Ever since the introduction of smartphones to the world, mobile web traffic has skyrocketed, it has even managed to surpass desktop usage. That’s why numerous mobile email statistics show staggering figures.
In today’s business world every marketer needs to adapt to a mobile marketing strategy. Utilizing the valuable insight of the massive user base is vital. Marketers need to understand the latest trends in the digital world, especially email marketing.
For this reason, we have compiled a list of important statistics and facts about mobile email. We also have a few tricks up our sleeves for the best ways to make the most out of this crucial asset.
But let us first show you exactly why mobile email marketing is so important:
Mobile Email Marketing Statistics (Editor’s Pick)
- 3 in every 5 users check their emails while in transit
- 75% of Americans mostly use their smartphones to check their emails
- In 2017, 61% of all U.S. emails have been opened on a mobile phone
- Contrastingly, only 15% of all U.S. emails have been opened on a desktop computer
- 39% of all companies have created a mobile responsive email template design
- 64% of all users prefer to open their emails on a mobile phone
- 61.9% is the average mobile email open rate
- 52% of all companies use a simple responsive template
Those are numbers that no sane marketer can ignore.
Wanna know more?
Strap in, you’re in for a ride.
How Email Is Going Mobile
With the ever-growing presence of smartphones into our lives, people find it easier and more convenient to stay up-to-date with the latest news and trends of the world.
Not only that, but having the option to immediately make business decisions or simply check your online accounts is priceless.
1. Mobile traffic accounts to 52.2% of all Internet traffic.
(Source: Statista)
These mobile email marketing statistics can play a crucial role in a company’s digital efforts.
Reports indicate that mobile traffic will continue to increase. It looks like it’s going to bypass the data that is generated from a desktop device.
2. First time email reading happens 25.6% of the time.
(Source: Email Monday)
This means that every 1 in 4 individuals opens their email on a mobile phone upon receiving it. So having a responsive design is an imperative for all types of businesses.
3. 4 out of 5 workers check their emails outside normal business hours.
(Source: Statista)
These statistics on mobile email usage suggest that people today are more connected than ever before.
82% of all workers have admitted to checking their mobile phones for emails received even outside of their normal business hours.
4. Mobile accounts for 58% of all email open rates, while desktop email open rates are just 19%.
(Source: Text Request)
This isn’t surprising at all, seeing as how dominant smartphones have become in people’s everyday lives. It portrays the value of mobile email compared to that of desktop email.
5. 126 is the average number of emails received per day by American workers.
(Source: Radicati)
This is a staggering amount of emails for one person to receive in a day. Marketers should be aware of this before creating their own strategy.
Why is that? Because these 2019 mobile email statistics show over-saturation of inboxes. This is forcing marketers to make extra effort for their messages to stand out in order to increase their open rates.
6. 81% of 18-35 year olds regularly use their smartphones for checking emails.
(Source: Adobe)
Even though tablets are widely used still, the most common device for checking emails among younger individuals is the smartphone.
Every 4 in 5 of those under 35 will use their smartphones for checking emails, making such mobile email statistics extremely useful for any email-based digital marketing strategy.
7. Average attention span for email reading grew 7%, increasing to 11.1 seconds.
(Source: Litmus)
In the space of just 5 years, the attention span has increased to 11.1 seconds. Meanwhile the total number for emails read shows that the number of emails that have been read for more than 18 seconds grew from 38.4% to 44.4%.
Email Usage On Mobile
For the past 5 years, mobile internet traffic has surpassed desktop and it looks like it’s continuing to improve.
By the looks of the current state of mobile email usage, it seems that more and more users use their smartphones to check emails, rather than desktop computers.
With that in mind, every digital marketer needs to ensure their digital strategy is up to date and in line with the latest mobile trends and technologies.
8. 41.9% is the amount for email opens of all email client accounts in 2019.
(Source: Email Monday)
These are crucial mobile email facts for all managers to be aware of as it can make or break a company’s digital efforts.
Knowing that users’ email open rates on a mobile device are high can direct the strategy towards mobile-responsive email design. This can help boost leads and sales.
9. 47% of people prefer a mobile application for opening emails compared to 26.9% who prefer desktop.
(Source: Campaign Monitor)
Reports indicate that the younger generation prefers to use their smartphones for reading emails. The older generation still prefers reading emails on a desktop device.
10. 29% of all email opens occurred on an Apple iPhone with Gmail being in close second with 27% of email opens.
(Source: Campaign Monitor)
Those are some pretty important mobile email stats and facts for all businesses. Digital marketers looking to increase their open rates and click through rates should pay special attention to them.
11. 269 billion emails are sent each day worldwide.
(Source: Radicati)
That’s a staggering amount of emails sent on a daily basis across all devices. It just outlines the importance of employing email marketing into a business’ digital strategy.
12. 61% of all emails are opened and read on mobile devices.
(Source: Super Office)
This statistic shows how many people read email on mobile devices as well as the importance of having mobile-responsive email templates.
Having a responsive email message will reduce the chance of being deleted and increase the change being read by a user. Which, in the end, is what you’re aiming for.
13. The average click through rate on a mobile device is 13.7%, while on desktop computers is 18%.
(Source: Radicati)
Yet another important reason why marketers should employ responsive template designs for their email marketing campaigns.
These are very important mobile email usage stats to keep in mind. Will you believe us if we tell you that only 11% of email campaigns use a responsive design?
14. 31% of users use smartphones to click through and view a product before buying.
(Source: Email Monday)
That’s almost a third of all users who prefer to continue to read the email, click and follow through it in order to view the service or product.
But of these 31%, only 8% would buy directly on their phone. An identical 31% of all users prefer to wait to browse on their PC or laptops before making a final decision to purchase.
Mobile Email Demographics
As the email usage on mobile increases, so does the need for mobile responsive websites.
Companies are now focusing on creating or upgrading their websites with smaller devices in mind.
15. 73% of millennials prefer business communication via email.
(Source: Adestra)
About three-quarters of millennials believe email correspondence to be a part of their everyday lives. And about half of them state that they check their emails upon waking up in the morning.
16. Most active age group for mobile email usage are 18-34 year olds with 76% of them using their smartphones.
(Source: Adobe)
The number of emails read on a mobile device is highest for people under the age of 35.
A lot of young individuals prefer to use their mobile phones to check their emails. This is mostly due to the fact that they can do that while on the go.
This gives them the advantage to stay on top of everything consistently.
17. Women prefer to use tablets, shown by the 18% conversion rate compared to men, out of which only 13% use tablets.
(Source: Email Monday)
While both genders show equal conversion rate on desktop with 62%, men are generally more inclined to buy on their phones, giving mobile email conversions a solid percentage. Women, on the other hand, prefer buying more from a tablet instead.
18. The United Kingdom has the highest mobile readership with 62.9%.
(Source: IBM)
From an email marketing strategy standpoint, this statistic is of absolute necessity for all marketing efforts related to UK users.
Contrastingly, the United States and Canada are the two countries with the highest desktop readership, with 19% and 30.5% respectively.
19. The industry with the highest numbers of mobile readership are leisure, sports and recreation with 60%.
(Source: IBM)
This isn’t surprising at all, as mobile email engagement gives us insight that the leisure industry appeals most to the younger audience and a large portion of the mobile audience as well.
On the other end, schools and education have the lowest reported figures for mobile email readership – 38.2%.
Email Marketing - Mobile vs Desktop
Even though desktop remains very important for checking, reading, opening and responding to emails, mobile email marketing is not only taking over due to the flexibility it shows. It also due to the practicality of the nature of a smartphone being connected to the Internet at any time and any place.
For these reasons, email marketing becomes even more important. It can either be detrimental or be the key to the success of a business.
20. In 2019, 60% of the total number of emails are first opened on the mobile devices.
(Source: Campaign Monitor)
Email marketing continues to be one of the most important aspects of a digital marketer’s strategy.
But, email marketing is often overlooked as it is a rather challenging strategy for businesses of different sizes.
These numbers, however, speak enough about the effect it can have on the success of a campaign.
21. The average order value for PC and laptops is $179.98.
(Source: Statista)
PC and laptops continue to dominate when it comes to online shopping. Tablet buying stands at $87.01 and smartphone’s average order value is lowest with an average order value of $79.33.
This shows that revenues from mobile email campaigns are at least two times lower compared to revenues from desktop email campaigns.
22. 60% of all B2B buyers state mobile being a key role in making a purchase.
(Source: BCG)
The trend of switching from desktop to mobile is continuing with these figures. It’s indicating that mobile content influences almost two-thirds of all B2B buyers in making a purchase.
23. 48% of all B2C brands have an optimized website for mobile devices, but 37% do not have a mobile responsive promotional emails.
(Source: Email Monday)
Nearly half of all B2C brands have made their websites responsive for smaller devices.
Bearing that in mind, over a third of all B2C brands do not even have a mobile email optimization for their email campaigns.
Weird, right?
24. 17.75 % is the average conversion rate of emails that are opened by recipients.
(Source: Smashing Magazine)
This is an excellent percentage given the number of emails that end up in spam, junk section or simply bounce, reducing the effectiveness of the email campaign.
Almost every 2 in 10 emails convert, further amplifying the need for designing promotional material for smaller devices.
25. For every $1 spent on email marketing, an average return of $32 is expected.
(Source: DMA)
Marketers are certain that email marketing can help a business grow as research has confirmed such beliefs as these statistics on mobile email ROI can help a business increase their profits.
Customers prefer to receive vouchers or coupons and special offers or newsletters, hence the importance of having an adequate email campaign in place.
26. The best email marketing practices include, but are not limited to the following:
(Source: Hubspot)
Avoid:
- Buying of contact lists
- Optimizing the preview text
- Including a signature
- Cleaning mail regularly
- Personalizing the email greeting
- Allowing subscription
- Writing compelling text and subject lines
What Customers Think of Email on Mobile
Many have doubted that email marketing will exist for long. But recent mobile email statistics show that email marketing is here to stay.
And with potential returns of up to 4400%, it has become the primary focus for digital marketers.
But, what do customers really think of email on mobile?
For starters, smartphone usage is skyrocketing and reports say that people open emails first thing in the morning. This makes email campaigns a necessity.
27. 39% of users say they want marketing emails with more information and less promotional material.
(Source: Ad Week)
This goes hand in hand with the personalization of the emails. Users want to feel like the message addresses them personally, not just read what’s in it or what’s hot and selling.
Especially true for work-related mobile email campaigns, where statistics show a staggeringly low amount of email follow-throughs.
28. 78% of teenagers still use email, even-though social media messaging apps are on the rise.
(Source: Adestra)
This is a stunningly high amount of people that use email on a daily basis.
The good thing about mobile emails is the availability and the fact that you can check your email almost any time as well as keep up with the latest news and trends.
Mobile Hacking via Email
Email remains the easiest way to hack someone. Reports indicate an increasing number of accounts hacked on a daily basis.
This may be due to the fact that mobile email transactions have increased in recent years. Users tend to leave their data unprotected and open to attacks.
29. 3 billion Yahoo accounts were hacked in 2016.
(Source: Oath)
This was one of the biggest online breaches of all time! It prompted Yahoo to notify all affected accounts to change their passwords, add security questions and answers and also issued a notice on their official website.
30. In the same year, over 57 million drivers and riders of Uber have seen their information stolen.
(Source: Uber)
Two individuals outside the company have gained unauthorized access to data that is being stored inside Uber’s directories.
The perpetrators have stolen private information such as driver’s license numbers, names and some other personal information. However, they haven’t actually downloaded any significant data, like bank account numbers or social security numbers.
31. The three most popular email clients Apple, Gmail and Outlook.
(Source: Email Client Market Share)
Mobile email statistics of 2019 show that the most popular email apps used on mobile are Apple’s with 32% and Gmail coming in a close second with 27%.
Microsoft Outlook occupies the third spot with only 10%.
Best Practices for Mobile Email Optimization
With numbers suggesting that two-thirds of the population open emails on a mobile device, mobile-friendly design is not just something that is good to have – it has actually become a necessity.
And not only that, but a poorly written copy and badly optimized images within the email itself make it look unappealing. And users tend to directly delete unappealing emails.
Mobile-friendly email designs are important as the number of emails sent from mobiles have increased, and here are a few of the best practices for mobile email optimization and utilization:
1. Subject line length display.
Mobile devices show just 25 to 30 characters while desktop computers display a total of 60 characters of the email’s subject line.
Therefore, take this into consideration when optimizing email content for mobile devices.
2. Use a pre-header text.
A pre-header text is the first line of text copy in your email. This line serves as support to your subject line.
Mobile email statistics indicate that many people often ignore this or simply overlook it. However, it can be quite handy when it comes to mobile-friendliness. The reason behind it, is that pre-header text is often too long or complicated, making the reader scratch his head at what he or she is reading.
3. Make sure your text is clear and precise.
When writing the copy for the body of your email, make sure to keep it simple, to the point and very concise.
Short, smaller chunks of text are easily consumable and make it easier for your guest to read and navigate through your email. It will also prompt them to take action.
4. CTA needs to be centered.
This goes hand in hand with the previous point. A badly placed CTA can reduce the number of mobile email conversions.
With a simple copy text, you can get the message across quite easily and address the readers’ issues. Add a clear and centered CTA, so that the user can see it immediately and be prompted to click on it.
5. Use adequate and optimized images.
Every small device has a default way of displaying images. Do take this aspect into consideration when adding images to email messages.
Final Thoughts
Ever since the introduction of smartphones to the world, email marketing has found its way into these small devices, making itself a huge part of people’s everyday lives.
Neglecting this trend can be detrimental to a company’s success in acquiring new customers or promoting their services or products.
Mobile email marketing is a must, especially for a digital marketer!
We have outlined the most important mobile email statistics which prove this statement. We also shared some general practices on the best ways to optimize email marketing for mobile devices.
Mobile email marketing is here to stay and needs to be embraced and utilized to the best of a company’s abilities.
Now go and rethink your marketing strategy! You can thank us later!
