Lies, Damned Lies and Email Design

Text

Haydn SweterlitschVP, Executive Creative DirectorHacker Group, Seattle

FIVE LIES AGENCIES TELL ABOUT EMAIL

Tuesday, October 29, 13

Text

Haydn SweterlitschVP, Executive Creative DirectorHacker Group, Seattle

LIES, DAMNED LIES + EMAIL DESIGN


behold, the majestic email

61% of people read at least some email on a mobile device

like a cockroach, email+is 354 million years old



30% of people read email exclusively on a mobile device

like a cockroach, email+is 354 million years old+is sometimes seen as a pest



like a cockroach, email+is 354 million years old+is sometimes seen as a pest+is adaptable, mobile, everywhere

wireless market penetration in the US surpassed 104% in 2012



More users (~78%) read email on smartphones than make calls

like a cockroach, email+is 354 million years old+is sometimes seen as a pest+is adaptable, mobile, everywhere+will survive nuclear war


email is the goat

Email is the most popular smartphone activity (~78% of users)


email is the goat

internet time on mobile devices outpaced PC in may, 2013481 billion minutes vs. 477 billion

+email is a machine


email is the goat

The only mobile purchase influencer greater than emails is friends/family

+email is a machine+design yours exquisitelyin structurein stylein formin function


+culture of zero

forces aligned against the email

As of 2013, there are 3.6 billion email accounts


+culture of zero+swipe/delete UIs


By 2016, there will be 4.3 billion email accounts


+culture of zero+swipe/delete UIs+tabs


82% of users open emails they receive from brands/companies


+culture of zero+swipe/delete UIs+tabs+canned meat


This year, about 84% of all email traffic will be spam


+culture of zero+swipe/delete UIs+tabs+canned meat+OS, client anarchy


~66% of mobile traffic is on iOS


design starts in the inbox

33% of email recipients open email based on subject line alone

+clear subject lines are compelling ones



64% of people say they open an email because of the subject line

+clear subject lines are compelling ones+agencies sometimes ignore preheader +users never ignore preheader



+clear subject lines are compelling ones+agencies sometimes ignore preheader +users never ignore preheader+the thunder+lightning of the inbox

Subject lines with fewer than 10 characters get an open rate of 58%


symbols: what the $@!#?

Subject lines with unicode have a higher open rate in 56% of brands surveyed

+if a symbol is in a subject line and users don’t see it, does it really exist?



the sun symbol increases open rates 14.9%

+if a symbol is in a subject line and users don’t see it, does it really exist?+no best practices



Airplanes (✈) show a 10.7% lift in open rate, umbrellas (☂) generate 50% lift

+if a symbol is in a subject line and users don’t see it, does it really exist?+no best practices +no patterns



Unicode: 60% of the time, it works every time

+if a symbol is in a subject line and users don’t see it, does it really exist?+no best practices +no patterns+go for it


+adaptive+responsive+fluid

get responsive or gtfo

24% of brands don’t optimize email creative for mobile in any way


+adaptive+responsive+fluid


39% of marketers have no strategy for mobile email

image: @stammy Paul Stamatiou, 2013


+adaptive+responsive+fluid+optimize or die


87% of online retailers optimize mobile email (or plan to) in 2013


+adaptive+responsive+fluid+optimize or die+always see #rwd+why not #red


45% of 2012 holiday season emails were opened on a mobile device



97 unique screen resolutions in 2010. 232 in 2013

12 million monthly touch email program+average 25% open rate+50%-60% opened on mobile devices+3% click-through rate

+click-through up ~400% since introducing adaptive design


flat is so hot right now



+flat UI feels better to the touch/mobile (or is that just me?)

71% of mobile purchase decisions are “most influenced” by brand emails



+flat UI feels better to the touch/mobile (or is that just me?)+lends itself to responsive design (or is it just timing?)

17% of Americans create a new email address every 6 months



+flat UI feels better to the touch/mobile (or is that just me?)+lends itself to responsive design (or is it just timing?)+lack of depth forces true hierarchy

Subscribers below age 25 prefer SMS to email



+flat UI feels better to the touch/mobile (or is that just me?)+lends itself to responsive design (or is it just timing?)+lack of depth forces true hierarchy+simple ≠ basic

Monday delivery drives the highest revenue per email


form + functionality follow function

43% of mobile email users check email four or more times per day

+progressive disclosure



72% of B2B buyers are most likely to share useful content via email

+progressive disclosure +persistent buttons



social sharing buttons increase email click-through rates 158%

+progressive disclosure +persistent buttons+horizontal scrolling



44% of users made at least one purchase last year based on a brand email

+enewsletter: 10 million touches/month



Personalized subject lines are 22.2% more likely to be opened

+enewsletter: 10 million touches/month

+28% open rate+62% opens on mobile (48% on iOS)+1.5% click-through+5.48% click to open rate


five lies agencies tell (and believe)

+emails don’t drive ____, they drive _____.+the most effective emails are _______.+the single most important factor in email design is _______.+_______ has largely replaced emails in importance.+we have emails figured out.


thanks for your time

+haydn sweterlitsch+executive creative director, hacker group, seattle+hackergroup.com+@haydn_s


Lies, Damned Lies and Email Design

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