Mobile dominates email

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Mobile dominates email

Mobile is everywhere, so it is no surprise that more and more people are reading emails on a mobile device. In fact, more people are viewing their emails on a mobile device than a desktop computer. It is now crucial that you think mobile-first when it comes to email, otherwise you risk missing out on a lot of potential new business.

At the beginning, mobile usage was popular among teens and young adults, however the age range has gradually been growing and other age groups are gaining ground so saying your demographic doesn’t use mobile is no longer an excuse.

For the last few years we have known mobile is taking over the world. Mobile usage continues to grow and more and more people are finding it easier to access email through their mobile devices rather than a desktop computer.

And although we know mobile internet usage dominates the web, it now turns out that mobile email consumption growth has also risen at an alarming rate over the last 4 years.

A study has proven that email is now consumed more on mobile. The study counted 7.2 billion opened emails, of which 3.8 billion were viewed on a mobile device.

This growth has continually risen in the percentage of email viewed on mobile devices for the last 4 years:

2012: 24% of emails were opened via a mobile
2013: 31% of emails were opened via a mobile
2014: 45% of emails were opened via a mobile
2015: 51% of emails were opened via a mobile

Although this shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, considering mobile usage, mobile web usage and mobile search have all continued to steadily grow over the last few years; it is good to recognise that email also plays a huge part in the mobile marketing strategy.

This doesn’t mean that should be designing for mobile-first or solely focus on mobile; instead you should be focusing on providing the best for both worlds. The solution is responsive design. However, mobile should be a serious consideration as those potential customers viewing from a mobile device need a smooth and easy to use user experience otherwise you may find yourself missing out on a lot of potential clients.

As mobile devices, especially smartphones are gaining leverage across a world and people are using desktop computers and laptops less and less, it is vital that your marketing efforts focus on eliminating the barriers for usability on smartphones.

Don’t neglect the mobile experience! 

Luke Stanley