With 72.5 percent of consumers preferring to receive communication from businesses solely via email, not through SMS text messaging, app notifications, direct mail or any other methods, the hope for businesses with their e-communications efforts is still alive (Adestra).

Following are key findings from the 2017 Consumer Digital Usage and Behavior Study by Adestra, and insight into how businesses can best reach their target audiences and stay in their inboxes:

Mobile Devices Dominate

Studies have found that mobile devices are winning the race for accessing emails above tablets and desktops. 83.8 percent of smartphone users access their personal email from their device; 34 percent also use their smartphone to check business email (Adestra). The biggest audience to reach through mobile devices? Baby boomers.

Baby boomers are a lot more likely to use their cell phones for email (13.8 percent as opposed to 9.4 percent for gen-Xers and 2.9 percent for millennials).

When you’re designing and developing content for emails, make sure you keep in mind how the end result will look on cell phones. Users will lean toward the unsubscribe button if they can’t access the content quickly and easily.

The Weakest Links Receive the Junk Email

According to the study, it is very common for consumers to create more than one email address for different purposes.

Source: Adestra

Within both business and personal email addresses, there are ones developed specifically for junk emails that users never intend on opening. 34.1 percent of older consumers admitted they have a “junk mail” email address, and for younger consumers that number jumps to 57.4 percent.

How do you rise above the issue of consumers offering up their least valuable email address? You give them a reason to read and engage with your emails, such as offering special discounts on e-communications pieces only or sharing insider information that interests and relates directly to your readers.

There’s No Timing “Sweet Spot”

There is not a golden hour that businesses should send their emails to customers and clients. Studies show that emails are opened when consumers are bored, in a meeting, in bed or randomly throughout the day.

Source: Adestra

This means emails need to be eye-catching and of interest to your readers in order to grab their attention and keep them from unsubscribing.

Moral to the story – email is still imperative for business to reach target audiences, and these emails must interest the readers. The easiest way to help your email stand out from the mundane white-background, black-text emails is through automation platforms like MailChimp and Campaign Monitor. These platforms allow businesses to give emails a personality through color, design and formatting. Subscribe to our Doghouse Newsletter to see what we mean >

Contact us for more information if you’re interested in giving your audience’s inbox a boost!