According to some studies, one of every two media planners includes email marketing as an essential channel when deploying their marketing strategies to promote products or services. That picture is surprising, considering the number of email users (currently estimated at 4 billion) is expected to reach 4.3 billion by the end of 2023.
That’s right: more than half of the world's population.
With this in mind, why leave the e-mail strategy aside when virtually every user who purchases an online service must have an account? However, if you still need to fully explore the world of email marketing, don't worry.
Here are ten key statistics to start working on your advertising strategy. They will help you boost your business and build customer relationships through a traditional channel: email.
So don't waste any time let's dive into email marketing statistics.
💡 Email Marketing Statistics — Highlights
- 49.1% of Internet users between 16 and 64 actively check email during the day
- 72% of successful e-mail marketing campaigns have in common the personalization of the messages
- 63% of businesses are reducing the number of mailings depending on the engagement of their customers
- 41% of Internet users check emails via mobile devices
- Consumers spend around 10 seconds reading commercial emails
- 25.4% of people who check their inbox daily access their emails between 5 and 20 times a day
- You have a 46% higher chance that a subscriber will open your email if you include their name in the subject line
- An email has an open rate of 22.8% vs. 0.58% of the engagement that a social media post can have
- 60% of e-commerce businesses personalize their mailings according to their customers' past purchases
- 46% of smartphone users prefer to receive commercial information via email
1. 49.1% of Internet users between 16 and 64 actively check email during the day
According to Hootsuite's Annual Digital Report, by July 2022, Internet users reached 5.03 billion. That is 63% of the world's population. Add to that that 49.1% of affluent users actively check email daily, and you have an audience as large as almost a quarter of the world's population.
Having that proportion is essential because since millions of existing users could become consumers of your brand, the return on investment (ROI) in email marketing can be massive. But, of course, if you create a good strategy.
2. 72% of successful e-mail marketing campaigns have in common the personalization of the messages
In 2021, after HubSpot (the Cambridge company that offers digital marketing services) reviewed data from its clients, it concluded that the most effective email marketing campaigns were not those that sent the same email to their database, as used to happen until a few years ago.
Instead, 78% of those campaigns first focused on segmenting their audience were the best received. The company's data shows that 72% of the time, success was based on the fact that the messages were personalized and responded to the tastes and needs of its users. Do you already know what your buyers are like and what they want from your brand? Learn by listening them.
3. 63% of businesses are reducing the number of mailings depending on the engagement of their customers
While it is true that defining the frequency at which you will send emails depends on the business and audiences, one thing you should ask yourself whenever you get a new subscriber to your mailings is: why did this person provide me with their account?
The question seems silly, but think about your own experience. For example, when registering your email to access a website or content, you do it for a reason, not so much as you want to receive daily news from that brand or advertising.
According to a Databox study, most companies adjust their mailings based on their recipients' engagement. So, the more openings they get, the less they spam them. Because nobody wants to tire their customer, right?
4. 41% of Internet users check emails via mobile devices
Capturing a user's attention for a long time is a challenging task, even though, on average, a person spends almost seven hours on the web. However, think that of those 5 billion Internet users, at least 44.9% browse to buy. So, how do you get their attention in a context where 306 billion emails are sent and received daily?
To make the task easier, you must, of course, segment your audience. But beyond that, according to some surveys by HubSpot, the trick is to design visually appealing campaigns, especially for smartphones.
5. Consumers spend around 10 seconds reading commercial emails
Not even in 2020, when the whole world took refuge in their homes and on the Internet from the pandemic, did the time spent reading an email reach 15 seconds. According to figures from Statista, until 2021, the average reading time reached only 10 seconds.
This data is essential to consider when designing your email marketing campaigns because that is all the time you have to fullfill the objective of your messages.
The wording is crucial, so we recommend appealing to the announcement of new products and writing eye-catching subjects in emails to encourage their opening. According to HubSpot, when the subject lines arouse curiosity, announce promotions, and are personalized according to the recipient, the emails have a higher open rate.
6. 25.4% of people who check their inbox daily access their emails between 5 and 20 times a day
Most people check their email once a day. However, some check their email applications more regularly.
Suppose you want to focus your campaigns on this type of user. Consider the early morning hours when thinking about the ideal time to deploy your strategies. That is because the first thing that 58% of this niche of users who check their emails more than five times a day do when they wake up is what we are looking for: check their inbox. A piece of advice? Be relevant, and take advantage of that opportunity.
7. Yep. You have a 46% higher chance that a subscriber will open your email if you include their name in the subject line
Perhaps it responds to a sense of urgency or exclusivity; the truth is that some companies dedicated to providing automation services have measured their own experience. For example, SyleCycle studied the behavior of 500 customers who responded to its email marketing campaigns.
The analysis revealed that the opening rate of an email based on the subject line reached 46.2% if it considered the customer's name. According to the same study, the second winning element in the subject line was the name of a new product. Emails that added this detail and specific information about it were opened 44% of the time.
In third place were those messages that included the company where the user works. This type of email was opened 42% of the time.
8. An email has an open rate of 22.8% vs. 0.58% of the engagement that a social media post can have
You may think because we live in a world where marketing strategies must necessarily consider social media, you should only focus on them. Wrong. Some studies show that 85 % of the emails that can be sent in a campaign are successfully delivered. This, and having data for 2019 where it is estimated that every day a person can receive up to 13 emails in their inbox, is an advantage over social media because, in the competition for attention, you have to stand out over less than 20 different senders or brands.
In addition (and according to the same report): posts on social networks only reach 0.58% of engagement concerning the total number of brand followers.
9. 60% of e-commerce businesses personalize their mailings according to their customers' past purchases
Since 2022, with the focus on screens more than ever, the implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become almost crucial to carry out successful marketing strategies. That is because it has been proven that this type of predictive technology is capable of driving e-commerce on account of the consumer data it collects. Well interpreted, this information can represent a great advantage as it can reveal the different behaviors of a brand's consumers.
In 2020, for example, Litmus' State of Email Report showed that AI could be so effective that 60% of e-commerce and service companies used it to personalize future emails according to their users' preferences.
10. 46% of smartphone users prefer to receive commercial information via email
Two channels may come to mind regarding targeted information: SMS messages and emails. Which one to choose? The decision is simple: focus more on your email marketing campaign. According to Statista's latest report for 2021, 46% of consumers said they prefer to receive messages from the brands they subscribe to via email and not via mobile.
The preference is so strong that there are also studies that say that about 22% of the emails sent in campaigns were opened within the first hour of receiving. A behavior that is certainly far from the opening of SMS.
As you can see, the data shows the advantages of email marketing when it comes to complementing your product promotion campaigns. Consider your users' numbers, global trends, and preferences to use that information to your advantage when creating winning strategies using these email marketing statistics.
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Quick Summary
- 49.1% of Internet users between 16 and 64 actively check email during the day
- 72% of successful e-mail marketing campaigns have in common the personalization of the messages
- 63% of businesses are reducing the number of mailings depending on the engagement of their customers
- 41% of Internet users check emails via mobile devices
- Consumers spend around 10 seconds reading commercial emails
- 25.4% of people who check their inbox daily access their emails between 5 and 20 times a day
- You have a 46% higher chance that a subscriber will open your email if you include their name in the subject line
- An email has an open rate of 22.8% vs. 0.58% of the engagement that a social media post can have
- 60% of e-commerce businesses personalize their mailings according to their customers' past purchases
- 46% of smartphone users prefer to receive commercial information via email