Much like Mark Twain himself, the rumors of email’s death have been greatly exaggerated. And, as statistics show, it continues to be a widespread and ever-growing method of communication. There are more than 2.5 billion email users worldwide with more than 4.3 billion email accounts! That adds up to approximately 35% of the world’s population. And according to Constant Contact, by the end of 2019, these users will receive 246 billion messages.
Our use of email is most certainly changing, as is how we interact with email, when we read email and where we read email. These habits have changed over the years — and will continue to evolve as we become increasingly connected to people and businesses online. For example, more email is now opened on mobile phones and tablets than desktops and laptops. What does that mean for your strategy now and into 2018? It means if you haven’t already developed mobile-friendly email templates, you should seriously put down what you’re doing and go do that. Like, now.
You also need to think about how to make your emails more engaging. With so many of us checking email while watching TV or participating in some other activity, email is competing for attention. We may always have our smartphones with us, but they don’t necessarily receive our undivided attention. Email statistics also underscore the importance of email marketing and careful consideration of the types of emails you send to shoppers.
Email can influence a purchase or the decision to return to an abandoned cart to complete a purchase. These are just a few ways to think about the state of email and how the data can be extrapolated to inform a strategy or define a goal. We’ve compiled a number of statistics in the infographic below that we think you will find interesting, and which could (should?) influence your email marketing plans, including spending, technology selection and messaging, today and as we march toward 2018.
