It’s a no-brainer that till date ‘email campaigns’ remain the most important and cost effective part of eCommerce marketing strategy. You might be using the best content, call to action, attractive title, to make it as effective as possible but poor open rate is a frustrating that happens over and over again. The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) says ‘email’ form the main lead generation tool for 67% eCommerce companies and almost 30% new marketers use email to generate new sales.
Many a time you just blast emails twice a week with a coupon or promotional content, and that’s it – there’s so much more you can do, to start with knowing the exact email send timings, when customers like reading emails. Here’s more:
Quick Facts
Do you know that even after well-crafted content, excellent subject line, and personalized messages, your email open rate can be low? It’s the time of sending the messages to be blamed.
25% of email opens within an hour of receipt, and just an hour after that chance to open it drops by 50%. Also, the phone is the preferred device to read eCommerce promotional mails, and in the evening while people is in a bit relaxed mood.
Here are some proven tips to get the best open rate:
Be Different and Experimental
Just because 100s of other companies and your friends says 10 am is the best time to send emails, do not make it a custom without evaluating results. In fact it would be wise to avoid popular sending times, say, 6 am- noon, when almost 39% of companies send emails. The next busy slot is between 6 pm and midnight, as most people use email during these hours either for personal or professional reasons. What is your chance to stand out?
If you notice the chart, you will find late evenings have smaller transactions but higher average order value. Consider potential alternatives instead of mixing with the crowd. Try out unusual times and experiment to see the results, such as early office hour or during lunch time, when people might have the luxury to see personal emails.
Time Zones Are Important
It’s a prudent thing to be sure about the time zones so that emails don’t get delivered outside the optimal time for most of the customers. Also different time zones can affect your experiment with sending emails in different time slots. Make sure to know the time zones of your customers either from the IP address locator or from the shipping details, or by simply asking them. Make sure to make it a part of your plan.
Work Hours Work!
It’s a very common practice during work hours to peep into your personal email from PC or phone with work related email. The most common time to check email is 6 am to noon. Studies also show employees check mails also during log out time, so 4-6 pm can be the optimal time.
Weekends Matter
Traffic usually fall during weekends, but that does not mean people don’t check emails during weekends. Also, this is an opportunity for you as most companies won’t send mails during weekends, so your mail will actually reach consumers. Email volume drops on weekends, but open rate increases.
Make sure to format your email for mobile devices to enjoy greater success.
A/B Testing Anyone?
Research results are not always perfect, so the best way to know the best path is to gather data and test the theories in your own environment. Send emails to segmented lists at various times, and note down the results. Change your strategy during weekends. Don’t get stagnant as you receive new insights. Change and test again until you find the best timing for eCommerce email marketing.
The hard work that you will put to know the best eCommerce email timing pays off in the long run. Try it!
