The credit reporting company Experian recently used Litmus, an online email marketing analytics provider, to analyze the campaigns of five million openers from 29 campaigns from seven brands and found some surprises.
While customer response to email marketing campaigns is still strong, mobile users only average 10 cents per transacation. Consumers who used both mobile and another device spent $1.28 per transaction. Mobile users tended to make low-cost purchases. But 31% of campaigns that were opened first on mobile returned and used a combination of mobile and a desktop, laptop, or tablet and made a purchase later. If the campaign sparked interest, consumers returned to it.
Experian found that nearly half of all transactions were made using webmail; desktop platforms received 25%. When mobile opens were included, webmail led with 80% of transactions.
Since Google mail has changed to a new tab format that places marketing campaigns under the “promotions” tab, marketers need to help users make the campaigns come into their inbox so they won’t be missed. The pre-header text can ask Gmail subscribers to click on the priority inbox or to “star” their emails in the promotions tab. Marketers can also send a dedicated email to Gmail users instruction them how to received the campaigns in their main inbox. Monitoring campaign response rates for Gmail subscribers in the email program’s analytics can help you spot downward trends in open rates.