while 33.8% of opens occurred on a mobile device, those devices accounted for just 10.9% of clicks.

More users are opening on both desktops and mobiles – 5.2% during that period, up from just 2% one year ago. These findings suggest that more mobile users may be opening emails to scan them for relevant content, but saving clicks for their desktops.

Other Findings:

  • According to TailoredMail, men are 20% more likely than women to open emails on mobile devices, but women are 10% more likely to click on links than men.
  • Among those StrongMail respondents who are delivering emails during a particular time of the day, 4 in 5 have seen performance increases.
  • 3 in 5 say there is a decline in campaign revenue when emails don’t arrive during their scheduled delivery window.

About the Data: The TailoredMail data is based on emails sent by more than 2,000 clients.

The “StrongMail Email Delivery Performance Survey 2012” was conducted in conjunction with Zoomerang. The poll, which gathered feedback from 743 business executives in a wide range of industries, was conducted from September 14 – 24, 2012.

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