Emails in the digital age

Emails are still one of the most popular forms of communication. Think tank Statista estimates that 319.6 billion emails will be sent in 2021, a number that’s projected to exceed 376 billion per year by 2025. In 2020, the number of global email users was 4 billion, and by 2025, that number is expected to reach 4.6 billion. A 2019 survey found that over 70% of marketers believe email marketing generates ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ returns.

It’s still considered to be one of the best ways to reach consumers who have opted-in for such communications at your online store. When they “opt-in” to receive emails at your online store, 23.6% of them will open the email you sent within the first hour, according to research by Marketing Charts. When these emails are sent during prime e-commerce shopping hours — between 6 pm and 10 pm — they get the most traction.

Email services provider Constant Contact explains (via Marketing Sherpa) that 61% of consumers surveyed want to receive promotional messages from retailers at least weekly, and 38% of them want to be emailed more often than that (daily, twice a week or three times a week). So don’t hesitate to send that next promotional message out to your base.

We’re being advertised to all the time. A market research firm in 2007 estimated a person living in a city saw nearly 5,000 ads a day. Estimates since then can vary but include ranges from 4,000 to 10,000 ads a day. While some of the many ads may have a subconscious element to them, the reality is that we ignore most of them unless something intrigues us.

Opt-in e-commerce emails, on the other hand, are often welcomed by consumers. The Texas Chronicle reports (via data from a Smith-Harmon survey) that 76% of consumers have made purchases from an email marketing message they received. HubSpot gathered highlights from their own research finding 59% of consumer respondents surveyed agree that email marketing influences their buying decision.

Email marketing can have an amazing return on investment. What’s the potential ROI? Try 3800%. That’s a $38 return for every $1 dollar invested. Segmented campaigns take it a step further, and in one estimate, they created a 760% increase in revenue. No wonder an estimated 85% of marketers in one survey are using email marketing software to increase awareness, earn new sales and repeat business.

Cross-selling is one of the main reasons why email marketing is still one of the most valuable remarketing mediums that exist. Cross-selling involves suggesting related products to consumers either at the time of checkout or when engaging them with any form of a marketing message. Most shopping carts have the technology in place that can automate cross-selling by using the order activity and behavior of the specific consumer.

Cart abandonment is just part of selling online. This occurs when a shopper adds one or more items to the cart but doesn’t complete the checkout process. The game changes if that shopper happens to be a repeat visitor to your online store and has elected to receive email messages from you. In these cases, you can automate the process and send something called a cart abandonment email. This is an email the consumer receives that reminds them that they left items in their cart without checking out.

Email marketing is still relevant in 2021, and it will likely continue to be in the years to come. Why? Because you can monetize your list of contacts. That’s why your email list is a treasure. The contacts are your contacts, and you can contact them whenever you want — for free. If you build high-quality content that solves important problems for your audience, then a dedicated and targeted mailing list will naturally build with time.

One of the many significant benefits is that the audience already has a connection with you. Your contacts already gave you their email addresses — maybe during the purchasing process or in exchange for a white paper or another goodie. While often the goal of email marketing is sales, the first priority is building a relationship with customers, which in turn can lead to many sales over time. By taking the time to carefully craft both the emails and your strategy, your business becomes, even more, a part of their lives.

TMP’s role

Here at TMP, emails are part of our omnichannel strategy, when it comes to serving our clients and customers. They are a fast and secure mode of communication that is still relevant in this digital age. Though not as popular as before, emails continue to hold a prime position in guaranteeing customer satisfaction, by resolving queries and gently nudging customers to complete their transaction. After all, happy customers mean happy clients!