Although the official start of summer is still more than a week away, email marketers should already have the winter holidays on their minds.
This is because mobile email is expected to be a big driver of conversions this holiday season, with data from Campaigner's annual Mobile Trends Survey of nationwide consumers revealing a 22 percent increase in mobile device purchases as a result of email marketing in 2013 from 2012. But in order to capitalize on this rise in mobile purchasing, email marketers must plan ahead and leverage tools like responsive design, segmentation and A/B split testing to achieve the best performance.
"Retailers have a significant opportunity to embrace the growing market for mobile shoppers this holiday season," said EJ McGowan, general manager, Campaigner. "The results from our 2014 Mobile Trends Survey indicated that while consumers are more interactive with mobile content and purchasing, marketers are still providing a lackluster mobile experience. In particular, the survey revealed that some consumers feel content is not personalized, underscoring the importance of relevant content to increase sales and effectively engage with consumers."
Other insights from the survey found that even though 51 percent of respondents purchased items from a mobile device, only 28 percent did so as a result of a promotional email. Moreover, 45 percent of respondents said they are inspired to open mobile marketing emails that have compelling text and graphics, while just two percent are motivated by graphics alone. That said, 42 percent of respondents will read promotional emails on their mobile device primarily based on familiarity of sender name, which means that the marketers who start fostering relationships now will be more likely to succeed when the holiday season arrives.
To further prepare email campaigns for the holiday season, Campaigner suggests that email marketers begin testing various messages, subject lines and mobile designs during the summer months. In addition, the email marketing company recommends that brands test shorter, simpler messages because consumers prefer easy to read content within promotional emails when accessing them from a mobile device.
For more insights into Campaigner's Mobile Trends Survey and tips for preparing holiday email campaigns, check out the infographic below: